Sunday, March 27, 2011

3.28 Situation you propose to analyze and why

The situation I plan to analyze is immigration to the United States by individuals from Mexico.  My original interest in this subject came from the fact that many of the terms used in the class applied to workers from Mexico.  The terms that apply most are assimilation and dehumanization.
            I feel there is an attempt at assimilation for the immigrants. They travel to America to work and provide for their family.  In many cases they work take jobs in areas such as construction, house cleaning, and restaurant services.  Often these are jobs that are not desired by the citizens of America.  American business owners benefit by placing immigrants into these job situations, but at the same time there are complaints that they are stealing all of the jobs.   It seems that there is an attempt of assimilation in the fact that Americans want them to be a part of the culture so that they can provide the necessary services, but on the other hand they can never fully be a part of our society because they are not American.
            The term dehumanization also applies to this situation.  I have often heard people speak of Mexican workers with derogatory terms.  Because they are from a country poorer than ours with fewer opportunities, they feel that they are in some way better than them. This is clearly dehumanization.
            Although, the terms fit the situation I initially thought that this topic may not completely apply to the class because it didn’t directly deal with colonization. After having a discussion with  Dr. Barnard, I realized there was a connection.  Mexico was originally colonized by the Spanish and there has to be reasons for the lack of economic stability within Mexico.  I plan to research the history of the colonization of Mexico to obtain a better understanding of the current economy of Mexico.  With this information I will be able understand the reasons behind immigration for job opportunities.

1 comment:

  1. I love your topic Jessica! This is an eminent problem in my hometown. I live in a predominantly white community with a growing Hispanic population. I live on a farm and when I was growing up we would raise tobacco. Many times we would hire Hispanic workers to help us out during certain times of the season. It’s hard, hot work that takes place in the summer that many people aren’t willing to do. These individuals we worked with were always extremely hard working, honest, and reliable. Yet, people in my community make them out as "job thieves". When the truth is they were too lazy to do the work! The current situation in Mexico is very unfortunate. It is heart breaking that a such a vast number of Hispanics are forced to leave their home behind to support their families. I’m very interested in what your research reveals about the situation in Mexico.

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