OMG; I absolutely ADORE your mother, Mr. Will. What an absolute treasure. Many blessings to you and your family in 2025. Be safe, be happy, be joyful. And not for anything, but can we all identify not as 'name the country of origin-American' but as human beings first??? Everything else is icing on the cake, ya know??? Can't we just celebrate that we are humans???
Ironically, my Mexican father was the American. My European mother, a Swiss French, was the immigrant. She came legally, but she never kept up her green card and didn't want to be a citizen! I've been to Switzerland. It is the most beautiful country I've seen. I feel sorry for her that she had to live in this country. It is so racist! I was born when she was here illegally! Please deport me to Switzerland!
@@chocolatecity2 yes, going through Ellis Island was considered legal. But going from Chicago into Indian Territories was illegal, and the settlers did it anyway.
I love this series you have started. It's excellent. Having said that, I want to address those iobs that US citizen don't want. It is not really that there are no citizens who want those jobs, it is that the business owner class does not want to pay fair wages to US citizens for those jobs. Here is my story: in the 80s I lost a job several times to an undocumented person. The first time this happened I was part of a clean-up crew at a well known swanky department store. I came in at 4:30 am and cleaned the bathrooms (yes I, an american citizen cleaned toilets-a nasty job) and vacuumed the floors with 5 other people. I needed this job. One day toward the end of my shift, after several other people did the same, it was my turn to speak to my manager who told me I was being replaced by a person who was willing to take $10.00 under the table. It is important to note that I was making $8.00 per hour. When I mentioned this the manager said, "yeah, but we have to pay payroll taxes and other such things on you- her we only have to pay $10.00. That is the real problem. The owner class is mostly greedy. It is the same reason that wages had been more or less flat for more than 30 years. As that manager imagined, I eventually got back on my feet. I don't blame or begrudge immigrants- I know many, I get the reasons and respect their grit and toughness. But the narrative that "Americans don't want these jobs" is part of the way that particular narrative is sold, by those that actually want to take more and more from those who do their labor.
I agree with Beth. There's Americans that will and do some of the hardest and low paying jobs out there. That's not the problem. Sure, you can find a lazy worker in any industry, but in general this narrative is not true IMO. Even with legit jobs, it's clear that companies are squeezing every worker to do more for the same or less pay. They're happy to hire someone that doesn't have a choice, someone they can even steal wages from and exploit without any backlash. Even a legit visa worker can be abused because to get to the US and tell your family you failed is not an option.
I came with my family to Southern California in 1978. My parents, who were successful architects in India, were only able to get jobs as junior architects as their education and body of work meant nothing, and why pay what they deserved. In school, I was asked to go down in what grade I was meant to be in. My mother fought for me, and after giving me a test, they wanted to place me in 10th grade. My mom said, just put him in 5th as he should be. In class, I was asked by the other kids if we had houses, did we ride on elephants, how come I spoke English already? On the eve of Reagan's election, my parents were stopped by police regularly, and I was almost beaten up by adults even, until I could explain to them that India and Iran are not the same place. As I got older, I became an American, but have stayed a brown man in that society.
Wow. Much needed clarification with facts on immigration. Thank you. I’m 71 and history gets so distorted even the things that happened in my lifetime. I so needed this RUclips blog this morning 🙏.
Speaking about foreign-born health care workers. Decades ago, there was a story on sixty minutes. About recruitment agencies that who would go to poor nations. And recruit nurses to come to our country. I didn't blame the nurses. I was furious about us stealing health care from countries that didn't have enough as it was. 🇺🇦🇯🇴🇬🇪🇰🇷 Vive la Résistance! I am Spartacus!
Mom's probably right that most Americans are too busy struggling to make ends meet to follow the news, or at least that's the excuse I always used. That and depression. But we're at an existential moment and if people want to remain free and they want good for their kids, they need to start paying attention and take charge. Go around corporate media and the political parties. We gotta do this. And those of us who have more time and money need to do more too. I've heard politicians scapegoat immigrants as far back as I can remember and I have learned that that goes back to the nation's earliest days. And it's B.S. But when people get factual information, they are more likely to spot the lies and they fall on def ears. But WE gotta do it. There are so many factual sources of true news and analysis. PBS, NPR, Heather Cox Richardson, Robert Hubbell, The Left Hook, Belle of the Ranch, and a whole big bunch of others. There are also people leading the charge to action. Support "Democracy Docket." Support "Leaders We Deserve. Ask others what they're doing and tell others what you're doing. I don't know how much we can do to stop the Trumpster fire, but we can hobble them at every turn.
@@Mr22thou I would just like to add that the propaganda about the border was particularly devastating in Oklahoma. Fox News promoted the fear and lies and my elderly neighbors were scared to death.
@@Sunnygirlrn3 Between Faux type "news" and The Rush Limbaugh/Sean Hannity types, plus the politicians who use fear tactics to scare the public into acting against their own best interests as well as citizens who are so gullible and easily misled, our country finds itsself in dangerous times. If you were a Fox News or similar type of news consumer, I'm genuinely curious as to what the appeal is/was. No shaming, but can you help me understand?
@@TalkingPoliticsWithMom Oh, I couldn't agree more about WOKENESS. I too am "woke". All it means is that I read and incorporate ALL history and see it through the eyes of human ambition and suffering. That makes the landscape of our past and the narratives of our present so much more "rich" with details (and horror). Almost all who invoke the term don't want to admit to any of it because they are perpetuating it, or are too uneducated and subservient to their overseers to dare to learn what it means. You are welcome.
I'd rather be woke than a racist! We are the only 1st world country that is not progressive! They are so focused on race than values and morals. My mother came over after WWII from Europe. She was called a Hitler lover! She was Swiss French, Italian! Americans treated her badly!
I am Baltic, Irish Kerry County, Mediterranean Italian Spanish, London, Three African tribes, indios Mexico, Choctaw Native American, Red Sea. When anyone ask me what Iam I tell them all that and then say I am a human being.
