There has been a huge influx of Mexican and Latino immigrants, and the nature of their immigration is still young. Joseph Contreras writes for the March 22, 2004 edition of Newsweek International. In his essay “Two Americas?” Contreras’ main objective is to make people aware of Latin American immigration especially from Mexico. He explains how there are opposing sides to this massive number of immigration, particularly from Samuel P. Huntington. According to Huntington, America is undergoing a transformation into two peoples with two cultures and two languages; referring to the native Anglo and the immigrant Hispanic cultures. Contreras provides some statistics: such as the 8-10 million illegal Latino’s out of the near 40 million who have immigrated to the United States. As well Contreras tells of how 70 percent of the Latino immigrants are Mexican.
By 2018 Hispanics could gain majority status in the state of California, and could possible account for nearly one fourth of all Americans half way through the century. This number and the nearly 22 million Mexicans in America is what mostly troubles Huntington. He claims that the immigrants coming into the southwestern parts of the United States are “poor, unskilled and poorly educated” and also states that these people’s kids “are likely to face similar conditions.” However Contreras provides a counter in stating that average second-generation Latino with a college degree is earning more income than white workers with comparable educational backgrounds. No matter race, people who are willing to work harder, by all means should earn more income than their lazier peers. Americans should feel honored that these people are so devoted to coming to our nation. These Latin American immigrants by all means should only be allowed to enter legally, however upon entering legally we should try to live up to our stereotype as the country with great opportunity. There is a problem with illegal immigration, and though there is no set solution; immigrants need to realize that legal entry is extremely important. However, upon legal entry, immigrants should be granted every single right that a native is given. There is also a large influx of Mexican gangs. Everyone who wants to legally enter and live in America should be able to, no questions asked; however, for these people who do wish to live in America, do not bring with you, your gangs and groups of crime committing thugs. Of course there are many gangs that originated here, and are made up of all types of ethnicities, not only Hispanic, but no gang members should be allowed to live in America no matter where they originate.
America’s national language is English. Until that is changed immigrants from everywhere should learn English. Our schools should not have to give in to teaching both in Spanish and in English. That is unfair to other immigrant cultures. Upon moving to Belgium, I was forced to learn French in school. Although I did not speak it very well, people acknowledged that I tried and respected me for it. According to Contreras, the new generations of Latino’s speak mostly English, and some are even forgetting their parents’ Spanish. Hispanics shouldn’t forget who they are and where they come from, they should continue to study Spanish. But it is very encouraging and appreciated that the majority are learning to speak English!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Strangers in the Arab-Muslim World
“Stranger in the Arab- Muslim World” was written by Fouad Ajami in 2001. His piece was written for The Wilson Quarterly. Ajami explains the spread of American pop culture throughout the Middle East, but also tells of the disdain and anger that the Middle Eastern populations have towards America. There is a radical spread of anti-Americanism throughout the Middle East and Ajami provides examples and reasons to why these people are so unhappy with America.
It is apparent that there is a big struggle of America’s presence in the Middle East. People inhabiting the area generally don’t accept America’s culture, claiming that the United States are power hungry, infidels. There is major confrontation between the power’s of the Middle East and the general public. The public feel strongly against their governments, however, they cannot act out on their angers. The local governments do not allow public speaking against their power; but, on the other hand, they do allow space and freedom for these people to speak out against the United States. This is one of the contributing factors to the spread of hate towards America. Kids will understand only that they should hate America. They are not old enough to understand why; only that it has been drilled into their heads that America is the enemy. By the time they are old enough to make decisions for their own; they have gotten this idea so instilled in their brains that they continue the spread of hate towards America.
The situation in the Middle East is an extremely sensitive subject. The United States needs to approach it with extreme caution. America is walking on a tight rope that is descending into a pit of fire. There are many different approaches the U.S. can take to help make amends with these Arab-Muslim peoples. What to do is the tough question. Somehow America needs to prove to the people that they are changing their own perspective on the Middle East. That they do not want to torment and anger the Arab world, but through cooperative work, both cultures can push for peace and amending relations. There are no plans of action that are guaranteed to help relations; but to reiterate, something needs to be done, and through cooperative and positive communications, such a peace is an achievable goal.
