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In January 31st, 2002, I arrived to America or as my parents loved to enthusiastically remind me “La tierra de oportunidad” (The land of opportunity). Full of frustration and anxiety that I had just been forced out of my home land, I now had to cope with and assimilate into a new culture, environment, and language. I was obligated to quickly acquire the principles and communication skills to not only excel but to socially adjust. Despite my situation, I was still able to recognize the amplitude of opportunities this country would offer for me, educationally and professionally. Optimistically hoping that this life transition would be to my benefit, I was unjustly challenged. At the beginning of my troubled journey in America, my peers unjustly rejected and socially excluded me because of a growing obesity problem. “Mexican Nipple, Big-green, Fatty” as insignificant as I presumed the nicknames sounded, they apparently all had discriminating connotations. Although through intensive practice and tutoring I overcame my language hindrance, my obesity situation continued to attract mal...
At the age of two my parents made the long and devastating journey to bring me and my siblings to the United States from Mexico. Wanting a brighter future for us, my parents fought tooth and nail to give us the world they didn’t grow up having. Ever since stepping foot on the U.S soil, going back seemed impossible. The effects of this life-changing move, couldn’t mask the unforeseen disadvantages. Lacking exposure to Mexico’s colorful culture, little to no bonding time with my family from abroad, and the struggle of trying to blend into an environment that was so different, soon began to interfere with my overall identity. Realizing this, my wonderful parents prepared a transformative trip back to my homeland, and back to the past, facing
The documentary emphasizes how parents believe their children will grow out of it and portrays the life of four Spokane families struggling with obesity. Also, it goes into depth about the food parents allow their children to consume, and explores other causes and effects of childhood obesity. Throughout the documentary, there are strong anecdotes and opinions of many physicians, pediatricians, and other medical practitioners. The anecdotes show us the detrimental consequences of obesity on children and their troubles that manifested from it. But most importantly, it allows people to see firsthand the impact of obesity on a child. All the parents in the documentary were unable to differentiate the condition of their child 's health as normal or overweight or obese, which is an obvious problem because nothing can change especially if it is not acknowledged or viewed as something important. If parents believe it does not have to be addressed or belittle the problem, then the condition of the child worsens. One of the parents (Yesenia Torres) in the documentary said that she did not realize that her children were in a grave situation because of her feeding practices. She said she used to believe that "An expression of love is feeding the kids whenever they ask for food" but shortly after her children were diagnosed as obese, she realized the seriousness of the situation. Therefore, the parental mentality is an influential factor that determines whether or not a child develops
Interest in the social aspects of obesity is nothing new. Jeffrey Sobal has written extensively about the social and psychological consequences of obesity , including the stigmatisation and discrimination of obese and even overweight individuals (Sobal 2004).
This paper will share my reflection on Part One of the documentary entitled Weight of the Nation. I will also include what I took away from the movie while giving my personal insight into the topic of this part of the movie – “Consequences” involving children and obesity in the United States.
“I am a first generation immigrant and a woman, but I don't really write about that because I feel like I'm a human being. There are universal human experiences.” (“Evelyn Rodriguez”). As a first generation woman myself, I can relate to the notion that I am more than my background. While there are universal experiences people go through, my cultural experience is something that sets me apart from others. I believe that it is essential for me to find the balance between assimilating into American culture while keeping my cultural identity.
America, “The Land of the Free”, “The Home of the Brave”, “The Melting Pot”, “The Land of Milk and Honey”, “The Land Across the Pond”, “The Western World”, “Uncle Sam”, and most importantly “The Land of Opportunity”. America is still “The Land of Opportunity” because there is much more freedom in America than most other countries. There are no caste systems to limit what someone who is in America can do. Additionally an American’s destiny is created by his/her own choices, not the choices of his/her family or peers. America is a country founded by immigrants for immigrants, and although the Land of Opportunity has suffered an economic crisis in the last decade, it still maintains its reputation for being the greatest country in the world. The United States is still “The Land of Opportunity” because there are no caste systems, one’s destiny is made by his/her choices, and American freedoms are a part of everyday life.