I really appreciate both of you! My grandfather came to America from Italy in 1920 when he was 15. I found the ship manifest on ancestry and he came here with his mother and his little sister to meet his father who was already here. He then had a large family, my dad was the youngest of 7, and worked to support them as a sanitation worker well into his 70's. I was pretty young when he died, but I have always loved learning about our heritage. I never realized the discrimination he must have faced. I only know that we have a very strong pride in our heritage. And what is also interesting, is that I was adopted at birth. I look like my family and no one believes that I am adopted. When I got my DNA I was so surprised to find that I have no italian in my DNA. I am all northern european in my genetic heritage. However, I will claim til the day I die that I have the Italian cultural heritage because of being raised in it. When I work on my ancestry, I have 2 family trees. My genetic tree, and my adopted tree. My mother's family came from Croatia, and Bohemia. Her mother's family came over on a ship from croatia and my grandmother was born here. I do not know their stories. My grandparents have all passed on before I had the chance to ask them. And my parents don't really know much either. I really wish I was able to ask them. Thank you so much for your stories and your perspective. I agree 100% with your assessment and have. been trying to push back on people when they say these things that are untrue. It is very hard to get them to even consider a different narrative than what they have been propagandized with. I do hope I cause some of them to maybe think about some things that don't jive with what they believe. At the very least, I hope to create some change in my small part of the world. I don't believe anyone is illegal, and there needs to be a way for people who are here to become naturalized that is humane, and accessible. As it is, the only way to come to this country legally is with great wealth and privilege that many people do not have. I think of my grandpa who came here with nothing and worked hard to provide a future for his children and grandchildren. I know that as a part of his legacy I have made a difference through my career as a nurse.
Mom is a national treasure. More people need to hear from her, especially MAGA - she might be able to reach the parts of society that are less connected to reality than Amazonian tribes are to the outside world.
I 💗 this video! Your mom’s grandma had the resilience women immigrants needed to survive in America . I feel like I’m hearing the story of my Romanian Jewish maternal grandmother who came over to America in 1917, during WWI at the age of 17. She learned English but at the age of 8, in 1960 , I used to laugh at her phonetic spelling. As I grew up my mother shared stories about my grandmother’s struggle to make sure my mother got the educational opportunities that the men in the family got. She sewed parachutes during WWII to help pay for my mom’s undergraduate & graduate school tuition. This legacy saw my mom enjoy a successful career in education that culminated in her being installed in the Marin County, CA Woman’s hall of fame in honor of her work in the field of special education. Immigrants like your mom’s grandmother and mine positively impact future generations.
Thanks for the much-needed history lesson. Just like Trump gave some understanding about what happened in Germany in the nineteen thirties. I knew a bit about the immigrants and the labor movement. But this video gave a much better understanding of the subject. And perhaps a strategy to fight to fight back. 🇺🇦🇯🇴🇬🇪🇰🇷 Vive la Résistance! Do not bend the knee!
Seems to me that not much has changed: "go back to where you came from". Seriously? In 2024/25 we are still hearing this shit? How can time go by and we haven't learned anything from the past??? Geez...
OUTSTANDING! Perfect timing, as we all need to hear true history now more than ever. You two have created a podcast like nothing else; I am so grateful 💖😊
"'Claim your humanity at the same time you help people claim theirs." Will's Mom Powerful! Thank you from an Italian daughter who hasn't forgotten the strength and struggle of her family. 💖✨
Castro tried forcing the issue during the 2020 primaries. Biden won the primaries after being the only candidate who wouldn't promise to decriminalize border crossing, after being Republican-lite on immigration. So I think they decided that sort of approach was what the voters wanted.
unfortunately it's the never-Trump and ex- Republicans who are the ones with any fight. The Democrats, with a few notable exceptions (AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Jamie Raskin, e.g.) are feckless and terrible communicators
They are talking about some of it. The problem is they tend to be civil and use traditional media (TV, radio and print). It doesn't get the focus that Trump's 3rd grade potty mouth rhetoric gets. People don't want to focus on anything that involves "analysis" or anything that involves a more advanced vocabulary.
Some black people definitely have addressed these issues because of black history. Either you don't know any black people or you know the wrong black people. The relationship between the black community and white ethnic communities during and after the CRM has often been contentious.
Hello from Australia👋 Loved this so much! This is the first, anything really, I've listened to since your election. Yes, I was shattered by the result. I am a sociology and politics major and work on community education and social change projects (PS also a boomer ❤). And YES it is about messaging, narratives and calling out the false equivalences people fall for. I felt that Kamala was avoiding the tough conversations at the end of the campaign while Trump ramped up the BS... I wish you all the best and keep the great conversations coming👏🙏
Thank you! I truly appreciate your reminder that we need to focus on our humanity to solve problems. The truth and facts matter as well as the stories that come from them. Thank you!
Excellent podcast! I stayed for the WHOLE THING too….lol. I really LIVE your Mom, and what a great son you are for tapping into your history and your Mother’s wisdom, experience and yes….legalese perspectives. Thank you both!!! 😊
Correct, but in total only about 155 million out of 335 million voted at all. Surely many who did not could not vote (noncitizens, unregistered, or minors), but it is stll worth noting that only about 25% amongst us made this grievous error. Maybe it just makes me feel better.
A huge chunk of people don't vote at all, no matter who's running. In some countries (Australia) everyone has to vote, by law. Don't ask me how that's enforced but I know it's a law.
Thank you so much for sharing the story of your families immigration. My grandma arrived at 14 years old in 1912. She planned to stay for two years and then return to mother Russia World war one broke out she could never go home and she never forgave Russia She lost her husband and son during the depression She made one dollar a day cleaning houses She baked bread on Saturday She went to church on Sunday and then to the cemetery My mom had no idea Ketchup sandwiches were not a delicacy. My grandma is the strongest funniest kindest person I knew.
