nimh wrote:Foxfyre wrote:I offered to go with your evaluation if you make a good attempt at an honest and objective one. If you choose not to, I can't see how you have shown it to be a wacko site at all.
And this, people, was pretty much one of my points when I first adressed Foxfyre's claim that "anchor baby" was used "pretty much universally".
Not just that she's wrong - that was easily shown, and her later linguistic argument about the difference between "universally" and "pretty much universally" is firmly in Bill Clinton territory ("depends on what the meaning of is is"). But that her claim, exercised in various forms in her posts since as well, tells us a lot about what "universe" we're talking about here - what it looks like. What the frame of reference is we're dealing with here.
The ability to tell wacko sources from credible ones is essential to doing research in the Internet era, in which the former proliferate. Anyone who looks and reads for more than five minutes on americanpatrol.com and doesnt recognize it's a wacko fringe site, has a problem - one that we should keep in mind when considering his/her definitions of what credible, neutral, mainstream etc is.
Setting aside your oh-so-typical-liberal tendency to keep making this a personal issue, Nimh, let me try to explain my point of view one more time here.
In my vernacular "universally" means everybody or everywhere. "Pretty much universally" means most. I also amended my comment in a subsequent post to explain that I meant "Pretty much universally understood by those closely following the immigration issue." Translation for the verbally challenged: Most people who closely follow the immigration issue in the USA have heard and/or use the term anchor baby.
"Wacko" is frequently in the mind of the beholder given the number of people who imply, infer, suggest, and/or flat out state that sites such as Frontpage, Newsmax, Town Hall etc. are 'wacko" sites though they may not use that specific term. "Wacko" to me is not the same thing as advocate for, biased on the side of, or apologist for a particular concept or point of view. In order to be 'wacko', it has to deal with implausible conspiracy theories, manufactured information, gross distortions of reality, intentionally dishonest interpretations, or just generally be a mudslinging site where hate posts and venon is indiscriminately splattered.
Using that definition, I do not think AmericanPatrol qualifies despite the fact that it targets problems associated with illegal immigration and is a strong advocate for strong enforcement of the laws or making new laws re illegal immigration. It does post a lot of sources dealing with the issue and some of these take positions I disagree with and/or use language I wouldn't use. And of course anybody who opposes enforcement of the existing laws, opposes stronger laws, and/or opposes strong border enforcement and/or any border enforcement will disagree with all or most of AmericanPatrol and may strongly object to it. None of this necessarily makes it a "wacko" site however.
That's why I invited OE--I would invite anybody--to show where AmericanPatrol is distorting, manufacturing, etc. what it posts on its website on the subject of immgration. I know you put a great deal of importance on your interpretation of things, Sir, but the site isn't wacko just because you declare it to be or because you dislike the content. Therefore I asked for some additional verification before I accept your designation for the site. I also agreed to accept the designation when credible evidence was shown. I personally don't like the site.
In the same way I disagree with most of what Salon.com publishes because it is such a strong advocate for modern liberalism and only presents that point of view in a favorable light. I therefore consider Salon.com credible in presenting the liberal point of view but a terrible source for honestly presenting the conservative point of view. That does not make Salon.com a wacko site, however, even if I may have impetuously used that term in reference to it in the past.
Was it Blatham who said that he couldn't find 'anchor baby" on Salon.com? I couldn't find "immigration" there either. Shall we therefore conclude that 'immigration' is not a term widely used or understood? See what I mean?
From the first collection of hits my search engine pulled up, I picked those sites that weren't personal blogs and didn't appear to qualify as wacko sites and tried to pick an assortment that represented a broad spectrum of how and where the term is used. I then checked to be sure that the term "Anchor baby" was used in each one I selected--something OE still has not admitted is the case after he said that three sites didn't reference the term anchor baby.
I think the evidence I posted plus the thousands of hits anybody's search engine pulls up supports the contention of some of us that the term is widely used or known to those following the immigration issue. That some or even many of those hits link to wacko or fringe sites or that some of you have not heard the term is not good evidence that the term is not widely used or known to those closely following the immigration issue. Could we at least agree on that?
Obill states that he immediately saw the term as pejorative. He also at different places has implied that he saw as pejorative--(i.e. racist, bigoted, selfish et al)--anybody suggesting that the law be enforced. I don't think therefore he is sufficiently objective on this topic to be a good judge of what is or is not pejorative even as I accept that as his own point of view.
Yes the term can be pejoratively. Almost any word can be used pejoratively. The way I and the sources I consider authoritative use it, it is used descriptively and not pejoratively.
I hope I have explained my position adequately for your discerning nature. If not, I'm sure you will continue to attempt to demean, discredit and/or embarrass me as you see fit and will continue to ignore any of my posts when you can't figure out a way to distort my intent in order to do that.
_________________
--Foxfyre
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I?-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.