Introduction On September 1, 2016, Marco Gutierrez from Latinos for Trump exclaimed that: “My culture is a very dominant culture, and it’s imposing and it’s causing problems… if you don’t do something about it, you’re going to have taco trucks on every corner.” The hashtag ‘#tacotrucksoneverycorner’ blew up on Twitter and Facebook as many people fantasized about a utopia in which you could have nearly unlimited access to tacos al pastor. However, Gutierrez’s comment also cast a light on a very serious cause of anxiety for many Americans. Specifically, fear of the Latino invasion. This hyper-emotional state has many people feeling that their country, rights, property, and security—the basic components of the American Identity— are being threatened because of a perception that Latinos are not ‘Americanizing’. I argue that not only are these fears that Latinos are endangering American Culture are in fact illegitimate, but also that the idea of ‘Assimilation’ or ‘Americanizing’ promotes the racist hegemony of the Anglo-Conformity Model that contends that any immigrant who does not meet both the criteria of ‘White’ and ‘Protestant’ is therefore inferior and a threat.
Americanism and Latinos: Social Perspectives In K-12 history classes, we are taught that the brave English protestants of the Mayflower braved weeks traveling the Atlantic Ocean, civilized a wild new land, and built the foundation for what America is today. While a lot of information is missing from this
Hispanics or Latinos are defined as a people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish speaking culture. This term “Hispanics” was created by the U.S. federal government in the early 1970’s to refer to Americans born in a Spanish speaking nation or with ancestry to Spanish territories. Hispanics people are vibrant, socializing, and fun loving people. Among various facts associated to this culture is that they have a deep sense of involvement in their family traditions and cultures.
In this world we are constantly being categorized by our race and ethnicity, and for many people it’s hard to look beyond that. Even though in the past many stood up for equality and to stop racism and discrimination, it still occurs. In this nation of freedom and equality, there are still many people who believe that their race is superior to others. These beliefs are the ones that destroy our nation and affect the lives of many. The people affected are not limited by their age group, sex, social status, or by their education level. Their beliefs can cause them to attack other groups verbally or in silence and even reaching to the point of violence. All of this occurs because we can’t be seen as a “people”, but rather like “species” that
Today, the Hispanic population has grown tremendously over the years. We have watched the Hispanics community growth rate grow faster than any other racial and ethnic group in the nation. The Hispanic culture and community has populated all around the United States, introducing new traditions and customs. I was traveling to different to city in the States, I notice the wide spread growth of Hispanic communities, For Instance in Miami the Cuban and El Salvadoran culture is heavy populate in the area. In New York the Puerto Rican culture is dominating through out the several boroughs. I have come around town and Hispanics are known for their good food, which tends to have more diverse people try new cultural customs. Hispanic or Latino
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
“Wow...there is no way you’re Latino. You’re way too white!” was the ignorant remark made by a one of my peers during my school’s annual Latin-American Fest. Initially, hearing this claim made me look into the mirror. I began to stroke my face and examine my physical features. Was this true? Was I not Latino enough? Did the amount of melanin or lack thereof deem me as Latino?
Many ethnic groups have the fear that their children will lose their culture. Many countries have the fear that the immigrants will destroy their country. White Teeth reminds me of the book The Latino Threat by Leo Chavez that wrote about how the Latinos are a threat to the United States but at the end Latinos actually assimilate to the country and its culture. The more a person assimilated to the culture of others the most prosperous the person is, studies have showed. Samad and Alsana are are afraid their children will assimilate to the english culture and have different religious beliefs. Samad sends one of his sons back to his home country so he can live in a religious based community. Samad does not want his children to do mistakes as
1. In the “Latino Threat Narrative”, Chavez believes that the international terrorism of 911 acts as a trigger and strikes which raised the alarm of the national identity crisis of the United States in 2011, meanwhile, it also further threatens the survival and image of Latino unlimitedly. When the American witnessed the tragedy and the danger of their country in 911, their patriotism leads them to perceive the foreigners, specially the Latino and Mexican as a threat, heresy or even enemy who threaten the stability and security of the national identity. Due to the rapid growth of the Latino population in the United State, the Latino not only constitutes as a threat on the national security, but also labeled as an illegally radicalized ethnics groups or even “illegal Aliens” who rejects to assimilate into the mainstream of American culture and their alienation even make the United State further loss its cohesion. As a result, the American is facing the danger of disintegration.