Thank you so much for sharing your mother's experience with us. What an intelligent and eloquent speaker she is. As a daughter of an immigrant from the Philippines I can certainly relate to much of what she says. It really is interesting how new immigrants are keen to lose their past identity and yearn to be a "full American" in every sense of the word. My father was proud of his heritage but more proud to be an American and only wanted the best of what the United States of America meant for his children. Hard work and opportunity was the hallmark of every immigrant life and it was not taken for granted.
There is ONE section ☝🏾 the American people who will sit this battle out…the one that have literally been fighting this battle FOR CENTURIES….with very little to zero help….only to be turned on IMMEDIATELY by every NEW American since the 1600’s 😅
Mom’s opening argument makes so much sense! The problem with most Americans is that they’ve lost (or never learned!) to think critically. To ask, “does this bullshit Donald Trump is peddling make any logical sense??”
These kind of conversations are important, I think. My dad’s side is English, Scandinavian, German, French, the “good” white. My mom’s side are Irish, Hungarian, and Slovak immigrants, the “bad” white. I was in COLLEGE when I found out about the fitter family better baby contests. Had my parents been born and raised during that, their own marriage would have been considered a kind of interracial marriage.
Oh, and btw, I am a 2nd generation Slovenian-Polish American. Grampa and Grandma on my father’s side came over in 1903-1905. Mom’s side, (Polish) had HER grandparents come over….but I am very, very connected still to this day w/ Dad’s side (Slovenian but then, it was Yugoslavia). But….on both sides, they came over at or right before the turn of the 20th century.
What an interesting story, especially the history of Columbus Day. I also have an ancestor who arrived to this country as an indentured servant. Did you know that Ben Franklin was an indentured servant to his brother? It's how he learned the publishing/printing trade. I think one must make a distinction between legal immigrants and those who enter illegally and are supported by American taxpayers, while Americans who have fallen on hard luck, especially veterans, are suffering. This country needs a realistic immigration policy, and unfortunately none of our lawmakers have found a way to make it so. Intentionally so, in order that it continues to be a political football? Many (most?) of our legal immigrants (including my husband) are proud Americans and don't appreciate streams of people crossing the border illegally. I agree with Mom and son, that the demonization of immigrants finds a wider audience in tough economic times.
Would like to request a correction at the end of the video. Living Salary, not Living Wage. The problem with the term "wage" is that that's the dollars, but not the hours. So it's like when Walmart's employees complained that Walmart told them to go on SNAP benefits to make up for the cut hours. Sure, sure, Walmart paid high wages - and then (allegedly) cut employee hours so much that no one could even pay their rent on their take-home pay. "Salary" refers to both dollars and hours, and is generally treated as a "per month" sort of thing. If you have a good salary, then you are bringing home enough NET income to live off of and have some savings too. So, "Living Salary" is far more valuable to our society than a "Living Wage" could ever be. Technically, "Living Wage" is an oxymoron at best, when you factor in unfettered Capitalism.
I will never forget being in a self service wrecking yard, a Pick Your Part in Southern California. It's the 1990's, and they play a Spanish language radio station over the loudspeakers. An ad comes on, a political ad. The voiceover is Spanish so the only thing I recognize are the names; candidate names. A list of Democratic candidate names is heard, but one name is repeated over, and over, and over. Pete Wilson. Pete Wilson. PETE WILSON. A Republican hasn't held statewide office in California since 2011.
Very eye opening discussion. I always wondered why many recently naturalized citizens, first and second generation immigrants, etc. become anti immigration and demonize immigrants. Your discussion throws light on how the narrative on immigration changed over time.
Great show! I have several second-generation ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War (definitely no one fancy - poor ScotsIrish). IMHO, my family are also immigrants. 300 years of living here in no way compares with the 13,000 to 15,000 years of the indigenous peoples.
My Great Grandparents were Austro-Hungarian, great grandpa, croatian, great grandma, austrian, their kids were called Degos as there was an Irish group in their town that didn't like the Eastern Europeans, So they got some of that Racism even in the 1900's
The most interesting part was the way Italy stood up for it's emigrants in America.around 18:00. Same thing happened for Japanese in the 1920s. When you have a country that supports you, it makes a big difference. That's part of why Africans in the United States are still treated so badly, and why Israel is so important for Jews.
My dad's German mom was an illegal immigrant. When I tell people he was her anchor baby, they look at my German/Irish coloring and snort in disbelief. Usually, after a few seconds, they say " that's woke sh't."
Straight talk about observation. Yes it's about that and if the harm is here or there ..or both . Some may have but agreed few compared to the situation they were said having .
Well said, Will regarding the Dem party's reluctance to point out Trump's lies. Same for the traditional news media which mostly avoided the word lie since 2015. For example, he was a "birther", not a liar and a racist.
As a Canadian our birthrate is also dropping due to high debt among young people with university debt. Young people who can't afford to own a home, or can't afford to pay the high rents. Having children is the last thing on their minds. In our country we have paid maternity leave for a year and still people aren't having kids. However, many of the immigrants coming to our country have large families and continue to have more children. We need those people for the future of our country. Our politics is being affected by your politics and we have a Trump like politician who may be our next Prime Minister and stands for many of the same lies that Trump promotes.
Those special visas are meant to hire skilled workers at lower wages. There are skilled American workers who are qualified to do those jobs also... but are expecting a wage level commensurate to their education skill level .
Years ago maybe 2016, I saw on a news broadcast a where a man was interviewed and in mockery he stated that airplanes was serious method of people entering the USA with a VISA.
Your mother NEEDS to be on a National stage! Her knowledge is immense!!!! Also, I have been a Democrat my entire life and I am now leaving the party and will be registering as an Independent…. In my mind they are as horrible as Republicans… they are just not as loud.
