...Legality Essay August 9, 2011 In her book, Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network, Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz describes the lives of ten busboys, she referrs to as the Lions, living and working in the Chicago area. Gomberg-Muñoz provides an insight into the lives of these undocumented Mexican workers. They share their stories of crossing the border, the affects of their absence on family back in Mexico, and the daily struggles of living in a country without the benefits of citizenship. The Lions, as well as other undocumented Mexicans, have to face Americans stereotypes every day. Probably the biggest stereotype the Lions contend with is the belief that all Mexicans are hard workers. The word “easy” cannot be used to describe the Lions’ busboy jobs. Gomberg-Muñoz describes their daily duties some of which include: cleaning, stocking, setting and clearing tables, and generally assisting the waiters and managers. The managers tell Gomberg-Muñoz that the busboys are “the best workers we have at Il Vino” (Gomberg-Muñoz 2011:18). This may be why on top of the Lions’ standard workload they regularly “unclog toilets, clean martini-induced vomit, change customers’ flat tires, trap mice, organize storage rooms, move furniture, paint, salt the parking lot when it snows, water the plants, and scrape gum from the bottom of tables” (Gomberg-Muñoz 2011:17). The Lion’s may have a stereotype to live up to, but they do try to make it work in their favor. Once a worker has...
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...expansion were Americans and the Native Americans that were being poorly treated by the Americans. Although the Americans didn’t treat the Native Americans well, they also unfairly treated Mexicans and Chinese. During the Westward expansion in around the 1800s, people moved west to conquer new land including the lands of the Native Americans, Chinese, and Mexicans. They did this because they believed that moving west was their duty. This belief is called Manifest Destiny. When the Americans went to conquer these lands, Native Americans, Chinese, and Mexicans faced racism, harsh and unjust treatment, and discrimination. The experience of Native Americans in America during the...
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...than equal to natural born Americans. Their cultural belonging, allegiance, language, as well as other qualifications, are questioned. Discrimination against immigrants is prevalent and on the rise. It is also a key obstacle to the full integration of immigrants in the society. Mistrust, denigration and discrimination against immigrants is nothing new, with many policies formulated in the past, such as-Alien and Sedition Acts, Immigration Act of 1924, Chinese Exclusion Act, Executive Order 9066 and many others, it has been inherent in American history for decades. Most of this discrimination stems from xenophobia, an irrational dislike or fear of...
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... |United States? |people of this group may practice? |this group’s people, lifestyle, or | | | | | |society? | |Native Americans |Native Americans were already residing in |The 2010 census reported 2.9 million |Native Americans are known because of |Throughout history, Native Americans | | |what is known today as the United States |people with Native American heritage. |their humble background. Although the |were slain, abused, and now | | |when America was discovered. They also |This number represents an increase of |majority of them do not share |outnumbered. Despite of these facts, | | |remained present at the time of the European|26.7% of Native Americans in the United |Christianity as the common religion they |the Native American culture remains | | |migration. The needs of early |States in comparison to the 2000 U.S. |believe a Highly Spiritual life though |mostly pure and has vast influence...
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...regarding to equality and life in America. Set in Los Angeles, this movie probed social and cultural stereotypes, race and social biases, and the conflict perspective that often ensues as a result. The blatant manner in which these sociological issues are revealed is often startling for the viewer, but the shocking nature is intentional in order to promote self-examination and reflection. The conflict perspective is presented in this movie dons on tension between groups over power or the allocation of resources, including housing, money, access to services and political representation. This movie uses tension to advance the story line of each character forcing them into positions of conflict as well as dependence, and emphasizes the status of equality in America. In order to progress to a more equal society it is essential that Americans examine the biases presented in the movie Crash, especially those most often seen in modern society such as stereotyping, hate crimes, color blind racism and ethnocentrism. Stereotypes are defined as unreliable generalizations about all members of a group that do not recognize individual differences within the group. From the opening scene the movie depicts a car crash involving two police detectives and an Asian woman. The stereotyping begins immediately when the Asian woman tells the police officer writing the traffic report that Mexicans don’t know how to drive. She blake too fast! A verbal struggle ensues between Ria the Latina police...
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...plant owners were too strong and in power. They felt inferior because the Americans plant owners were the ones paying them. And felt that they didn't had the same rights to fight for their believes. The plant owners were treated them with harm instead of treating them as human being. When the war came to an end the mexicans needed to immigrate to a different plantation of the need of money, either way it was difficult to stand for what they believed in. . How did Cesar Chavez differ from many of the Latino community leader that came before him? How did his leadership help...
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...Ever since the United States’ conception, racism has been a very sensitive topic due to people feeling threatened by other “lesser” ethnicities. As antiquated as the concept may be, it still tends to find its way into the conscious and even subconscious of the American people. In the LA Time’s Scholar Won’t Face Charges, the author writes of Henry Louis Gates Jr. who was racially profiled for presumably breaking into a home. This home happened to be Gate’s but the police arrested him anyways. The author writes, “The city of Cambridge called the arrest ‘regrettable and unfortunate.’” (LA Times). Gates was arrested because he was a black man breaking into a home and officers presumed the worst, a subconscious decision. Although racism does indeed...
