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Cover Language Was "Careless"
I read the top right cover teaser of the Dec. 7, 2016, Willamette Week that states:
"If you're an immigrant, don't screw up." P. 9
I read those seven words, and I turned to page 9. I read your article. I understand that the intention of the article was not to hurt, alienate or isolate immigrant community members in Portland. But I want you to know those seven words stung.
I am the daughter of an immigrant. Most of my friends are either children of immigrants or first-generation immigrants. It is a painful and scary time when people with mixed-status families that may include undocumented loved ones are scared about their families being torn apart.
The words chosen for the cover were careless, and suggest a place of privilege and safe distance from the very real issue of human rights. I urge you to consider that sarcasm, if that was the intended tone, does not always translate. And even if it did, out of context, those seven words read like a hateful slogan of judgment that could cause shame and fear among immigrant readers.
Words have the ability to snowball and manifest greater amounts of hate and terror, now more than ever.
I urge you to take greater care in ensuring that your media platform affirms our shared humanity as members of this community.
—Name withheld by request
Citing a "Cheap" Reference
I turned to your article on Tokyo-based ramen shops in Portland ["The Japanese Invasion," WW, Dec. 14, 2016], but I was taken aback by the headline.
How did WW find it appropriate to frame an article about Japanese noodles using the rhetoric of foreign invasion? The reference is not only cheap but reinforces a kind of xenophobia to which Portland has subscribed for too long.
Portland was one of the first cities in the U.S. to relocate and incarcerate its Japanese American population during World War II, a process that was enabled, in large part, by the fear of a Japanese invasion. Portland was also one of the only cities on the West Coast to not mount any opposition to internment.
I love ramen. I'm also the grandson of Japanese immigrants who were incarcerated during World War II. That's where I'm coming from.
—Brandon Shimoda
Taking Out The Trash
The term "white trash," like its cousin "trailer trash," fits all the criteria of a slur. It's a term that denigrates a group of people based on race, appearance and socioeconomic status. It's meant to be derogatory.
So why does WW apparently believe it's acceptable to use it? ["Crawls of Shame," WW, Dec. 14, 2016.] Demonizing an entire demographic, even under the guise of "humor," shifts blame and hinders the solidarity we desperately need to create systemic change.
The ruling class has used divide-and-conquer tactics for eons to gain and maintain power, as is clearly visible in national politics. Please don't feed the divide.
—Terese Kelly
Letters to the editor must include the author's street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words.
Submit to: 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Email: mzusman@wweek.com.