The origin story of our immigrant ancestors is different. They came here legally. They assimilated, maybe because they had to, or maybe because they wanted to. They Americanized their name. They learned English. They were poor and worked some of the worst jobs - there was no government hand outs then. They built themselves up. My grandfather was born in Poland and she's right, he didn't talk to much about his immigration here. He ranted about the Bolsheviks and he was dirt poor working in the coal mines of West Virginia, but other than that he didn't say much. He was in the Navy in WWII and after the war served many years as the post commander of the local Ametican Legion. Flew the Amerucan flag everyday in his front yard. Became the best Ametican you can find. Do those illegally crossing today have those same ambitions? Why did they let so many immigrants in legally at the start of the 20th century? They needed cheap labor for industrializing America. Workers for the coal mines, steel mills, textile factories, etc.... We don't have that now. How did all these immigrants become Americans? Probably WWII. These immigrants join the military. The war was an equilizer. Not sure another war would do that now.
Wasn’t it during Clinton time there was the fight against immigrants couldn’t get driver’s licenses. Because of lack of insurance? Am I wrong? I remember walking out of work and not showing up the next day in protest. We all stayed home, no restaurant workers , gardeners and hotel works show up to their jobs.
Excellent video. Hiw do we counter the following narratives? #1. past waves of immigrants arrived mostly legally (Ellis Island for example) #2. past immigrants didn't get "free stuff" e.g. free hotel rooms, other "free housing (we have a tent city here in NYC) free debit catds, etc. I'm the daughter of an immigrant who received zero assistance until he joined the military but that was a different era - e.g. there weren't "migrant caravans" heading for the Southern border at the time. There are plenty of RUclips videos showing how easy it is to just walk across the porous border. Some get caught intentionally and they'll be jammed up in the system for years, others vanish with fake ID obtained by people in the business of providing fake ID (in the border towns). I think most Americans have a problem with the above scenarios, and there's an extremist xenophobic minority supporting "mass deportations " of brown people. I could be wrong about "most Americans" as my POV is NYC surrounded by vital immigrant communities. In a city with a severe housing shortage, a lot of people resent the recent immigrants getting "free housing", free metro catds, free debit cards - what is the answer for their grievances? ***I also see PLENTY of immigrants (first generation) with the "pull the pull the up behind them" mentality who voted to keep their bretheren OUT - so this problem is deep and multifaceted. I love your mom 💖 @talkingpoliticswithmom
Every time I've heard the low birth rate panic I've thought "racism." Even my somewhat racist parents saw that one. The British government was the latest I've heard that from. In Australia I've heard it from news sources that I hadn't expected to go that way, but am yet to hear it from the government.....yet
That is not just for American to feed and clothe the needy. It's the whole world. Everyone that has the means should feed and clothe the poor. Put a tax for churches for 2% for a year, and you feed, clothe and give a roof to every poor people in the world for 10 years.
Something I would like to hear an argument against is “but they’re here illegally! They need to go through the process like everyone else”. Any discussion I’ve had with people about immigration always ends on that point because I don’t really have a counter to that.
The legal process is expensive and very long, years. Also, the legal requirements are different depending on which country you are coming from, and have changed. The bar to meet requirements a hundred years ago were low. My father came in the 40s from Albania and he never had a birth certificate, ever. He came through Ellis Island legally with his mother, and nothing more than just her word that he was her son. How he ended up with the name John Adams (not his real name) he never understood, lol.
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OMG; I absolutely ADORE your mother, Mr. Will. What an absolute treasure. Many blessings to you and your family in 2025. Be safe, be happy, be joyful. And not for anything, but can we all identify not as 'name the country of origin-American' but as human beings first??? Everything else is icing on the cake, ya know??? Can't we just celebrate that we are humans???
We came over without passports, without visas, we had "no permission" to come from anyone. Yet we came, survived and we still do.
For a long time all you had to do was demonstrate that you didn't have tuberculosis.
Ironically, my Mexican father was the American. My European mother, a Swiss French, was the immigrant. She came legally, but she never kept up her green card and didn't want to be a citizen! I've been to Switzerland. It is the most beautiful country I've seen. I feel sorry for her that she had to live in this country. It is so racist! I was born when she was here illegally! Please deport me to Switzerland!
@@UnknownPascal-sc2nk, that’s right! Unfortunately, no one seems to know this easily researched tidbit of information.
Yes but going through Ellis Island (etc) was considered legal - see my (long) comment above.
@@chocolatecity2 yes, going through Ellis Island was considered legal. But going from Chicago into Indian Territories was illegal, and the settlers did it anyway.
I love this series you have started. It's excellent. Having said that, I want to address those iobs that US citizen don't want. It is not really that there are no citizens who want those jobs, it is that the business owner class does not want to pay fair wages to US citizens for those jobs. Here is my story: in the 80s I lost a job several times to an undocumented person. The first time this happened I was part of a clean-up crew at a well known swanky department store. I came in at 4:30 am and cleaned the bathrooms (yes I, an american citizen cleaned toilets-a nasty job) and vacuumed the floors with 5 other people. I needed this job. One day toward the end of my shift, after several other people did the same, it was my turn to speak to my manager who told me I was being replaced by a person who was willing to take $10.00 under the table. It is important to note that I was making $8.00 per hour. When I mentioned this the manager said, "yeah, but we have to pay payroll taxes and other such things on you- her we only have to pay $10.00. That is the real problem. The owner class is mostly greedy. It is the same reason that wages had been more or less flat for more than 30 years. As that manager imagined, I eventually got back on my feet. I don't blame or begrudge immigrants- I know many, I get the reasons and respect their grit and toughness. But the narrative that "Americans don't want these jobs" is part of the way that particular narrative is sold, by those that actually want to take more and more from those who do their labor.
This is an excellent point - thank you for sharing!
@@bethsousa9598
Absolutely agree. The owner
class are greedy, and don’t
want to pay Americans a
living wage. Then turn around
and blame the migrants.
Thanks for expanding on this piece I forgot about it.
