Hierarchy

I hate hierarchy. And it seems like its everywhere...especially in debate. I've been talking about this all day with my team....the debate community likes to break off into sects and they all are against each other in regards to who is "better". Its kinda sad. I refuse to join a side in this.

However, it lead to me start thinking about the overall system of hierarchies in almost every part of our daily lives. Except, we don't call them hierarchies...we call them everything else but hierarchies. This came up in a class last semester, take the idea of illegal immigration. We've all heard the economical arguments about why illegal immigration is bad and why it hurts the US and the "American identity". But really....why does a piece of paper declaring your "citizenship" make you somehow worthy of living here. The government, the media, and even our schools tell us that, to be a "citizen" or to be born here, somehow uniquely makes you superior to any who were born outside of our borders. We are told that it is a privilege to live here (not that we don't have privileges BY living here), and that if you are not born on our soil, you do not deserve the same privileges, allowances, or even rights, as someone who is. Not only does this display complete elitism based on nationalism, but it puts people against each other based on where you were born, and how you came to be in the US.

Thanks to American capitalism, we have been taught that since there are economic "costs" of people being here that are not citizens, we should reject them as people and generalize them as "illegals" who are all greedy, lazy, unworthy leaches that must be exterminated (via border patrol agents with guns, electric fences, INS facilities with an undisclosed holding period, or straight deportation to governments that typically have already violated their human rights in some way). Welcome to America.

In my opinion, this is just the basic starting point to teach all Americans that hierarchies are not only "OK" but perfectly natural and most importantly "patriotic". From here, we are able to open doors to all sorts of elitist mentalities from simple nationalism to racism to just plain hate towards anyone who is not on "your level". Obviously i don't think the debate community has reached the point of hatred, but it just started to make me think of all the ways I have used a system of thinking that lets me validate myself as "better than", or engaging in certain activities or associations that are "better than".

I definitely am going to try to stop.