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...than his or her own. In this paper the topics that will be discussed will first be to describe an experience that I was in and felt uncomfortable at the time of this experience. The next topic discussed will be to discuss the preconceived notions about the experience. After this topic explaining how the notions were affected by a group influence will be discussed and the final topic being discussed will be to describe the reaction of the individuals who were in the presence during the situation and discuss the affect of these reactions on the writer’s behavior. The cultural situation the writer selected was attending a Mexican cookout. Working in a group home environment a person experiences different culture. The writer took one of his clients home for a home pass where the cookout was being held. The client and his family are of Mexican descent. On the way to the client’s house the writer felt nervous knowing that he or she was going somewhere that he or she had never been. The writer began to discuss with the client the kind of activities would be there to gain a little knowledge before attending the home pass. When the writer and the client arrived to the client’s house the client directed the writer into his or her house. When the writer walked into the client’s house the writer and client were greeted. The client began to speak in Spanish and, the writer did not understand what was being spoken. This made the writer uncomfortable so the writer sat down. As time...
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...Immigrants and Native Americans in the United States have always experienced stereotypes from people outside of their culture due to ignorance and lack of empathy. Sherman Alexie and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie use personal narrative to depict how one can easily stereotype and fit a person into a certain category. Ultimately, broadening one's view and understanding that humans innately have the same basic wants and need can eliminate stereotypes. To start, Sherman Alexie depicts the rough and depression lifestyle Native Americans have to endure living on a reservation. Using a first person perspective Alexie starts by writing how the system on a reservation is broken. He depicts this by writing “ When I spelled all the words right, she crumpled...
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...Racism is a very old issue. Racism has been part of American history since the land was first discovered. Many People have been affected by racism and have taken a stand against it. It would be good to be able to say that racism is just a thing of past and that it no longer exists; however, that is not true. Racism is an act where a person or group of people are discriminated against because of a particular characteristic, or set of characteristics; they have. We can see racism everywhere such as in college campuses, jobs and many other different places where human beings live. Racism is all about hating other culture, language, color of skin, religion, and nationality. No one wants to treat his/her self...
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...The American Dream Is wanting a better life a crime? Doesn’t everyone deserve the opportunity to constantly improve? Wouldn’t it make more sense if people tried to comprehend the choices others make without chastising and belittling them? Immigrants have always wanted to live the American dream; however, not only do they always encounter the reality of their struggles in life, but they are also psychologically and verbally abused. The novel, The Tortilla Curtain by T.C Boyle, demonstrates the abuse, racism, and cultural stereotypes that immigrants are subjected to, as well as, the idea that, no matter how hard an immigrant may try to retain the fantasy of the American Dream, in the end, the reality of North American racism and cultural stereotypes is always present. Tortilla...
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...Carlos E. Cortés defines four broad eras of Chicana women in American film. The first film in our series, The Girl from Mexico, falls under the category of the second era: “Sensuality and Frivolity” (Cortés 128). Actresses portraying Mexicana or Chicana characters could embody frivolity, like “high-voltage Brazillian actress Carmen Miranda, “ or sensuality, like Dolores Del Rio (Cortés 130). Or, one could go “striding...
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...Some of what we now consider to be problems concerning immigration and assimilation point a finger at Mexican immigration and assimilation (Samuel P. Huntington).There are presidential candidates claiming to build a wall on the Mexican border if they receive the power of running the country. Looks of disgust and assumptions towards cultural holidays. Celebrations such as the Day of the Dead, Day of Independence –in Mexico- and issues with immigration have various stereotypes placed upon them. Are they true? The misconceptions of this celebrations and reasons behind these actions do not signify or give the correct information of these events.The main three points would be the more popular assumptions made towards Mexican people and cultural...
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...decided on an experiment that shows stereotypes are real. Stereotypes are formed so that we are able to respond rapidly to situations because we may have had a similar experience before. The disadvantage of this is that it makes us ignore differences between individuals. Therefore, when we experience something bad, we assume that everyone of that ethnicity is the same. Our experiment consisted of ten pictures of random people followed by four questions: what job do you think this person has, would you want to work for this person, what type of family members does this person have (kids, wife, husband, parents), and what is this person’s favorite food. This experiment was totally...
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...time in a Chicano’s life where it becomes critical to reflect upon the achievements of their people. Due to the poor quality of this nation’s educational system and the lack of resources available to predominantly Latino schools, the accomplishments of many Mexican-American leaders are hidden; instead, history classes all over the country choose to discuss the ways in which the prevailing race has contributed to society. As a result, students are left to embark on their own educational journeys, and in the process, uncover the names of the greatest Chicano leaders. Although the US has birthed countless figures that enhanced contemporary society, there were few similar to Cesar Chavez who uniquely and positively altered their oppressive...
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