Yes, we’ve all been highly entertained by the chaos, comedy, bluster, and insanity of this year’s presidential campaign.
And perhaps no single concept illustrates the bizarre, parody-proof nature of this election more than Donald Trump’s plan to build a “big, beautiful wall” along the Mexican border.
This idea is hugely popular with his base, many of whom are rather overt about their preferences for a certain type of skin hue. But other supposedly rational people are onboard with this proposal. Its simplicity speaks to them: “It will keep out all the illegals!”
So John Oliver recently devoted a segment on his show to how realistic Trump’s wall really is.
Just to summarize his findings, it seems that the wall would cost $25 billion to construct, and billions more per year in maintenance costs.
But that’s not our problem — right? Because Trump is going to make the Mexican government pay for it.
Well, the Mexicans themselves have no intention of spending money on this xenophobic folly, and we have no real way to make them do so.
Except of course, if we go to war over it, which Trump has not ruled out.
Naturally, we have to ask if this wall thing is really fighting about.
Well, building a wall presupposes that America is being overrun by… well, you know who.
But in that place called reality, immigration of all types — legal or illegal — is down. In fact, “the number of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally is at its lowest number in more than a decade.”
And despite all the fear, hatred, and blame thrown at undocumented people for their supposed killing and raping, the truth is that “immigrants are less, not more, crime prone than their native-born counterparts.”
So the wall would be a drastic solution to a problem that is overblown in the first place, and that is resolving itself.
Thus, the bottom line is this series of questions:
Do you really think the United States can force Mexico to pay for a wall?
If not, do you believe we should go to war —literally killing Mexicans and sacrificing American troops — over this?
If not, are you willing to cough up $25 billion (just to start) to construct this thing?
If so, are you aware that illegal immigration is down and undocumented immigrants are actually less prone to crime?
If so, are you aware that a wall will be of limited usefulness and not stop people who are truly determined to come here?
Answering these questions brings us to a pair of incontrovertible conclusions.
If you support the idea of a wall, you are possibly a racist.
But if you honestly believe a huge wall is going up in your lifetime — regardless of who is elected president — you are either delusional or actively stupid.
Now that’s simplicity.
