Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The wrong approach to assimilation
I was also very interested in what Raphael Gallegos discusses in terms of assimilation and specifically the Huntington essay. After reading the essay, I think a lot of the issues associated with the negative view point of assimilation occur because of negative stereotypes that are given. I remember reading that it was assumed that Latinos aren't concerned with education and the assumtion that second and third generation Latinos are "ashamed" of their native language and the fact their parents usually do not speak English. This really struck me as something really unnecessary, while it may be seen in isolated cases, I certainly don't think that most second and third generation Latinos (or any immigrants for that matter) are extremely ashamed of their heritage and language. While communication among the American society may prove difficult, it is not necessary to fully give up one's values and languages to be accessible in society. Overall, I agree with the idea that assmiliation is often perceived as negative and one-sided, when it can be process that be extremely beneficial to everyone. Unfortunately, it's the closed minded approach to assimilation that leads to the negativity surrounding it.
I'll assimilate when you assimilate...
Does anyone even know the definition of assimilate?
assimilate |əˈsiməˌlāt|:
cause (something) to resemble; liken : philosophers had assimilated thought to perception.
• [ intrans. ] come to resemble : the churches assimilated to a certain cultural norm.
So we want the Latino to assimilate to America. In other words, we want them to resemble us. Does that even make sense? First, who is the us? Last time I checked, we pride ourselves on being one of the most diverse, culturally heterogenous, accepting nation in the entire world, besides maybe Iran. We don't exactly burn people at the stake for their religion (any more). But when it comes to language, it seems like a different ballgame. Our Bill of Rights is specifically designed to accommodate this wealth of cultural and intellectual diversity. But when it comes to freedom of speech, we would prefer that the speech be in English, because heaven forbid an American is forced to learn one of those "other" languages. And its because speech isn't free. In fact, when it comes to changing infrastructure to incorporate Spanish, it is actually quite expensive.
So what is assimilation, besides an attempt by the majority to shed all responsibility when it comes to providing for those at the bottom of our economy? We want Latinos to learn English and act American so we can pretend that they aren't here, while they work 70 hours per week cleaning our offices. Well if that's the case, they are going to need at least one resource. I recommend the Rosetta Stone. They can do it for an hour per day on their computers, right before they go to bed, and we can stop feeling threatened by their insidious cultural invasion.
Hospitality for our Guests
What is the point of a guest worker program? By nature of having the program, our government is admitting America's dependency on cheap imported labor, and why do we have to spend so much time and money rounding up workers in Mexico when we already have so many guests here? In Mexico, huge billboards suffocate the roads with claims of work in the fields of North Carolina. Gangs and other forms of organized crime pose as legitimate guest worker agents and manipulate the already impoverished farmers to milk them for money with the promise of a job in the land of plenty. Our efforts in their country have already and are continuing to create strange and detrimental social dynamics and frameworks prone to corruption. Meanwhile, we have a "guest" population already here, and we know who and where they are. Why don't we divert more effort into treating our current guests with a little more hospitality before inviting more? Legitimizing our current population, through a "guest" program or otherwise, is a necessary and overdue step, and diverting any more funds to the lethargic, bureaucratically handicapped, logistically challenging process that is the guest worker program is a waste.
Assimilation
Raphael Gallegos made some very interesting point’s last class, specifically with regards to assimilation. While many regard assimilation in a negative light, I don’t think this is necessarily the case. Many believe that assimilation leads to a loss of culture and identity but I don’t think this is always the case. When moving or immigrating to another county, people should try to assimilate into the society that they will be living in. This will facilitate the new experiences they will be facing, yet they should not set aside the values and culture they grew up with. I also see assimilation as a two way street. People who move to another country should assimilate, while citizens of the country should accept and be willing to embrace the immigrant’s heritage and culture. I understand that this hasn’t been the case thus far and is one of the reasons problems exist between Latinos and Americans.
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