Word: bettye
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On its face, the political debate is about illegal immigration--law, security and fairness. But this immigration panic, like past ones, taps into fears not limited to illegals. Who gets to say what American culture is? Is there enough room--and prosperity--to go around? Ugly Betty's overarching story...
Betty's scheming co-workers resent her in the same way immigration demagogues do: she's an interloper. Yet she succeeds--and even wins over some of her Mode enemies--for exactly that reason. Like generations of immigrants, legal or not, she brings fresh eyes, a tireless work ethic and...
It's no coincidence that Ugly Betty the series is itself an immigrant, a remake of a worldwide-sensation telenovela franchise. That's what makes our pop culture so vital: from TV to music to fashion, it is constantly transfused by foreigners who are able to out-American Americans.
Reality TV may be so hospitable to immigrants because it's a fun house mirror of the immigrant experience. You leave your comfort zone and prove your worth with little more than gumption and (maybe) talent. Wherever you come from, you embrace a new, anything-goes culture that values chutzpah...
Political observers suggest that immigration law will be one of the areas where a Democratic Congress and a Republican White House may be able to reach consensus. Before they do, they should flick on a TV. They would see that you can pass laws and put up walls but it...