How Much Would An Up Chuck Chuck Up?

One of the more insidious ways that newspapers further a left wing agenda is through the seemingly innocent human interest feature piece.

Under the guise of just "telling a story" the reader is emotionally manipulated into thinking the anecdotes written about are representative of a situation.

http://www.startribune.com/10191/story/1277719.html#introEnd

Like immigration. Last week, Chuck Haga wrote a piece on how great it is that Burnsville is getting less white. Now a fair piece might go into both good and bad repercussions of a huge influx of people from various and sundry third world countries where there is often no such thing as free speech, the rule of law, private property or running water who don't speak English moving into a community where those things are taken for granted. Nope, instead we are treated to a child-like slice of life that shows just how wonderful our new neighbors are.

Nothing tells the story of the changing suburbs like numbers from the Burnsville schools, where nearly one student in eight -- 1,229 of 10,339 -- has a limited proficiency in English.


Grab yer wallets residents of Burnsville, teaching remedial English aint cheap. And expect your kids' test scores to drop as the school district takes focus and dollars away from more advanced subjects.

"The community itself only has a history of 40 or 45 years," said Ben Kanninen, the district superintendent. "In the past 10 years, they've seen demographic change far more rapid than anything they saw in the first 30 years."


Change has not come without problems, but difference is increasingly seen as the norm, said Kay Joyce, principal at Burnsville High School.


"Change has not come without problems..." Like what? Why doesn't Chuck tell us what some of the problems are? Are there fights with other students? Vandalism? Increased pressure on budgets due to a lack of English speaking? We don't know because Chuck doesn't think we should know.

And what the hell does "...but difference is increasingly seen as the norm" mean, in, err...English? The first part of the sentence talked about "problems" then "difference." Are problems viewed as diversity in the Burnsville district?

"It's not unusual at all now to see a student of color voted in as homecoming king or queen or as captain of an athletic team," she said. "In the elementary grades, especially, it's what they all know."

Kanninen agrees. "There are people who resist change -- any change -- and there are individuals for whom this is a bad thing," he said.

So don't you dare question what is happening in any way taxpayer. You don't want to be seen as being resistant to any kind of change and if you do you clearly have psychological problems.

Chuck now really starts to lay it on thick as he sharpens his Noble, Kind, Generous Immigrant arrows and zings them directly for our syrupy hearts. He begins to describe the family:

Still, the decision to leave wasn't easy.

"Leaving parents, that is hard," Ajayi said, and as he spoke, Marriam began to cry.
"We lived with both of our mothers," he said, reaching to comfort his wife. "We have cousins who are getting married this year. We would have been the key people for them to have at their weddings."

Africa remains in her brother's memory. He remembers the fragrant bean cakes called akara that his grandmother made especially for him. He misses her, and he misses her bean cakes.
"I miss my grandfathers," he said, softly but with weight, as if he were talking about the sun and the moon. "They were there, and I loved them."


Ummm..."As if he were talking about the sun and the moon"? Immigrants in articles like this are never just normal people, they are always mystical, deep, profound intellectual thinkers who we should all learn to be more like.

A sophomore at Burnsville High last school year, trim and fit, Peter says he may try out for the soccer team next year. He's good at math and wants to be a computer programmer.


Aren't most 15 year olds trim and fit?

Dipo is a gentle, courtly man, proud of his degrees and the professional reputation he established in Africa.

He is a man of strong faith -- he is pastor of a small nondenominational church in St. Paul -- and that faith extends to his new life in this new land.

Is this a PR piece or a news article?

Chuck must have known he was getting pretty over the top his own obsequiousness to this immigrant family, so he quotes the dad's boss:

After three months of study, he obtained the necessary credentials and landed a job with Met Life in Bloomington. He now works in insurance and investments at New England Financial, a Met Life company in Minnetonka.

"Dipo has a work ethic and attitude that surpasses that of most people," said Carol Schulstad, his supervisor. He is a model for achieving "good balance to his life," she said, and his story connects him with a growing segment of the Twin Cities population.


Can you imagine the management of New England Financial's joy when presented with this perfect opportunity for their own self-aggrandizement? What an opportunity to show themselves to be such caring, open-minded people?

Everybody wins with diversity!