To fully explore the statement “America is the land of wealth and opportunity” We must first decide what “wealth and opportunity” is. Merriam-Webster defines wealth as:
"Obesity." Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
For more than 300 years, immigrants from every corner of the globe have settled in America, creating the most diverse and heterogeneous nation on Earth. Though immigrants have given much to the country, their process of changing from their homeland to the new land has never been easy. To immigrate does not only mean to come and live in a country after leaving your own country, but it also means to deal with many new and unfamiliar situations, social backgrounds, cultures, and mainly with the acquisition and master of a new language. This often causes mixed emotions, frustration, awkward feelings, and other conflicts. In Richard Rodriguez’s essay “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”, the author describes the social, cultural and linguistic difficulties encountered in America as he attempts to assimilate to the American culture. Richard Rodriguez by committing himself to speaking English, he lost his cultural ties, family background and ethnic heritage.
Williamson, L. (1998) Eating disorders and the cultural forces behind the drive for thinness: Are african american women really protected? Social Work in Health Care,28, 61-73.
Developing a sense of self is an essential part of every individual in which each person's self-conception is a unique combination of multiple identifications, composed of gender, race, class and language. Although self-identity is a part of every individual, it is often lost when individuals migrate to another country. Hispanic women migrating to the Borderlands of the United States and Mexico experience a number of events, it begins with a sense of stigmatization, that arises from their race, culture, tradition and language, which differ from that of the pre-dominant Anglo-Saxon. This rejection impacts their identity, creating a sense of loss, dislocation, alienation, and isolation. How do these women living in the borderlands battle against
In the essay "It’s Hard Enough Being Me," Anna Lisa Raya relates her experiences as a multicultural American at Columbia University in New York and the confusion she felt about her identity. She grew up in L.A. and mostly identified with her Mexican background, but occasionally with her Puerto Rican background as well. Upon arriving to New York however, she discovered that to everyone else, she was considered "Latina." She points out that a typical "Latina" must salsa dance, know Mexican history, and most importantly, speak Spanish. Raya argues that she doesn’t know any of these things, so how could this label apply to her? She’s caught between being a "sell-out" to her heritage, and at the same time a "spic" to Americans. She adds that trying to cope with college life and the confusion of searching for an identity is a burden. Anna Raya closes her essay by presenting a piece of advice she was given on how to deal with her identity. She was told that she should try to satisfy herself and not worry about other people’s opinions. Anna Lisa Raya’s essay is an informative account of life for a multicultural American as well as an important insight into how people of multicultural backgrounds handle the labels that are placed upon them, and the confusion it leads to in the attempt to find an identity. Searching for an identity in a society that seeks to place a label on each individual is a difficult task, especially for people of multicultural ancestry.
A study shows that 44% of Latino high school students aim to lose weight due to the representations of media and stereotypes. This study also shows that these students turn to extreme measures of weight loss such as vomiting and laxative abuse. The need for these students to lose weight as quickly as they can, are caused by how the media presents what is attractive and what is not - for example, women in the media are shown to be thinner than average (Lopez et al.,
Those who are overweight and obese not only impact themselves but they also impact their peers and fellow citizens. The responsibility of American’s to help those who are suffering from obesity is absent. This is understandable, considering we are not responsible for the actions of others. However, change arrives when other’s no longer stand idly by watching suffering. Those who suffer from addictions or psychiatric abnormalities experience greater success in getting back on...
One of my greatest hobbies is travelling the globe and I love to see new places. I enjoy experiencing new environment and culture. There are many countries to visit around the world and each country has something unique to offer. In every country, there are many beautiful places to see and tradition to learn. However, the country I have always wanted to visit is Italy. Italy is located in Europe and it is famous for its ancient history, architectural heritage, culture and even food. It is my dream to visit Italy with my family one day.