Talk:Wetback

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"Wetback" means any person who has a crossed a body of water to enter into another country illegally. Although often used as a derogatory term for those entering the U.S. from Mexico, there are also "wetback Samoans" (for example) who cross the channel from French Samoa to U.S. Samoa and visa versa.

Ironically, Mexicans would have to swim across the Rio Grande which is only about three feet deep. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.165.47.21 (talk) 21:02, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

While a majority of the folks crossing the rivers into the United States are Mexican Nationals, the term wetback is not a racial slur on Mexicans. As the person above points out, it means anyone crossing a body of water to enter illegally. But suggesting it is directed at Mexican Nationals is wrong. It is directed at anyone crossing the Rio Grande River and that has included, in just the recent years, a dozen nationalities, including Iranians and Syrians. It is silly to suggest it is directed at Mexican Nationals.

While the level of the Rio Grand is low at this point, it is only recently so. It is thoroughly damned, and when the United States releases water for the processes of Mexican Irrigation, that river flows swift and deep. It is very dangerous in fact. But usually, illegal aliens hired someone who is rather tall to carry them over the river. Tall because they don't want their feet in water. That seldom works in parts of the years, and they were using inner-tubes to get the illegal aliens across without any trace of that give-away, water on their cloths. Usually that water was five to ten feet deep through the summer and winter. Spring runoff made it .. swift and deep.

While there are a significant range of slurs listed and directed at Mexicans, I would assure everyone the Mexicans also have a huge varsity of names used for American Citizens. However, using the term 'racist' about disparaging comments about illegal aliens is very offensive and objectionable. The United States, and particularly along the border, is a combination of European, or Indian, or a mix of European and Indian. It is flatly bigotry to suggest the Americans are slinging racial slurs at the illegal aliens if they call them wetbacks.

This term, and all the associations with the defamatory terms listed, should be deleted from the Encyclopedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.206.181.187 (talk) 15:01, 29 June 2008 (UTC)