I agree with Beth. There's Americans that will and do some of the hardest and low paying jobs out there. That's not the problem. Sure, you can find a lazy worker in any industry, but in general this narrative is not true IMO. Even with legit jobs, it's clear that companies are squeezing every worker to do more for the same or less pay. They're happy to hire someone that doesn't have a choice, someone they can even steal wages from and exploit without any backlash. Even a legit visa worker can be abused because to get to the US and tell your family you failed is not an option.
@@bethsousa9598
Yes exactly. You must pay an
American a living wage. We
don’t live in Mexico you know.
I came with my family to Southern California in 1978. My parents, who were successful architects in India, were only able to get jobs as junior architects as their education and body of work meant nothing, and why pay what they deserved.
In school, I was asked to go down in what grade I was meant to be in. My mother fought for me, and after giving me a test, they wanted to place me in 10th grade. My mom said, just put him in 5th as he should be.
In class, I was asked by the other kids if we had houses, did we ride on elephants, how come I spoke English already?
On the eve of Reagan's election, my parents were stopped by police regularly, and I was almost beaten up by adults even, until I could explain to them that India and Iran are not the same place.
As I got older, I became an American, but have stayed a brown man in that society.
I'm 70. EVERYTHING your mom says. Every single thing. 😢
Wow. Much needed clarification with facts on immigration. Thank you. I’m 71 and history gets so distorted even the things that happened in my lifetime. I so needed this RUclips blog this morning 🙏.
Speaking about foreign-born health care workers. Decades ago, there was a story on sixty minutes. About recruitment agencies that who would go to poor nations. And recruit nurses to come to our country. I didn't blame the nurses. I was furious about us stealing health care from countries that didn't have enough as it was.
🇺🇦🇯🇴🇬🇪🇰🇷
Vive la Résistance!
I am Spartacus!
You guys are TED Talk quality. Wow!
I love how she says child not son 😂
This is an excellent 👏 program. I wish every U.S. citizen would watch this.
Mom's probably right that most Americans are too busy struggling to make ends meet to follow the news, or at least that's the excuse I always used. That and depression. But we're at an existential moment and if people want to remain free and they want good for their kids, they need to start paying attention and take charge. Go around corporate media and the political parties. We gotta do this. And those of us who have more time and money need to do more too. I've heard politicians scapegoat immigrants as far back as I can remember and I have learned that that goes back to the nation's earliest days. And it's B.S. But when people get factual information, they are more likely to spot the lies and they fall on def ears. But WE gotta do it. There are so many factual sources of true news and analysis. PBS, NPR, Heather Cox Richardson, Robert Hubbell, The Left Hook, Belle of the Ranch, and a whole big bunch of others. There are also people leading the charge to action. Support "Democracy Docket." Support "Leaders We Deserve. Ask others what they're doing and tell others what you're doing. I don't know how much we can do to stop the Trumpster fire, but we can hobble them at every turn.
@@Mr22thou
And get off Fox News!!!!
@@Sunnygirlrn3 Naturally!
@@Mr22thou
I would just like to add that
the propaganda about the
border was particularly
devastating in Oklahoma.
Fox News promoted the
fear and lies and my elderly
neighbors were scared to
death.
@@Sunnygirlrn3 Between Faux type "news" and The Rush Limbaugh/Sean Hannity types, plus the politicians who use fear tactics to scare the public into acting against their own best interests as well as citizens who are so gullible and easily misled, our country finds itsself in dangerous times. If you were a Fox News or similar type of news consumer, I'm genuinely curious as to what the appeal is/was. No shaming, but can you help me understand?
Your mother is so wise and well informed!
You folks are great. Of course, you'd be called "WOKE". I call you historically honest. Thank you "Mom" for being such a powerhouse.
I'll glady have people call us woke... I take that as an honor! After all what is "wokeness" if not opening your eyes to see the truth :)
@@TalkingPoliticsWithMom Oh, I couldn't agree more about WOKENESS. I too am "woke". All it means is that I read and incorporate ALL history and see it through the eyes of human ambition and suffering. That makes the landscape of our past and the narratives of our present so much more "rich" with details (and horror). Almost all who invoke the term don't want to admit to any of it because they are perpetuating it, or are too uneducated and subservient to their overseers to dare to learn what it means. You are welcome.
@@TalkingPoliticsWithMom
It’s up to us the “woke”,
to counter the Propaganda.
We have our work cut .
@@Sunnygirlrn3 I agree. It is up to us.
I'd rather be woke than a racist! We are the only 1st world country that is not progressive! They are so focused on race than values and morals. My mother came over after WWII from Europe. She was called a Hitler lover! She was Swiss French, Italian! Americans treated her badly!
I am Baltic, Irish Kerry County, Mediterranean Italian Spanish, London, Three African tribes, indios Mexico, Choctaw Native American, Red Sea. When anyone ask me what Iam I tell them all that and then say I am a human being.
Folks needing to watch these videos. Always enlightened with the brilliant discussion.
I really appreciate both of you! My grandfather came to America from Italy in 1920 when he was 15. I found the ship manifest on ancestry and he came here with his mother and his little sister to meet his father who was already here. He then had a large family, my dad was the youngest of 7, and worked to support them as a sanitation worker well into his 70's. I was pretty young when he died, but I have always loved learning about our heritage. I never realized the discrimination he must have faced. I only know that we have a very strong pride in our heritage. And what is also interesting, is that I was adopted at birth. I look like my family and no one believes that I am adopted. When I got my DNA I was so surprised to find that I have no italian in my DNA. I am all northern european in my genetic heritage. However, I will claim til the day I die that I have the Italian cultural heritage because of being raised in it. When I work on my ancestry, I have 2 family trees. My genetic tree, and my adopted tree. My mother's family came from Croatia, and Bohemia. Her mother's family came over on a ship from croatia and my grandmother was born here. I do not know their stories. My grandparents have all passed on before I had the chance to ask them. And my parents don't really know much either. I really wish I was able to ask them.
