America Quote by Linda Ellerbee
“'These boat people,' says the government of Hong Kong, 'they all want to go to America.' Well, I swear I don't know why, do you? I mean, take Vietnam. Why would any Vietnamese come to America after what American did to Vietnam? Don't they remember My Lai, napalm, Sylvester Stallone?”
About This Quote
Hong Kong officials claim all boat people want to go to America, yet historical grievances raise doubts about their motivations
In simple terms: Immigrants’ motives are complex, not just desire for America
Key Takeaway
Consider historical context in migration narratives
Themes
migration
politics
history
Mood
critical
inquisitive
Type
journalistic
inspirational
When to use this quote
- immigration policy debate
- humanitarian aid planning
- public discourse
Key Concepts
sociology
media analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- Why might Vietnamese still seek America?
- How do past conflicts shape migration decisions?
A Different Perspective
Simplistic narratives ignore individual agency
![“Ms. Wormwood: Calvin, can you tell us what Lewis and Clark did? Calvin: No, but I can recite the secret superhero origin of each member of Captain Napalm's Thermonuclear League of Liberty. Ms. Wormwood: See me after class, Calvin. Calvin: [retrospectively] I'm not dumb. I just have a command of…” quote by Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3eb/bill-watterson-728_captains_ms-wormwood-calvin-can-you-tell-us-what_699320.jpg)
![“I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. [salutes]” quote by Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3d2/bill-hicks-970_america_i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumor_655.jpg)
