Breakfast Tacos

 

Jill Biden is facing criticism for lauding the diversity represented by the “breakfast tacos” of San Antonio.

In a way, the criticism seems unfair. She meant well. But I also understand the outrage. This is multiculturalism: it reduces ethnic minorities to a human zoo, dancing for us in colourful costumes and opening interesting restaurants. Sources of idle entertainment. Consider speaking to a group of black Americans about how much you love fried chicken and watermelon. 

I am similarly annoyed, as one of mostly Irish extraction, by St. Patrick’s Day pictures of dancing leprechauns. Ah, those Irish: stupid, but always happy. I’d rather be associated with James Joyce, Sinead O’Connor, Bishop Berkeley, Edmund Burke, Guy Carleton, W.B. Yeats, the Great Famine, and Easter 1916. And not be reduced to a cartoon.

The matter hits home just now—along with her mispronunciation, in the same speech, of “bodegas”—because it feels as though it reveals something about the Democrats. They don’t understand and don’t care about minorities. They don’t waste the time of giving them a serious thought.

Back when I was younger, it was similarly assumed that the Irish or the Italians would always vote Democrat. It was, after all, the party of Tammany Hall, of Richard Daley, of Al Smith and the Kennedys.  We used to think of the Republicans as alien and Protestant.

Now we have prominent Irishmen on the Republican right: Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity. We have prominent Italians: Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia. More prosperous then we once were, Irish and Italian Catholics no longer follow the instructions of city ward bosses. We cannot be bought as a unit.

The same is inevitably happening now with Hispanics: Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio.

The Democrats have been banking on Hispanics to ensure them a permanent majority in the near future. It is not going to happen.