Acosta vs. Trump

The latest fireworks in Washington are over the Trump White House suspending CNN's Jim Acosta's press pass. Never a dull moment with Trump in the White House—and I'm sure this is a big part of his appeal. The importance of the entertainment value of politics is vastly underrated, Trump understands this; Rob Ford understood it.

The stated reason for pulling Acosta's press pass is that he manhandled a young intern. I'm dubious about that; the contact looked trivial and unintentional. But he should have been suspended in any case for refusing to yield the microphone after his question.

And he should have been suspended for the original question. Here's an attempted transcript:

Acosta: “I challenge you on one of your statements. … That this caravan was an invasion. As you know, Mr. President, the caravan was not an invasion.... Why did you characterize it as such?”

This is not a question. It is, as stated, a challenge. What possible information can it elicit? He then interrupted Trump during his answer, and argued back. Hardly a journalist seeking the news.

And it is not even honest as a debating point. It is along the lines of “Have you stopped beating your wife?” Invasion; Oxford English Dictionary: “An incursion by a large number of people or things into a place or sphere of activity.” “An unwelcome intrusion into another's domain.” Acosta is either dishonest or illiterate.

Rather, he is obviously dishonest, and perhaps also illiterate. And he is doing an incompetent job as a journalist: not asking useful questions, and making himself the story instead of getting a story. Something any idiot can do.

The mystery is not that his press pass was lifted; the mystery is that he has a job.

The Racism of Speaking English

If you can't read the inscription, it may not apply to you.

Interestingly, the US under Trump has just decided to imitate Canada’s immigration policy: choosing immigrants on the basis of having needed skills, and giving preference to those who speak English (or, in Canada, French).

And now we discover that this has all along been unmitigated racism. CNN anchor Jim Acosta, at the announcement press conference, challenged White House Aide Stephen Miller with the charge that this was plainly intended to restrict US immigration to people from the UK or Australia.

This shows a striking ignorance of the world beyond American borders, surely. Gentle reader, do you know what the five countries in th world with the highest population of English-speakers are?

Neither Britain nor Australia are even on that list.

Neither is Canada.

The US is, but it is probably not going to be a major source of immigration to the US.

After the US, the other four are: India, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Nigeria. Lily-white enough for you? Interestingly, although it is nobody’s first language, a higher proportion of Filipinos than of Canadians can speak English.

I do not, in fact, agree with Canada’s immigration policy. Unfortunately, it means bringing in the corrupt upper classes from countries that have been destroyed by a corrupt upper class. And it means bringing in people who could easily go home, who therefore lack commitment to their new country. I think we could do better with a few more poor and huddled masses, ready and accustomed to work hard.

But it ought to be a no-brainer to prefer immigrants who speak the language. You want those who are most likely to most easily integrate.