I re-listened last night to the 2011 New Year’s Eve Prairie Home Companion from Hawaii, which was replayed on WVXU – since Prairie Home live is taking a little vacation after the holidays.
Garrison Keillor had a great time, making fun of The Big Island, and all the wild and fearsome stuff that goes on there – like snow in the mountains. And then he made a comment about immigration, that seemed so 2016. He was feigning sympathy with all the conservatives so afraid of immigrants, and of strangers coming to our shores. More specifically, Hawaii’s shores. And then he said ‘You have to be very careful of who you let into your home.’ Which Hawaiians lightly chuckled about, having had Captain Cook ‘discover’ them and end up running the show. Then he said, back on fearing immigrants – ‘Watch out for those Caucasians!’ The audience roared, a knowing and reflective roar.
It’s certainly something that any of us who are ‘other’ in America – which means basically anyone who is not an older white guy – can understand. And, of course, those guys are pointing at all of us for taking their jobs, changing their country, not playing by their tedious, sad and inhibiting rules.