©1991-2007
Student Publications,
All rights reserved.

Last modified:

Contact:
ktruitt@uh.edu

Life & Arts

New bill to leave scars on America

My 8 Bits

Jason Poland

During these turbulent times of protests and school walkouts in response to the proposed immigration law, now is a better time than ever to reflect on a pair of very important immigrants who made a huge difference in not only our culture, but in the social climate of another world. I'm not aware of how much paperwork they filled out or their legal status, but in light of what they've done for all of us, that sort of bureaucratic busy work should be overlooked.

Before the Mario Brothers were the Super Mario Brothers, they were hardworking Italian plumbers living in Brooklyn. How American is that? Without their grueling, messy and thankless work, the pipes of Brooklyn would be backed up, leaving the streets covered in raw sewage, spreading disease like wildfire across the tightly populated metropolitan area; the water pipes would run dry; bathing and cooking in the home would be nearly impossible. It's a messy job, but someone has to do it. If we're so worried about Mario and Luigi taking away the ever so desirable job of crawling into cramped spaces and tightening our toilet pipes, and garnering the benefits of said job, then we can just deport them and find a couple of "real Americans" to do the job for them, right? Feeling the heat from the anti-immigration front, the brothers spent less time above ground and more time down in the pipes, eventually immigrating into the Mushroom Kingdom, where their help was much more appreciated, and not just for cleaning pipes. It's unknown what time period Mario and Luigi lived, but if it was during the 1920s, it's no wonder the Italian brothers warped to another world.

After World War I, a rise in national racism and isolationism (not unlike the one we are currently experiencing as a result of 9/11) led to demands to tighten borders and create more restrictive immigration legislation. In 1921, a congressional act provided for a quota system for immigrants; the number of aliens of any nationality admitted to the United States in a year could not exceed 3 percent of the number of foreign-born residents of that nationality living in the United States in 1910. Basically, this means, "We've got enough of your kind, please send no more."

In 1924, The McWarren Walter Act changed immigration quotas. New quotas were based on the "desirability" of immigrants. Immigrants from Western Europe were considered more desirable, while those from Southern and Eastern Europe were less desirable. "Desirability" was based on education, religion, political affiliation and the level of English known by the immigrant, not unlike the national sentiment of "desirability" toward Hispanic and Middle Eastern immigrants. Basically, the McWarren Act, and all immigration laws, are based on the idea that if you are similar enough to the way we already do things here in America, and then you can come over. Otherwise, you're just too different and too alien from us. We're not willing to get to know you.

And in 1921, Sacco and Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants, were wrongfully convicted for murder and robbery, and were executed in 1927 for the crimes they did not commit. 

The fact they were Italian, involved in labor strikes, political agitation and anti-war propaganda, and had several serious confrontations with the law because of such actions had more to do with the public's support of their conviction than any conclusive evidence. They were also known to be dedicated supporters of another famous Luigi -- Luigi Galleani -- whose Italian-language journal Cronaca Sovversiva was the most influential anarchist journal in America, and was feared by authorities for its radical political messages and its acceptance of revolutionary violence.

It is apparent that America's attitude toward immigrants hasn't changed much, despite whatever was chiseled about huddled masses on the Statue of Liberty. It's understandable for a country after a caustic foreign encounter to be fearful of what it doesn't understand or what's different, but really, any other argument other than fear (i.e. drain on the economy, influx of new terrorists) is a bigoted front. In time, we realized Italians were never a threat to the United States, and now Italian-Americans represent one of the healthiest and most patriotic ethnicities in this country, as any group will become once embraced by its new mother country. Open minds are far less dangerous than closed borders. New cultures and new ideas are not a threat; they are an opportunity for understanding. 

They were immigrants in two different lands, but the Mario brothers found their calling in their new home, the Mushroom Kingdom, and saved Princess Toadstool from the evil Bowser. Back in Brooklyn, an unanswered want ad begs for two super plumbers with the skill to restore city pipes in much disrepair.

Send comments to dcshobiz@mail.uh.edu