Yesterday, President Obama decided to take a trip to Hollywood to give the entertainment industry a nice pat on the back for being “one of the bright spots of our economy.”
“Entertainment is part of our American diplomacy,” Obama said. “It’s part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us such a world power. You can go anywhere on the planet and you’ll see a kid wearing a ‘Madagascar’ T-shirt. You can say, ‘May the force be with you,’ and they know what you’re talking about.”
Then, it got weird.
“As I was getting a tour of Dreamworks, I didn’t ask, but just looking at faces I could tell there were some folks who are here, not because they were born here, but because they want to be here.”
What does that mean? When I come across fellow citizens everyday, I see them as Americans. If one were to tell me his or her immigration status in a political conversation, then I see them as Americans-in-waiting.