It is apparent that there is a big struggle of America’s presence in the Middle East. People inhabiting the area generally don’t accept America’s culture, claiming that the United States are power hungry, infidels. There is major confrontation between the power’s of the Middle East and the general public. The public feel strongly against their governments, however, they cannot act out on their angers. The local governments do not allow public speaking against their power; but, on the other hand, they do allow space and freedom for these people to speak out against the United States. This is one of the contributing factors to the spread of hate towards America. Kids will understand only that they should hate America. They are not old enough to understand why; only that it has been drilled into their heads that America is the enemy. By the time they are old enough to make decisions for their own; they have gotten this idea so instilled in their brains that they continue the spread of hate towards America.
The situation in the Middle East is an extremely sensitive subject. The United States needs to approach it with extreme caution. America is walking on a tight rope that is descending into a pit of fire. There are many different approaches the U.S. can take to help make amends with these Arab-Muslim peoples. What to do is the tough question. Somehow America needs to prove to the people that they are changing their own perspective on the Middle East. That they do not want to torment and anger the Arab world, but through cooperative work, both cultures can push for peace and amending relations. There are no plans of action that are guaranteed to help relations; but to reiterate, something needs to be done, and through cooperative and positive communications, such a peace is an achievable goal.
Americans are Tuning Out the World
Americans need to realize that the United States isn’t gods-send country. While being one of the greatest countries for opportunities, freedoms and rights; it is not the only country with all of these amenities. This short narrative written by Alkman Granitsas called “Americans are Tuning Out the World” was written to bring to attention the fact that Americans are becoming more naïve in respects to global affairs. Granitsas wrote this essay for the November 24, 2005 edition of the Yale Global.
Granitsas gives some good facts to prove the lack of affection for global affairs; such as, how only 8.6 percent of American college students study a foreign language. He feels as if there are two major communities in the world, the United States and the rest of the world. According to Granitsas there are two reasons why Americans are tuning out foreign affairs, and that both of these reasons confirm the common belief that America is a “shining city on a hill” and that the rest of the world has relatively less to offer.
His first reason is that since the 1960’s there have been over 20 million immigrants into the United States. With immigrants coming from all over the world, people as the question, why would anyone want to look outside the U.S. when it seems like they all want to come over here? Granitsas’ second reason is that America’s economy has been growing relative to the rest of the worlds’ over the last two decades. I agree with Granitsas when he sais that despite having the world’s more important foreign policy, can America shape a responsible foreign policy with such an uninformed electorate?
It is shocking to learn that only 8.6 percent of American college students are studying foreign languages; it is also shocking to learn that I am part of such a few numbers of students who are studying another language. One would assume that with increasing globalization and such diversified job markets, people would become more aware of who their competition for jobs are as well as career prospects outside the nation. It is very noticeable, from moving to Europe and back, how naïve people are here in America, how many of them can be ignorant, and how much people don’t know and even don’t care about things that are occurring outside their sheltered United States. Both of Granitsas’ reasons for America’s naivety make sense. There are probably some more reasons out there that just haven’t been dealt with. Perhaps another factor is the question of whether or not our media is dumbing down America. I feel as if sometimes people take advantage of the great amenities that are provided by our government. The American population only hears of the problems across seas, such as wars, work strikes, natural disasters, etc. The general population will see these negative things and just assume that life outside America’s borders is untamed, wild and nothing but treacherous.
Granitsas gives some good facts to prove the lack of affection for global affairs; such as, how only 8.6 percent of American college students study a foreign language. He feels as if there are two major communities in the world, the United States and the rest of the world. According to Granitsas there are two reasons why Americans are tuning out foreign affairs, and that both of these reasons confirm the common belief that America is a “shining city on a hill” and that the rest of the world has relatively less to offer.
