LAT: E-mails on illegal immigration are eye-opening

[Heidi]

A deeper look at the facts contained in chain letters reveals hyperbole, exaggerations and misstatements by opponents.

By Hector Tobar
September 7, 2009

The e-mail that popped into my inbox started with an insult and included an attachment full of "facts."

After calling me a "crybaby" for writing a sympathetic story about Mexican immigrants, the sender insisted I read a series of statistics on the effects of illegal immigration on Los Angeles and California. Hospitals, law enforcement and other public services, he said, are being overwhelmed.

At first, because of the sender's tone, I ignored the attachment. Then it arrived again, this time forwarded by a friendly reader. He didn't believe the e-mail, he said, but wanted me to know that three friends had sent it to him. And 10 of its facts were said to have originated in this newspaper.

I started reading the chain letter, which carried the title "Just One State." It asked me to forward its message to at least two other people. "If this doesn't open your eyes," it declared, "nothing will."

I'm all in favor of having my eyes opened -- and then making sure my eyes don't deceive me. So I took the 10 "stats" and focused a little light on them. I waded deep into The Times' archive with the help of our librarian Scott Wilson, and made a few phone calls too.

What did I find? A stew made up for the most part of meaty exaggerations and spicy conjecture, mixed in with some giblets of truth. Two of the "stats" are the musings of a conservative op-ed writer. Another takes its information from a government "report" that is, in fact, a work of fiction.

The last two items on the list are the most accurate -- but they reveal more about the prejudices and fears of the people passing the list along than they do about the supposed effect of "illegals."

Here they are, from 1 to 10:

Read more

[donheld]

1. Great post

[Heidi]

2. I love when

journalists take the time to research these things. :hi:

[TexasObserver]

3. My reply to them: I worry only about those who get their news from emails.

I recently wrote a reply to one of those urgent political emails from a semi friend or relative. They always contain the most outrageous, factually insupportable claims and urge others to send it on so that other readers may be similarly misinformed.

My reply was that our most threatening problem is people who take their news from emails written in 36 point font, as if really big letters make the content more compelling.

[Heidi]

4. Yeah, but what's your position on LOTS OF CAPITALIZATION and/or

TONS OF EXCLAMATION POINTS?!!!!!!

[TexasObserver]

6. HAHAHAHAHA! And false claims of authorship, too.

It's always George Carlin or Jay Leno suddenly launching into some right wing spiel.

[Heidi]

7. Oh, dear.

I can understand the right appropriating Jay Leno's "credibility," but I'm noticably shaken and taken aback that George Carlin's name is being sullied by round after round through the intertubes.

[ejpoeta]

5. i always say that if someone had a legitimate concern, they would not have to lie about it.

And lying about it negates your concern, frankly. I had a friend who was staying with us for some time at the end... He had cancer. he wouldn't come in the house though and stayed in his camper. The day he left to go to hospice, which we didn't even know he was doing until his family showed up to take him, he apparently called CPS and told them we were beating our daughter and not feeding her. He told them all kinds of things that we supposedly were doing. The next day, sunday morning, a car pulled in our driveway. We were tearing carpet out and preparing to fix our house which we had put off because we had been taking care of Ray. Well, this woman came in and told us she was from CPS and that someone had told them that we didn't feed our daughter and beat her and all this other stuff. We were shocked. She quickly saw that our daughter had no marks or anything suggesting she had been beaten or harmed in any way.... and we showed her our pantry full of food... Of course, the state of our house with no carpets didn't look good... even though we were replacing them. but she left and I called my sister who told me to cooperate with them. my sister is a lawyer who does a lot of family court stuff.

I say this because I was surprised by ray's actions. We knew it was him... we did have a water heater in the bathroom that had an exposed wire, and there was no one else who would know that. That was one of the things we had put off fixing because ray was there and bob was out taking care of his roof and what he needed in his camper. But I wasn't really mad at Ray.... I was, but I mean, i was more disappointed. I sent him an email, which he never responded to and I don't know if he ever saw it.... I told him that if he had a concern for our daughter's safety... then that's fine. But the fact that he felt he had to lie to get them to come to our house tells me that he KNEW that he had nothing that would get them there. Like I would feed this man three times a day and not feed my own child. I didn't even spank her!! though HE had told me I should do so... He always did tell me I was a terrible housekeeper. Which I admit that I am... my house does not look immaculate... hardly ever. but my kid was happy, healthy and loved. and I would rather spend my time nurturing her than have an immaculate house.

what I mean to say in all of this is that if someone has to lie.... then they know their argument is not a valid one. imo anyway.

[donheld]

8. k & R