In today’s society, there are diversities of cultures and ethnicities. New York City is one of the biggest cities in the United States of which has the most amounts of immigrants residing. Many people love it in New York so much that they are willing to sacrifice everything they have in their native country to move to the United States, so they can experience and live the "American Dream." While some actually achieve it and live the dream, others get caught and go through a long and strenuous deportation process. At the same time, many people that risk it all and stay, are here illegally and must live cautiously in order not to get caught. 1. The protagonist and social conflicts in “The Visitor” by Tom McCarthy offers viewers an opportunity …show more content…
Marsiglia explained that intersectionality can be defined as the study or concept of discriminative or oppressive institutions on disenfranchised groups or minorities, and the way these groups are interconnected, intersectionality is also based on the concept that oppressive institutions within a society, such as racism, ageism, sexism, and homophobia, do not act independently, but are instead interrelated and continuously shaped by one another (Marsiglia & Kulis, 2015). Intersectionality at the micro level, affects intersectionality at the macro or structural level. Tarek ethnicity caused his immigration status to be questioned. Tarek was mistakenly charged with subway turnstile jumping, arrested for failing to pay his fare although he actually paid. The officers that arrested Tarek were cold and suspicious. This is a clear example of racism because Tarek was not alone but was the only one approached by the officers. When approaching Tarek, the officers didn’t give him or Walter a chance to explain that Tarek didn’t jump the turnstile. Tarek was presumed guilty as he was approached because of his appearance. Walter who was with Tarek was not asked any questions or even accused of jumping the turnstile. One can assume this was because Walter is an older, white, males, heterosexual, without disabilities and wearing a suit. Tarek didn’t fit the majority cultural group therefore he was stereotyped. Tarek was taken to a detention center for illegal immigrants in Queens. To assist in helping to prevent Tarek's deportation from the United States, Walter hired an immigration lawyer of the same race as
Academic colleagues like, David Greenburg, would have been exasperated, part from envy of McCullough’s ability in not only story telling but to sell and he would object to the approach of this book. The colleagues would tear at the lack of compelling rationale for an overused topic, as well as the scene setting, and meager analysis.
In many contemporary spaces, intersectionality is taught and consumed as a static concept of merely listing identities carried by one person simultaneously. It’s used more often as a checklist than a place of analysis or resistance. However, the use of intersectionality as just an apolitical tool, rather than a theory born from the knowledge of Black women experiencing a “triple jeopardy” of oppression and seeking liberation by deconstructing the institutions that bind them, is reductionist at best. In “Intersectionality is Not Neutral”May communicates that intersectionality pushes us to question and challenge the relatively mundane or acceptable norms in society that lend themselves to a continuous legacy of systemic inequality.
Immigrating to America, such as New York is to stay and make a life for future generations. Latinos are trying to create a “better” life for their children and give them what they could not succeed in their Latino homes. By preparing for those who follow, children and generations, they want to create a lifestyle to succeed. La Defensa position on the presence of Latino in New York City is that they are coming to gain the same life that others have. They are trying to obtain the same dream but they will do it through hard work and good
This essay will be unpacking and analysing the different elements that create my own intersectionality in my life. This essay will be discussing how class, gender/sex and race have influenced who I am and the experiences I have had throughout my life, and how various structures impact these experiences, with reference to the Crenshaw and Dill and Zambara articles, I will connect their thoughts and ideas to the intersectionality of my own life.
The American Dream! The vision that gets sold that a life in the US is a wonderful dream! For many undeveloped countries around the world, the United States is seen as the land of the opportunity. The land where hard work will be rewarded and all goals can be achieved. However the real United States is not as wonderful as it seems for an immigrant, specially an illegal immigrant. It is no doubt minorities in the United States are discriminated and somehow targeted. Lets take for example the popular Arizona Senate Bill 1070, better known as SB 1070. The law became so controversial and popular at the same time, multiple states adopted its own version of it. The goal? “Make neighborhoods safe” by deporting all illegal immigrants (Eagly). Mass
With the difficulties and the dangers of migrating are big, people are willing to risk their lives in order to reach the American Dream. People dream of making it to the US and having a big luxurious life when in reality all the jobs they can get is working in the fields and or factories. They discrimination they are going to face because how they look and speak, the idea that they may never make it to the top unless they go back to school and get a degree. The harsh realities with being an immigrant in the United States is big, always having to worry about ICE, or losing a job, this constant fear of being deported. In every society there is hegemonic society that prevails over everyone else and controls everything and everyone. In a country that strives to for every person to be equal is a myth, we live in a world were only the rich will prosper and the poor will get
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” That statement holds strong for immigrants in America. Equal access to opportunities allows immigrants to achieve the American dream. Their success correlates with America’s success because of the contributions immigrants provide to America. Unfortunately, the current immigration policy in America denies many immigrants the American dream. It is crucial to understand the historical context of immigration in America. Initially, most immigrants were from Europe and were not restricted by any immigration laws. Now, most immigrants come from Latin America but are restricted to severe immigration laws. The Latino/a community is one of the most severely affected groups because the current immigration system disproportionally affects Latino/as. Recognizing how the experience of Latino/a immigrants have been both similar and different in the past from other immigrant groups and dispelling common misconceptions about Latino/as today bring an awareness how Latino/as are affected.
