Episode 93: 100 Years of U.S. Media Fueling Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
Citations Needed13 Marras 2019

Episode 93: 100 Years of U.S. Media Fueling Anti-Immigrant Sentiment

"A preponderance of foreign elements destroys the most precious thing [a nation] possesses - its own soul," wrote the politically-influential Immigration Restriction League in early 1919. "The great hotbeds of radicalism lie in the various colonies of alien workmen," declared The New York Times on January 5, 1921. Warning of the "menace" posed by "millions of intending immigrants of the poorest and most refractory sort," The Saturday Evening Post insisted days later that "the character of those who have been coming to us from overseas has unmistakably deteriorated."

While anti-Chinese and anti-Asian laws had been on the books for decades, the passing of the Immigration Act in October 1918––and later the Immigration Act of 1924–the United States ushered in a new era of racist, anti-left, anti-immigrant sentiment.

By the early 1950s, new laws upheld a racist ranking system for "desirable" ethnic groups, making it easier for the U.S. to deport people suspected of being Communists, anarchists and other radicals. All of which happened in parallel with the rise of major media tropes of immigration reporting; tropes that––with varying degrees of subtlety––still exist today.

On this episode - recorded live at Cornell University's Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art in Ithaca, New York on October 25, 2019 - we highlight a number of these tropes, including the media's rampant association of immigrants with criminality and terrorism, deserving refugees vs. undeserving migrants; frequent references to immigrants as invading hordes or vermin infestations; appeals to allegedly race-neutral "law and order" sentiment; and today's right-wing open border panic.

We are joined by Cornell professor Shannon Gleeson.

Jaksot(367)

Episode 25: The Banality of CIA-Curated Definitions of 'Democracy'

Episode 25: The Banality of CIA-Curated Definitions of 'Democracy'

Few words elicit such warm feelings as the term "Democracy." Wars are supposedly fought for it, foreign policies are built around it, protecting and advancing it is considered the United States' highe...

31 Tammi 201853min

Episode 24: Highlighting Alternative Media - The Moral Limits of Dunking on Thomas Friedman

Episode 24: Highlighting Alternative Media - The Moral Limits of Dunking on Thomas Friedman

Here at Citations Needed we enjoy nothing more than ragging on corporate media - indeed, it's our primary job. But can constant snark and negativity breed cynicism? Recent feedback from some of our li...

24 Tammi 201858min

News Brief: Why the Media Should Stop Calling it a "Government Shutdown"

News Brief: Why the Media Should Stop Calling it a "Government Shutdown"

It's not a "government shutdown", it's a liberal government shutdown––or, more precisely, a backdoor rightwing coup. Our words should reflect that. Relevant article: It's Not a Government Shutdown. It...

24 Tammi 201812min

Episode 23: The Media's Grim Addiction to Perseverance Porn

Episode 23: The Media's Grim Addiction to Perseverance Porn

We've all seen these feel good segments on the local news. The adorable and resourceful seven-year-old in California who's been recycling cans since he was three and now has $10,000 saved up for colle...

17 Tammi 201850min

Episode 22: Trumpwashing -- How the Media Uses Trump to Launder Our Criminal Past

Episode 22: Trumpwashing -- How the Media Uses Trump to Launder Our Criminal Past

The unique threat and vileness of Donald Trump's presidency can't be overstated. Since he took office a year ago, he's increased civilian deaths in Afghanistan by 50%, increased civilian deaths in Syr...

10 Tammi 201857min

Episode 21: Quantifying Negative Media Portrayals of People of Color

Episode 21: Quantifying Negative Media Portrayals of People of Color

According to one 2014 study, 75% of white Americans don't have any non-white friends. Put another way, white people's perception of African Americans and other people of color comes primarily from med...

3 Tammi 20181h 5min

Episode 20: Lotteryism, Part II -- A Most Dangerous Game: How Sports Are Used to Fleece Public Trusts

Episode 20: Lotteryism, Part II -- A Most Dangerous Game: How Sports Are Used to Fleece Public Trusts

Previously on Citations Needed, we discussed the notion of "Lotteryism," that is, the use of the media by large corporations to obscure solidarity in favor of morality tales of "making it." It's a sc...

20 Joulu 201752min

Episode 19: Lotteryism Part I -- How a Compliant Press Fuels the Spectacle of 'Winning'

Episode 19: Lotteryism Part I -- How a Compliant Press Fuels the Spectacle of 'Winning'

"Lotteryism" is the use of the media by large corporations to obscure solidarity in favor of morality tales of "making it". It's the atomization of parties of mutual interest by lording over them the ...

13 Joulu 201754min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
politiikan-puskaradio
tervo-halme
rss-podme-livebox
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
otetaan-yhdet
the-ulkopolitist
rss-asiastudio
rikosmyytit
aihe
rss-merja-mahkan-rahat
rss-kaikki-uusiksi
rss-hyvaa-huomenta-bryssel
rss-aijat-hopottaa-podcast
rss-sanna-ukkola-show-verkkouutiset
rss-vain-talouselamaa