Negative Stereotypes Of Immigrants

For many decades the history of the United States and immigration has always been a very talked about topic of debate. Many Americans did not like the collision that immigrants would have upon the native-born American people, while others welcomed the flow of people as adding to America’s multiculturalism of difference. According to Immigration: Good or Bad for America (2016), a large amount of immigrants try to enter the U.S. borders without proper documentation, in this manner being labeled as illegal immigrants. In addition, the United States unusual position as a nation of immigrants is being questioned by

Many people have come to America for a better life and to get away from all the troubles of their homeland. These immigrants, like those throughout U.S. history, are generally hard workers and make important contributions to the economy through their productive labor and purchasing power. America is considered a melting pot of many diffrent ethinic group. Immigrants should be able to enter America with little if any resistance from any border patrol. Immigrants in america take the low paying, hard labor jobs that , unfortunately, some americans don't want.

Everyone in life wants a better life for themselves and their next generations. Many people in different countries are migrating to The United States for one or two main goals. Those two goals are a better opportunity for employment and education. Which in turn, accomplishing either one of these goals will provide a higher quality of life and a sense of importance for themselves and their family. However, Americans view the immigrants differently from what they are. Some Americans view the immigrants with different stereotypes such as being lazy system abusers, dangerous criminals, and job thieves, just to name a few. However, these stereotypes are not true and does not represent the majority of immigrant. In actuality, immigrants are very disciplined, hard workers whom are also highly motivated opportunity chasers, where in these ways they should and need to be viewed by Americans.

Today one of the biggest issues in America is illegal immigration; these people travel from all over the world, and illegally cross national borders onto U.S soil in desperation to find a better life. Immigrants come to America in hopes of fulfilling the American dream, being free and safe from their original home lands. Most immigrants are illegal and come by the millions each year, which lead to many controversial disputes. The overflow of immigrants caused many citizens to question if these illegal immigrants are damaging America in various way and also by bringing in crime, drugs, and terrorists. Others state that immigrants truly aids the economy “Indeed, some sectors of the economy might have a hard time functioning without illegal workers. (Katel 395) Many citizens believe illegal immigrants are taking jobs, and abusing government benefits, however many argue that these immigrants in fact contribute to a stronger economic stimulus, take unwanted jobs, and some even create jobs for Americans.

“We all use stereotypes, all the time, without knowing it. We have met the enemy of equality, and the enemy is us,” said Annie Murphy Paul who is a magazine journalist and book author that writes about the biological and social sciences. Stereotypes are a part of everyday life. Every person, young or old, has been labeled with a positive or negative stereotype. They are heard everyday and sometimes label certain groups of people. As Martina Navratilova said, “Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people.” A lot of time stereotypes don’t fit what they are labeling. They can have a bad effect on people’s emotions, the way people interact with each other and their social lives. A common stereotype of many U.S. citizens is that all Mexican immigrants are criminals and have come to the U.S. illegally; therefore, this stereotype has a bad affect on the way Mexicans and other people think and act.

Latinos are all illegal immigrants/dangerous thugs who sleep around, do drugs, and break the law, universal generalizations seen in the twenty-first century. Stereotypes have become a method of systematic suppression in America, a way to judge Latino immigrants and their children, to trap them in an endless cycle of misery and discrimination. Michael Dorris perfectly explains negative stereotypes influencing a minority in “Crazy Horse Malt Liquor”. Dorris describes the stereotypical views of Native Americans, and how they have a pattern of being negative, similar to how stereotypes about Latinos tend to be negative. The people of America form opinions based on stereotypes, stereotypes about Latinos that aren’t necessarily true. Stereotypes have become part of a system;Hollywood exploits them and then used as a form of judgment, which harms both the physical and mental health of both Latino immigrants and Latino citizens.

