“Because we are the people you do not see” says Okwe, an illegal Nigerian immigrant and the protagonist of Stephen Frears’ Dirty Pretty Things, at the conclusion of this film about the trials and tribulations of immigrants in a modern day London, England. However, the people who we do not usually see are at centre stage in Frears’ film which follows Okwe and his love interest Senay, two immigrants who find themselves in the midst of scheme to sell organs on the black market. Immigration has become a hot button topic of political debates as refugees from war-stricken areas try to escape to safety and millions of tax payer dollars are spent on deportation costs. In this paper I will summarize the plot lines of Frears’ film and explore its dealings …show more content…
In 2011 it was recorded that the United Kingdom (UK) was home to 7.5 million immigrants, making up an eighth of the population (Doughty). Those numbers however only make up the recognized legal immigrants. Illegal immigrants make up a unrecognized portion of the population and in 2005 it was estimated that the UK hosted between 310,000 and 570,000 undocumented residents (Casiani). Frear’s’ provides a look into the lives of these people who are not normally represented in film, policy or at all. The characters in this film make up a variety of cultures, backgrounds and citizen status. It is the main characters, Okwe and Senay, which provide valuable insight into the systematic mistreatment of migrant workers. Globalization has created issues for workers and their rights and policy cannot always protect business from finding cheaper (and perhaps illegal) labour. Stories from the undocumented and invisible illegal workers can be found and they all sing a similar tune of systematic abuse. The paper WE MAKE THE ROAD BY WALKING:*IMMIGRANT WORKERS, THE WORKPLACE PROJECT, AND THE STRUGGLE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE by Jennifer Gordon tells the story of an illegal worker who, after gaining citizenship, asks to be put in the books and after hearing this request the employer replies "there's the door, if you don't like it, I know a lot of people who would be interested in your job." It is this thought that is echoed through the stories of immigrant workers. Undocumented workers are not typically unionized, they do not possess job security, health benefits and work long hours for low pay. Immigrant workers however remain in these conditions out of desperation for work, threats and fear of deportation (Wishnie). Labour laws, which are already lax and difficult to enforce (some many take up to five years to investigate), (Gordon) cannot always protect workers whose employees whose employers “are rarely registered; [many never] comply
Recently illegal immigration has become a very pressing issue among people. Many people around the borders are being greatly affected by the issue and think immediate action needs to be taken to put a stop to the issue. The Documentary Border War: Battle Over Illegal Immigration takes a stand on the issue using many examples of pathos, ethos, and logos to try and persuade people that illegal immigration is a very serious issue and we need to put a stop to it. This documentary follows the lives of people who have been affected by illegal immigration, and explains how they feel about the issue. Another way that people can look at the issue of illegal immigration is through the eyes of the immigrants, and the reasons why they might be trying migrate to another country. The documentary Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary focuses on the issue from this point of view. This documentary uses pathos and logos to show the lives and hardships of those people who are trying to migrate to a new country. Although Wetback used many examples of pathos and logos to show the struggles of the migrants, Border War did a better job showing pathos by following the lives of people who were affected by the illegal immigrants they were also very persuasive with ethos by following credible people.
In both the movie, La Misma Luna, and the newspaper series, Enrique’s Journey, there is a demonstration of abuse of power. Judicial policemen, immigration officers, and bandits all take part in hurting migrants in various ways. If a migrant is lucky enough to make it across the borders, then they will most certainly have physical and emotional scars. They also have their own story of survival to tell. One of the main messages sent relating to this topic is immigration officers, judicial policemen, and bandits abuse their authority by beating, robbing, and raping vulnerable immigrants in fragile situations.
Mainly, the article focuses on the injustices people have encountered in a work environment. Rhodes appeals to her audience as everyday “average” people who identify with the plight of another. Although she makes a compelling argument referencing studies and personal stories of people this has happened to, there are flaws in her argument that could discredit the validity of her reasoning. The logic in her article highly finds favor with the general working public. It is both consistent and appropriate. However, it is not complete, nor fully believable. I will discuss the following in the next paragraphs. Her use of research and anecdotes are mostly one-sided and while it brings valid points for the workers, fail to portray opposing views on the issue, that of the employer. She also neglects to further explore and compare the validity of this claim against wel...
Waldinger, Roger David, and Michael Ira Lichter. How the Other Half Works : Immigration and the Social Organization of Labor. University of California Press, 2003. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). EBSCO. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.
Out of the 11 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States, 8 million of them are currently working. Employers in America who want inexpensive workers, hire illegal immigrants and pay them under the table. Since the system does not have an efficient way of identifying and penalizing these employers, this has been an ongoing dilemma. As a result, the American economy suffers because illegal immigrants are not paying taxes like the rest of the legal citizens. Americans who are citizens consequently have difficulties finding jobs because employers would rather pay under the table so they can make higher profits. In my perspective, the employers are at fault here if they knowingly hire workers who are not eligible to work here. However, if the employer did not know about an immigrant’s illegal status than the immigrant is at fault for cheating the system. These are just some of the current issues related to illegal immigration t...