Thank you so much for your stories and your perspective. I agree 100% with your assessment and have. been trying to push back on people when they say these things that are untrue. It is very hard to get them to even consider a different narrative than what they have been propagandized with. I do hope I cause some of them to maybe think about some things that don't jive with what they believe. At the very least, I hope to create some change in my small part of the world. I don't believe anyone is illegal, and there needs to be a way for people who are here to become naturalized that is humane, and accessible. As it is, the only way to come to this country legally is with great wealth and privilege that many people do not have. I think of my grandpa who came here with nothing and worked hard to provide a future for his children and grandchildren. I know that as a part of his legacy I have made a difference through my career as a nurse.
This woman is my hero
You guys are amazing. Your mom is a wonderful historian.
Mom is a national treasure. More people need to hear from her, especially MAGA - she might be able to reach the parts of society that are less connected to reality than Amazonian tribes are to the outside world.
I 💗 this video! Your mom’s grandma had the resilience women immigrants needed to survive in America . I feel like I’m hearing the story of my Romanian Jewish maternal grandmother who came over to America in 1917, during WWI at the age of 17. She learned English but at the age of 8, in 1960 , I used to laugh at her phonetic spelling. As I grew up my mother shared stories about my grandmother’s struggle to make sure my mother got the educational opportunities that the men in the family got. She sewed parachutes during WWII to help pay for my mom’s undergraduate & graduate school tuition. This legacy saw my mom enjoy a successful career in education that culminated in her being installed in the Marin County, CA Woman’s hall of fame in honor of her work in the field of special education. Immigrants like your mom’s grandmother and mine positively impact future generations.
Great great great show.
This is such an important conversation 👏👏👏
I love you and your Mom. Your Mom has a wonderful attitude about humanity. You must be so very proud of her.
Go Mom Go!
Thanks for the much-needed history lesson. Just like Trump gave some understanding about what happened in Germany in the nineteen thirties. I knew a bit about the immigrants and the labor movement. But this video gave a much better understanding of the subject. And perhaps a strategy to fight to fight back.
🇺🇦🇯🇴🇬🇪🇰🇷
Vive la Résistance!
Do not bend the knee!
Had to look up antediluvian (even though I heard the word before). Thanks, Mom.
Seems to me that not much has changed: "go back to where you came from". Seriously? In 2024/25 we are still hearing this shit? How can time go by and we haven't learned anything from the past??? Geez...
Time to stand up to that
OUTSTANDING!
Perfect timing, as we all need to hear true history now more than ever.
You two have created a podcast like nothing else; I am so grateful 💖😊
@@kaceykelly7222
And they can help us
through the Trump years UGH….
Been looking forward to this!
"'Claim your humanity at the same time you help people claim theirs." Will's Mom
Powerful! Thank you from an Italian daughter who hasn't forgotten the strength and struggle of her family. 💖✨
Wow, thank you ma'am for this. So WHY don't the Democrats talk about ANY of this????
Because there are some silent accomplices among them who want to protect the status quo.
Castro tried forcing the issue during the 2020 primaries. Biden won the primaries after being the only candidate who wouldn't promise to decriminalize border crossing, after being Republican-lite on immigration. So I think they decided that sort of approach was what the voters wanted.
unfortunately it's the never-Trump and ex- Republicans who are the ones with any fight. The Democrats, with a few notable exceptions (AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Jamie Raskin, e.g.) are feckless and terrible communicators
They are talking about some of it. The problem is they tend to be civil and use traditional media (TV, radio and print). It doesn't get the focus that Trump's 3rd grade potty mouth rhetoric gets. People don't want to focus on anything that involves "analysis" or anything that involves a more advanced vocabulary.
Some black people definitely have addressed these issues because of black history. Either you don't know any black people or you know the wrong black people. The relationship between the black community and white ethnic communities during and after the CRM has often been contentious.
Hello from Australia👋
Loved this so much! This is the first, anything really, I've listened to since your election. Yes, I was shattered by the result. I am a sociology and politics major and work on community education and social change projects (PS also a boomer ❤). And YES it is about messaging, narratives and calling out the false equivalences people fall for. I felt that Kamala was avoiding the tough conversations at the end of the campaign while Trump ramped up the BS...
I wish you all the best and keep the great conversations coming👏🙏
Thank you, Adrienne and Will. I appreciate Adrienne's stories so much. She speaks from her heart in a way that is rare and beautiful. ❤️
Happy New Year. I continue to enjoy these important conversations and appreciating your choice to create this RUclips channel.
1 hour into the family chat --- now you are finally getting to the REAL PROBLEM which is the Oligarch Class and their paid minions
amazing . learned so much and renewed my path. thank you. sharing.
Thank you! I truly appreciate your reminder that we need to focus on our humanity to solve problems. The truth and facts matter as well as the stories that come from them. Thank you!
Thank you and I get educated every time I listen to this podcast. Real talk between two people that are well educated and knowledgeable.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ this discussion!!
Change your perspective on immigration.
I very much appreciate the subjects rooted in history. Mom expresses them well, I wish I could do as well.
Excellent podcast! I stayed for the WHOLE THING too….lol. I really LIVE your Mom, and what a great son you are for tapping into your history and your Mother’s wisdom, experience and yes….legalese perspectives.
Thank you both!!! 😊
Your mom is amazing! Thanks for the perspective.
I loved how she said 75 million people didn’t vote for Trump. That puts things into perspective.
A lot more than that actually. 40 percent of the country did not vote at all.
Correct, but in total only about 155 million out of 335 million voted at all. Surely many who did not could not vote (noncitizens, unregistered, or minors), but it is stll worth noting that only about 25% amongst us made this grievous error. Maybe it just makes me feel better.
A huge chunk of people don't vote at all, no matter who's running. In some countries (Australia) everyone has to vote, by law. Don't ask me how that's enforced but I know it's a law.