His first reason is that since the 1960’s there have been over 20 million immigrants into the United States. With immigrants coming from all over the world, people as the question, why would anyone want to look outside the U.S. when it seems like they all want to come over here? Granitsas’ second reason is that America’s economy has been growing relative to the rest of the worlds’ over the last two decades. I agree with Granitsas when he sais that despite having the world’s more important foreign policy, can America shape a responsible foreign policy with such an uninformed electorate?
It is shocking to learn that only 8.6 percent of American college students are studying foreign languages; it is also shocking to learn that I am part of such a few numbers of students who are studying another language. One would assume that with increasing globalization and such diversified job markets, people would become more aware of who their competition for jobs are as well as career prospects outside the nation. It is very noticeable, from moving to Europe and back, how naïve people are here in America, how many of them can be ignorant, and how much people don’t know and even don’t care about things that are occurring outside their sheltered United States. Both of Granitsas’ reasons for America’s naivety make sense. There are probably some more reasons out there that just haven’t been dealt with. Perhaps another factor is the question of whether or not our media is dumbing down America. I feel as if sometimes people take advantage of the great amenities that are provided by our government. The American population only hears of the problems across seas, such as wars, work strikes, natural disasters, etc. The general population will see these negative things and just assume that life outside America’s borders is untamed, wild and nothing but treacherous.
A World Not Neatly Divided
The world is not neatly divided, and it is unfortunate that is divided at all. Of course people should be entitled to their own cultures, but to stereotype and to judge based of those cultures is obscenely wrong. Amartya Sen wrote the essay “A World Not Neatly Divided” for the November 23, 2001 edition of The New York Times. Sen’s main goals for his essay was to harp on the fact that people over generalize areas of the world. For example, people assume that India is just a nation made up of Hindu people; when in fact, India has the second or third highest Muslim population in the world, as well as being compiled of many other religious cultures. Sen also states that religion isn’t the only thing that we can be identified by.
People don’t seem to realize that no matter where in the world one is, there is diversity and cultural differences. Unfortunately, it seems as if a lot of these naiveties are coming from the western culture, especially America. The general American population seemingly tunes out other cultures, and therefore do not understand and respect other parts of the world. Sen writes, “Dividing the world into discrete civilizations is not just crude. It propels us into the absurd belief that this partitioning is natural and necessary and must overwhelm all other ways of identifying people.”
Governments of today need to follow what was said by the emperor Akbar of the Mogul dynasty in India. He stated that no one “should be interfered with on account of religion” and that “anyone is to be allowed to go over to a religion that pleases him.” This is one of the bigger reasons why the United States is so attractive to many people. As well as the great opportunities it provides, the freedoms that are given to the people here are incredible and hardly matched anywhere in the world. People need to stop worrying about what others are doing and worry about their own problems. Unless people are doing harm, then they should be let alone like everyone else. People are too easily and too readily blaming others, and pointing fingers at an entire ethnic group; which is absolutely absurd. The people of the world need to enjoy and help endure their own cultures. The people of the world also need to learn to accept and coexist with one another; that with coexistence, our world can become a greater place than anyone could imagine.
People don’t seem to realize that no matter where in the world one is, there is diversity and cultural differences. Unfortunately, it seems as if a lot of these naiveties are coming from the western culture, especially America. The general American population seemingly tunes out other cultures, and therefore do not understand and respect other parts of the world. Sen writes, “Dividing the world into discrete civilizations is not just crude. It propels us into the absurd belief that this partitioning is natural and necessary and must overwhelm all other ways of identifying people.”
Governments of today need to follow what was said by the emperor Akbar of the Mogul dynasty in India. He stated that no one “should be interfered with on account of religion” and that “anyone is to be allowed to go over to a religion that pleases him.” This is one of the bigger reasons why the United States is so attractive to many people. As well as the great opportunities it provides, the freedoms that are given to the people here are incredible and hardly matched anywhere in the world. People need to stop worrying about what others are doing and worry about their own problems. Unless people are doing harm, then they should be let alone like everyone else. People are too easily and too readily blaming others, and pointing fingers at an entire ethnic group; which is absolutely absurd. The people of the world need to enjoy and help endure their own cultures. The people of the world also need to learn to accept and coexist with one another; that with coexistence, our world can become a greater place than anyone could imagine.
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