I love this cartoon Kyle posted over at Immigration Orange. It speaks of the absurdity and complexity of borders, nationalities and isolation tactics.

When asked about their opinion on immigration in the United States, a lot of people here in Mexico say, “Well we’re just taking back what’s ours.” It’s sometimes referred to as, and only partly in jest, the “silent invasion.”

In a very informative article that appears in Letras libres, Enrique Krauze explains that up until the war with the United States, even the most liberal leaders in Mexico admired and looked to the United States as an example of a great nation. Along with their northern territories, though, Mexico lost its trust and faith in the United States. This marks the beginning of an unequal and damaging relationship.

Now we are seeing firsthand what happens when borders, manmade barriers, are expected to stop the flow of culture, people, and language. What defines a nation? What defines a people?

New Mexico, for example, does not fit nicely into the image that many outsiders have of the United States. That’s precisely why I love it. Spanish is an official language there. It has been the first language for many New Mexicans for centuries. Many indigenous people who are now placed on barren reservation land would have enjoyed watching white settlers try to run across their borders and pay hefty fees to use their land.

We have all (Mexicans, Americans, Europeans…) been taking lands and selling land and putting up borders for centuries. Think about it: Whites showed up on Native American soil and began demanding that they speak our language and adopt our customs and our religion. Thus, they began to build the Empire.

It’s all part of the political charade. You cannot fence in something as alive and changing as culture. You can neither control nor contain language. You cannot force people to identify with a cultural image that does not pertain to them. In a truly globalized world, there will be no room for borders damming the flow of diverse and ever-changing cultures.