Great discussion...intelligent, informative and inspiring. Ty!
Deeply thougthful discussion highlighting many facts.
We all are one,, and need to really understand this!
Thank you so much for sharing the story of your families immigration. My grandma arrived at 14 years old in 1912. She planned to stay for two years and then return to mother Russia World war one broke out she could never go home and she never forgave Russia
She lost her husband and son during the depression
She made one dollar a day cleaning houses
She baked bread on Saturday
She went to church on Sunday and then to the cemetery
My mom had no idea Ketchup sandwiches were not a delicacy. My grandma is the strongest funniest kindest person I knew.
A keeper episode. Excellent. Mom & son, please help eliminate that commercial where a mouse screams as it’s shot. It played twice & is horrific.
Mom, please run for office. I'd walk/work to see voters for you.
Thank you so much for these videos. They are so insightful.
Thanks!
Thank you so much for your support!
Key phrase…….the sad thing is that Trump’s vitriol fell on receptive ears.🙁😱😨
Is mom an attorney ? She is so incredibly articulate & knowlegeable. Find your program fascinating. Thanks!
Yes! She practiced law for many years and she also studied philosophy. Thank you for your kind words!
@@TalkingPoliticsWithMomyes, articulate, knowledge and passionate - fantastic series thank you both.
. .
Thank you so much for sharing your mother's experience with us. What an intelligent and eloquent speaker she is. As a daughter of an immigrant from the Philippines I can certainly relate to much of what she says. It really is interesting how new immigrants are keen to lose their past identity and yearn to be a "full American" in every sense of the word. My father was proud of his heritage but more proud to be an American and only wanted the best of what the United States of America meant for his children. Hard work and opportunity was the hallmark of every immigrant life and it was not taken for granted.
Wow! This historic information needs to get out!
yes these points are what everyone should understand!
Its easy when you have the complexion for the protection.
Another podcast hit out of the park!!!
There is ONE section ☝🏾 the American people who will sit this battle out…the one that have literally been fighting this battle FOR CENTURIES….with very little to zero help….only to be turned on IMMEDIATELY by every NEW American since the 1600’s 😅
Mom’s opening argument makes so much sense! The problem with most Americans is that they’ve lost (or never learned!) to think critically. To ask, “does this bullshit Donald Trump is peddling make any logical sense??”
Excellent discussion
Love you two!
❤
These kind of conversations are important, I think. My dad’s side is English, Scandinavian, German, French, the “good” white. My mom’s side are Irish, Hungarian, and Slovak immigrants, the “bad” white. I was in COLLEGE when I found out about the fitter family better baby contests. Had my parents been born and raised during that, their own marriage would have been considered a kind of interracial marriage.
Oh, and btw, I am a 2nd generation Slovenian-Polish American. Grampa and Grandma on my father’s side came over in 1903-1905. Mom’s side, (Polish) had HER grandparents come over….but I am very, very connected still to this day w/ Dad’s side (Slovenian but then, it was Yugoslavia). But….on both sides, they came over at or right before the turn of the 20th century.
What an interesting story, especially the history of Columbus Day. I also have an ancestor who arrived to this country as an indentured servant. Did you know that Ben Franklin was an indentured servant to his brother? It's how he learned the publishing/printing trade. I think one must make a distinction between legal immigrants and those who enter illegally and are supported by American taxpayers, while Americans who have fallen on hard luck, especially veterans, are suffering. This country needs a realistic immigration policy, and unfortunately none of our lawmakers have found a way to make it so. Intentionally so, in order that it continues to be a political football? Many (most?) of our legal immigrants (including my husband) are proud Americans and don't appreciate streams of people crossing the border illegally. I agree with Mom and son, that the demonization of immigrants finds a wider audience in tough economic times.
Thank you!
Would like to request a correction at the end of the video. Living Salary, not Living Wage. The problem with the term "wage" is that that's the dollars, but not the hours. So it's like when Walmart's employees complained that Walmart told them to go on SNAP benefits to make up for the cut hours. Sure, sure, Walmart paid high wages - and then (allegedly) cut employee hours so much that no one could even pay their rent on their take-home pay. "Salary" refers to both dollars and hours, and is generally treated as a "per month" sort of thing. If you have a good salary, then you are bringing home enough NET income to live off of and have some savings too. So, "Living Salary" is far more valuable to our society than a "Living Wage" could ever be. Technically, "Living Wage" is an oxymoron at best, when you factor in unfettered Capitalism.
I'm just loving hearing your Mom's perspective. I'm 3rd generation off the boat Italian. The connection and facts from the past really hit home
I will never forget being in a self service wrecking yard, a Pick Your Part in Southern California. It's the 1990's, and they play a Spanish language radio station over the loudspeakers. An ad comes on, a political ad. The voiceover is Spanish so the only thing I recognize are the names; candidate names. A list of Democratic candidate names is heard, but one name is repeated over, and over, and over. Pete Wilson. Pete Wilson. PETE WILSON. A Republican hasn't held statewide office in California since 2011.
Very eye opening discussion. I always wondered why many recently naturalized citizens, first and second generation immigrants, etc. become anti immigration and demonize immigrants. Your discussion throws light on how the narrative on immigration changed over time.
It’s hilarious how he still doesn’t understand the difference between insane asylum and seeking asylum 😅
Oh he knows the difference - he's talking to his base.
Mom for president
Very good program!
And a lot if them don’t file taxes because they are afraid they’ll find them out. So they’d rather not get that tax return
Great show! I have several second-generation ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War (definitely no one fancy - poor ScotsIrish). IMHO, my family are also immigrants. 300 years of living here in no way compares with the 13,000 to 15,000 years of the indigenous peoples.
A great civilisation is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.