Starting in the late nineteenth century until the end of World War II, the immigration policy in the United States experienced dramatic changes that altered the pace of immigration. High rates of immigration sparked adverse emotions and encouraged restrictive legislation and numerous bills in Congress advocated the suspension of immigration and the deportation of non-Americans (Wisconsin Historical Society). Mexican American history was shaped by several bills in Congress and efforts to deport all non-Americans from the United States. The United States was home to several Spanish-origin groups, prior to the Declaration of Independence. The term “Mexican American” was a label used to describe a number of Hispanic American groups that
Chavez uses the “Latino Threat Narrative” to compare the Hispanics to the “German language threat, the Catholic threat, the Chinese and Japanese language threat, and the southern and eastern European threats.” He suggests that “each was pervasive and defined “truths” about the threat posed by immigrants that, in hindsight, were unjustified or never materialized in the long run of history.” Chavez was trying to explain that the Hispanic would pattern these other threats by upsetting the America people. He states that “… the Latino Threat Narrative is part of a grand tradition of alarmist discourse about immigrants and their perceived negative impacts on society.”
A diverse minority group of Latino and Spanish-speaking peoples has played an important part of what it means to be American and what it means to be a citizen in the United States today. Moving into the future, in order to analyze the trajectory that this group is in, we must first understand the group’s history in the United States and in territories that would become the United States. In addition, we must look at the origins of the most recent wave of Latino immigration in order to understand their current effect on American society and the intersection between both minority and majority groups. Finally, we get to the apex of this investigation: what lies in the future for Latino Americans in the United States? Although Latino
Latino/Hispanic Americans cover a much wider demographic then believed. Latino/Hispanic Americans consist of; Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Guatemalan American to name a few. Latino/Hispanic Americans are the largest ethnic group in the United States. The Latino/Hispanic culture is very different than ours. Their culture differs in economics, politics, family traditions, family structure, religion, education, language, fashion, art, music, dancing, and food. As natural born Americans in the United States it is important for us to learn about the different cultures migrating into the United States. Many United States citizens have a hard time understanding other cultures; being culturally insensitive is a common theme in the United
Illegal immigration was an issue in the past and is a pressing problem in the present. The U.S. Government has been trying to find a resolution to this issue for years. The United States approved the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986, which allowed the American Government to punish American companies that consciously employed illegal immigrants (Nadadur 1037-1052). The United States’ Government Immigration Reform and Control Act has been unsuccessful in controlling illegal immigration. It is estimated that illegal immigration into the U.S. has a yearly interval of three hundred fifty thousand people (Rousmaniere 24-25). It is apparent that the 1986 act was not able to keep a handle on illegal immigration. Illegal immigration
Is Our Fear Of Immigrants Relevant? Immigration has been present in America for a very long time, but recently people have developed a fear for immigration that is uncalled for. This prejudice against immigrants can possibly be traced to every humans natural instincts. Human instinct allows us to be protective of resources that are available to us and causes us to worry when resources must be shared with more people than what someone is used to. Because of this people get stressed out when others “intrude” and cause resources to seem less available than they usually are.
In the piece the character, Hema is denied certain freedoms other Americans have by way of a system of profiling. It’s believed that because she has money struggles and is outspoken against America’s foreign policy she’s a threat when coupled with Her Indian heritage and frequent trips back to her homeland. One of the article’s central arguments is that if Hema were of a different lineage, then her low opinion of America’s foreign policy would be nothing more than a matter of free speech. However, since she has brown skin and foreign ancestry she’s believed to be threatening American security. Also if she weren’t Indian her being well-traveled would contribute to her character positively and be encouraged. Hema is faced with unreasonable expectations
60 years there has been no such period and the population has outgrown the job