Avendano, Anabruce, Victoria.”The Labor Movement’s Solution To Illegal Immigration.” Social Policy 39.1 (2009): MasterFile Premier. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Most immigrants usually fill essential service jobs in the economy, which are vacant. Unfortunately, like new immigrants throughout U.S. history, “they experience conditions that are commonly deprived, oppressive, and exploitive” (Conover, 2000). They are paid low wages with little potential for advancement, are subjected to hazardous working conditions, and are threatened with losing their jobs and even deportation if they voice dissatisfaction with the way they are treated. Many work several jobs to make ends meet. Many also live in substandard housing with abusive landlords, have few health cares options, and are victims of fraud and other crimes.
Preston, V., Chua, J., Phan, M., Park, S., Kelly, P., & Lemoine, M. (2011). What Are Immigrants’ Experiences of Discrimination in the Workplace? Retrieved from TIEDI website: http://www.yorku.ca/tiedi/doc/AnalyticalReport21.pdf
Throughout the course of my life, I have always encountered individuals wanting to better their economic situation especially those within my community. Those who come from impoverished communities in other countries risk their lives and lifetime savings to come to the United States hoping that one day they will regain everything that they lost. Their only motivation to come to this country is to be able to provide their family with basic necessities and in order to do this, they must work two or more jobs that pay at minimum wage and are taken for granted. However, many individuals do not see this side of the story and categorize immigrants as unambitious people. In order to be completely aware of what immigrants truly go through and how they succeed in life, one must be willing to place themselves in their shoes and hear his/her story. We must acknowledge that the hands of these people work in back breaking jobs in order to sustain their families. While some Americans may be against immigrants arriving to the United States in search of a better life and the American Dream, in The Madonnas of Echo Park, Brando Skyhorse further reveals that immigrants are exploited as cheap labor, and although they contribute greatly to the everyday function of American industry, they are quite invisible.
Labor and Legality by Ruth Gomberg-Munoz is an intense ethnography about the Lions, undocumented immigrants working in a Chicago restaurant as busboys. The ten undocumented men focused on in Gomberg-Munoz’s are from Leon, Mexico. Since they are from Leon, they are nicknamed the Lions in English. She describes why they are here. This includes explaining how they are here to make a better future for their family, if not only financially, but every other way possible. Also, Gomberg-Munoz focuses on how Americans see “illegal aliens”, and how the Lions generate social strategies, become financially stable, stay mentally healthy, and keep their self-esteem or even make it better. Gomberg-Munoz includes a little bit of history and background on “illegal”
Jose Antonio Vargas’s article on My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant is a writing about his childhood journey from the Philippines to the United States as an Undocumented Immigrant. Vargas writes this article to emphasize the topic of immigrant and undocumented immigrant in the United States. He uses all three appeals: pathos, ethos, and logic in his writing, in specific, he mostly uses pathos throughout of his entire article with a purpose for the reader to sympathize and to feel compassion for him. The use of these appeals attract many readers, they can feel and understand his purpose is to ask for others to join and support other people who undocumented immigrant like himself. In addition, it gives other undocumented immigrant people courage
Jordan, Miriam. “Latest immigration wave: retreat: an illegal worker realizes dram, briefly; fewer are sneaking in.” Current 507 (November 2008): 27-29. Academic OneFile. Web. 21 March 2011.
The film Sleep Dealer by Alex Rivera uses the discrimination against migrant workers to both critique and warn his audience of the effect of current day politics. Well written science fiction often juxtaposes the politics of the present with futuristic societies and technologies, to further engage the audience and add significance to their work. In Sleep Dealer, migrant workers no longer can cross the border due to the construction of an enormous wall, yet still work across the border by the use of advanced virtual reality technology. Working in these “sleep dealers” isn’t much a choice for the poverty laden workers in Mexico, similar to how the current illegal immigration situation exists. By creating a fictional world with discrimination that so accurately embodies current politics, Alex Rivera engages his audience to realize the social and ethical consequences of our practices, and makes you think whether such a society can exist one day in the future.
The movie opens up with rural images of thousands of migrant workers being transported in trucks with a short introduction by Edward Murrow and some occasional interventions of parts of an interview made to the secretary of labor after he saw the impacting images, and to the different people who have seen the lives the workers lead. Most of the secretary’s commentaries depict the exclusion that these people have since they are basically people who are silently crying out for assistance to stop harvesting the fields of their shame, or at least to hope for potential raises and better work conditions. From Florida to New Jersey, and from Mexico to Oregon, these people including women and children travel around the states following the sun and the demand from the seasonal goods while working around a hundred and thirty-six days earning and average of nine hundred dollars a year.
In the middle of the 20th Century, London became the epicentre of immigrant activity from all around the world. It became the land of opportunities that did not seek to assimilate them, but did not fully accept them either. The Britishness and the various other cultures being brought to its territory morphed together into a phenomenon of cultural hybridity that can rarely be found anywhere else in the world. In her 2000 debut novel White Teeth, 24-year-old Zadie Smith depicted the life experiences of the immigrants and the natives at that point in time and the struggles of both on the road to coexistence. She wrote,“This has been the century of strangers, brown, yellow, and white. This has been the century of the great immigrant experiment.”