For many Mexican immigrants, crossing the border into the land of freedom and the American dream is no easy task. Some immigrants come over illegally by means of hiding in cars to cross borders, using visitor visas to stay longer, marrying to become citizens, and having babies as ‘anchors’ to grant automatic citizenship. Other immigrants gain green cards and work visas and work their way into becoming US citizens legally and subsequently gaining citizenship through paperwork for their families back home. After escaping harsh living and working conditions in Mexico, immigrants come to America prepared to gain education, opportunity, and work. This American dream unfortunately does not come to pass for most.
According to Masiglia and Kulis (2015), “Discrimination is the unequal treatment of individuals based on their group membership rather than on their individual qualities.”(p.48). Tarek was not only discriminated based on this immigration status, he was also discriminated on the fact that he is Palistine. Post 9/11, America are hostile towards suspicious visitors. The film provides a great example of the effects on individuals and society of a falied immigration system. False genorosity, was made through out the film. The thought of Tarek being able to come out the detention center. Walter informing Tarek that he will come out is false. The fact that the Lawyer informs, Walter and Mauna that Tarek would come out is also
In Marcelo M. Suarez- Orozco and Carola Suarez- Orozco’s article “How Immigrants became “other” Marcelo and Carola reference the hardships and struggles of undocumented immigrants while at the same time argue that no human being should be discriminated as an immigrant. There are millions of undocumented people that risk their lives by coming to the United States all to try and make a better life for themselves. These immigrants are categorized and thought upon as terrorist, rapists, and overall a threat to Americans. When in reality they are just as hard working as American citizens. This article presents different cases in which immigrants have struggled to try and improve their life in America. It overall reflects on the things that immigrants go through. Immigrants come to the United States with a purpose and that is to escape poverty. It’s not simply crossing the border and suddenly having a great life. These people lose their families and go years without seeing them all to try and provide for them. They risk getting caught and not surviving trying to make it to the other side. Those that make it often don’t know where to go as they are unfamiliar. They all struggle and every story is different, but to them it’s worth the risk. To work the miserable jobs that Americans won’t. “I did not come to steal from anyone. I put my all in the jobs I take. And I don’t see any of the Americans wanting to do this work” (668). These
The United States of America, being a country founded by immigrants, is known all over the world as the land of great opportunities. People from all walks of life travelled across the globe, taking a chance to find a better life for them and their family. Over the years, the population of immigrants has grown immensely, resulting in the currently controversial issue of illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants are the people who have overstayed the time granted on their US, visa or those who have broken the federal law by crossing the border illegally. Matt O’Brien stated in his article “The government thinks that 10.8 million illegal immigrants lived in the country in January 2009, down from a peak of nearly 12 million in 2007.”(Para, 2).
Most of the United States (U.S) is comprised of immigrants—including those who have migrated to the States from another country and those whose ancestors freely travelled to the States in search of a fresh start. Every year, the U.S. grants a limited number of people around the world the opportunity to immigrate to the States each year. As a result of the restriction, citizens from neighboring countries cross the border illegally. According to an article by Jens Manuel Krogstad, 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants reside in the U.S. in 2014. This whopping number has stirred controversy both politically and economically for America’s government officials. As a result, many people argue whether illegal immigrants should or should not be aided
Many immigrants want to migrate to the United States to gain a better life for their families, for economic opportunity, and to escape political persecution. Many immigrants are working illegally and the government is not aware of how many of them are actually getting away with it, and others of course are being detained and isolated from their work force. Now so many illegal immigrants are being evicted easily from their work force or even from off the streets. In the book Disposable Domestics, Grace Chang explains that there had been sixty law enforcement agents from Virginia’s sheriff’s office who joined the federal agents. They were joined together by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to rummage around a construction site where workers were building a court jail. Later, agents had gathered one hundred employees together in an array against the wall, searching for undocumented employees. Soon after the whole fiasco, a deputy secretary of Virginia Health and Human Resources department was informed that fourteen people were detained and removed from their work force for not having documents. Grace Chang also discusses a case of a nominee for United States Attorney general. Zoë Baird admitted that she employed two undocumented Peruvian immigrants. We also learn that employers hire illegal immigrants for the benefit of saving money. If employers wanted legal workers they would be able to get them, but it would cost them more.
In the world of sociology and the studies of human interaction, the term intersectionality has been defined as, “the idea that various biological, social, and cultural categories – including gender, race, class, and ethnicity – interact and contribute towards systematic social inequality” (“Definition of Intersectionality – Sociology”). However, as Dr. White defined the term on the Spring 2014 Final Writing Assignment sheet, these categories that make up one’s identity can “intersect or interact in ways that can either advantage or disadvantage the person’s well-being and development” (White). In regards to the text, David M. Newman’s Identities & Inequalities: Exploring the Intersections of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality, Newman progressively explores the concept of intersectionality throughout the entirety of the text, but he does not ever actually define the term itself. Although an exact, clear-cut definition of the term “intersectionality” has not been officially established, the concept of the term is fairly simple to understand. Every person has different social identities that they carry to their name. Intersectionality is simply an analysis of how those different identities play off of each other and how they affect the person they are describing.
Intersectionality was one of the greatest concepts this course shed light on, intersectionality is can be broadly defined as the coming together of various social groups to work together to fight against forms of oppression. In the conceptual frameworks portion of the book Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, they talk about the importance of privileged identities and disadvantaged identities coming together to work towards solving a particular issue. While before taking this course I was somewhat aware of the various forms of oppression, I never gave much thought to how I could help combat forms of oppression that I did not necessarily experience with my own identity.