Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hiromichi]

What do "fault lines" and "visceral" mean in the context below?


Arizona�s new measure, which requires that the police check the documents of anyone they stop or detain whom they suspect of being in the country illegally, has forced politicians far and wide to take a stance. But unlike in Washington, where a general consensus exists among establishment Republicans, the fault lines in the states � where the issue is even more visceral and immediate � are not predictable.
_________________
Hiromichi

[CP]

A fault line is a division line, in this case the line separating people who are for or against allowing police to stop vehicles to check whether the drivers or passengers are in the State of Arizona illegally. This is the latest thing in the right-wing state that is very preoccupied with illegal immigration. Fault line comes from earthquake fault line, a crack in the Earth that where earthquakes are likely to occur. The best-known one in California is the San Andreas Fault, which may someday be the site of The Big One.

As for the use of visceral, it refers to reactions on the "gut level," the feeling level, the emotional level. Some people are more worried about the illegals taking over than others. Some people are fearful of the illegals because of where they come from--Mexico, mostly, in the case of Arizona--and/or are hateful of them because they are racist or otherwise biased.
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[hiromichi]

CP:
Thanks for your full and clear answer.
Best rgrds
_________________
Hiromichi