W. Durant
My Great Grandparents were Austro-Hungarian, great grandpa, croatian, great grandma, austrian, their kids were called Degos as there was an Irish group in their town that didn't like the Eastern Europeans, So they got some of that Racism even in the 1900's
They had 2 Catholic churches, one for the Irish Americans, and the other for the Eastern Europeans, and others...
@barbarasummers280; Are you referring to Roman Rite and Eastern Rite?
I rember farmers would call ins at the end of the season/ crops . So they’d wouldn’t have to pay them. They’d get them deported.
My ancestors were American pioneers.
I am 2nd generation Italian and Eastern European American.
The most interesting part was the way Italy stood up for it's emigrants in America.around 18:00. Same thing happened for Japanese in the 1920s. When you have a country that supports you, it makes a big difference. That's part of why Africans in the United States are still treated so badly, and why Israel is so important for Jews.
My dad's German mom was an illegal immigrant. When I tell people he was her anchor baby, they look at my German/Irish coloring and snort in disbelief. Usually, after a few seconds, they say " that's woke sh't."
Yes ma'am! 😊
All I know is that one of the ‘constants’ in the world is change.
Straight talk about observation. Yes it's about that and if the harm is here or there ..or both . Some may have but agreed few compared to the situation they were said having .
Well said, Will regarding the Dem party's reluctance to point out Trump's lies. Same for the traditional news media which mostly avoided the word lie since 2015. For example, he was a "birther", not a liar and a racist.
As a Canadian our birthrate is also dropping due to high debt among young people with university debt. Young people who can't afford to own a home, or can't afford to pay the high rents. Having children is the last thing on their minds. In our country we have paid maternity leave for a year and still people aren't having kids. However, many of the immigrants coming to our country have large families and continue to have more children. We need those people for the future of our country. Our politics is being affected by your politics and we have a Trump like politician who may be our next Prime Minister and stands for many of the same lies that Trump promotes.
Those special visas are meant to hire skilled workers at lower wages. There are skilled American workers who are qualified to do those jobs also... but are expecting a wage level commensurate to their education skill level .
Years ago maybe 2016, I saw on a news broadcast a where a man was interviewed and in mockery he stated that airplanes was serious method of people entering the USA with a VISA.
Your mother NEEDS to be on a National stage! Her knowledge is immense!!!! Also, I have been a Democrat my entire life and I am now leaving the party and will be registering as an Independent…. In my mind they are as horrible as Republicans… they are just not as loud.
The origin story of our immigrant ancestors is different. They came here legally. They assimilated, maybe because they had to, or maybe because they wanted to. They Americanized their name. They learned English. They were poor and worked some of the worst jobs - there was no government hand outs then. They built themselves up. My grandfather was born in Poland and she's right, he didn't talk to much about his immigration here. He ranted about the Bolsheviks and he was dirt poor working in the coal mines of West Virginia, but other than that he didn't say much. He was in the Navy in WWII and after the war served many years as the post commander of the local Ametican Legion. Flew the Amerucan flag everyday in his front yard. Became the best Ametican you can find. Do those illegally crossing today have those same ambitions?
Why did they let so many immigrants in legally at the start of the 20th century? They needed cheap labor for industrializing America. Workers for the coal mines, steel mills, textile factories, etc.... We don't have that now. How did all these immigrants become Americans? Probably WWII. These immigrants join the military. The war was an equilizer. Not sure another war would do that now.
Wasn’t it during Clinton time there was the fight against immigrants couldn’t get driver’s licenses. Because of lack of insurance?
Am I wrong? I remember walking out of work and not showing up the next day in protest. We all stayed home, no restaurant workers , gardeners and hotel works show up to their jobs.
Not all of the immigrants are Latinos.
Excellent video. Hiw do we counter the following narratives?
#1. past waves of immigrants arrived mostly legally (Ellis Island for example)
#2. past immigrants didn't get "free stuff" e.g. free hotel rooms, other "free housing (we have a tent city here in NYC) free debit catds, etc.
I'm the daughter of an immigrant who received zero assistance until he joined the military but that was a different era - e.g. there weren't "migrant caravans" heading for the Southern border at the time.
There are plenty of RUclips videos showing how easy it is to just walk across the porous border. Some get caught intentionally and they'll be jammed up in the system for years, others vanish with fake ID obtained by people in the business of providing fake ID (in the border towns).
I think most Americans have a problem with the above scenarios, and there's an extremist xenophobic minority supporting "mass deportations " of brown people. I could be wrong about "most Americans" as my POV is NYC surrounded by vital immigrant communities.
In a city with a severe housing shortage, a lot of people resent the recent immigrants getting "free housing", free metro catds, free debit cards - what is the answer for their grievances?
***I also see PLENTY of immigrants (first generation) with the "pull the pull the up behind them" mentality who voted to keep their bretheren OUT - so this problem is deep and multifaceted.
I love your mom 💖
@talkingpoliticswithmom
Every time I've heard the low birth rate panic I've thought "racism." Even my somewhat racist parents saw that one. The British government was the latest I've heard that from. In Australia I've heard it from news sources that I hadn't expected to go that way, but am yet to hear it from the government.....yet
That is not just for American to feed and clothe the needy. It's the whole world. Everyone that has the means should feed and clothe the poor.
Put a tax for churches for 2% for a year, and you feed, clothe and give a roof to every poor people in the world for 10 years.
Something I would like to hear an argument against is “but they’re here illegally! They need to go through the process like everyone else”. Any discussion I’ve had with people about immigration always ends on that point because I don’t really have a counter to that.
The legal process is expensive and very long, years. Also, the legal requirements are different depending on which country you are coming from, and have changed. The bar to meet requirements a hundred years ago were low. My father came in the 40s from Albania and he never had a birth certificate, ever. He came through Ellis Island legally with his mother, and nothing more than just her word that he was her son. How he ended up with the name John Adams (not his real name) he never understood, lol.
Selfish Americans we live with. Not happen with just the essentials.
6:52 famine: the rich taking all, sharing none.