Immigration is the bedrock on which the United States was founded, yet in most political conversations today it is regarded as a negative topic and for that reason discussing this topic is important. In the US the struggle to be an immigrant is harder than ever. Immigrants are expected to work hard for jobs that they are over qualified for because of a stereotype cast on the

America was widely known as a “melting pot” of sorts for many generations. The country earned its title by accepting immigrants of various cultures and molding, or melting, them into the American lifestyle. However, the “melting pot” idea of America is starting to dissipate. According to a Newsweek Poll on the public, “only 20 percent still think America is a melting pot” (Morganthau and Wolfberg, par.4). As more Americans push away immigrants and create stereotypes against said immigrants, America continues to lose its title as a “melting pot.” There is ethnic friction in America and people have begun to have a hard time assimilating (Morganthau and Wolfberg, par.18). .America is beginning to place a negative outlook on its

Immigration, since its beginning, has caused a spur in stances as to whether or not it has really benefited the United States. Those who were arrive first to the country are often the ones to judge incoming waves of new immigrants, and question everything about them. Knowledge of someone’s past, education, circumstances, or anything possibly influential to reason of the departure of the country origin is irrelevant. For some, if an individual arrived to the American shores illegally through any means necessary, for a better opportunity or other, does not deserve to be here. The term ‘illegal alien’ is synonymous with the word ‘immigrant’ because foreigners who live in this country do not belong, and are terrorizing the way of life here. The stereotypes that have risen about immigrants have escalated, yet many only see the stereotype and refuse to see it as actual issues faced by living breathing humans who struggle daily to survive. Not only do stereotypes underestimate immigrants, but also the stress and the fact that there are people who live in constant fear that everything done at this point was futile. Andreu, author of The Secret Side of Empty challenges immigration stereotypes by putting a face to each belief to display the harsh reality of the struggles faced by millions today.

The media has failed to cover both sides of the situation. Most articles talk about the negatives, but very few incorporate the views and reasoning for immigrants. Many immigrants migrate to America in search of a better life, better jobs, as well as safety and opportunity. For many immigrants jobs, safety, and opportunity are not available in their living environment. All of these factors cause immigrants to make the journey to America in search of the American

Sherman Alexei is a Native American writer, poet and filmmaker. In his interview with Bill Moyers called" Living Outside Borders", he discusses how being exposed to two different cultures have led him to greater understanding and consciousness about culture and cultural practices. Although he left the Reservation physically, the cultural effects of the Reservation still remain with him. His story is not unlike all immigrants who live in the U.S. I personally became more conscious about some cultural behaviors that I committed and never thought about it as unethical, such as stereotyping. I never realized how offensive stereotypes can be until I was stereotyped. Although being a victim of stereotyping has emotionally harmed me, it made me knowledgeable

The United States has created an injustice perception of immigrants. There are issues that are needed to be addressed for immigration as a whole. In a scholarly article titled “U.S. Immigration Policy: What Should We Do?” speaks about how Americans view immigrants and what needs to be fixed (“Automatically”). Within the article, it contains solutions such as adjusting immigration laws in order to allow more immigrants in, making sure families stay together in the immigration process, making sure immigrants are granted basic health care and education, etc. (U.S. Immigration Policy: What Should We Do?). These solutions will help settle many of the issues that immigrants face. Another solution that the article lists is to find ways of detecting

The Republicans Immigration and the Rule of Law is a controversial topic because of the stereotypical propaganda such that all legal and illegal immigrants take jobs and blow up buildings. These ideas are byproducts of racial profiling in America. Racial profiling is a common occurrence in the United States. Though there are some in support of the policy because of non racial porfiling ideas, that doesnt stop the ideas of

The word red man is defined by the Webster Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary as an American Indian. This term to describe Native Americans is how Hollywood producers have depicted them for centuries. The producers would cover both white and native actors in deep red paint to make their complexions darker and more dramatic. After the painting process met the producer’s expectations the actors became dressed in native jewelry, headdresses, and warrior paint. These are just some of the unrealistic depictions that movies use to create negative stereotypes of Native

Illegal immigrants go through many hardships to get to have the lives they want. Many come to our country for the “American Dream,” in spite when they arrive, they see it is not as easy as they thought. Immigrants have come into our country since before we can remember, for some, it is impossible to get legal status, or they face deportation and border patrol, in the end, it was all worth it due to the Dream Act. Many come here as refugees and flee from the trouble such as mafias, and give their families the lives they deserve.