THE "HISPANIC CHALLENGE"
BY STUDENT
Latinos make up a huge part of the
U.S. population. It is predicted that in the year 2050, there are going to be
“135 million Hispanics” living “in the United States.” (Chavez 1). This might
seem great news to some, but others see this as a threat or a challenge to the
“American” culture, because Latin American immigrants are not assimilating.
According to Huntington, “previous immigrants” did not have a problem
assimilating into the American culture, and it seems like “the assimilation of
the past are unlikely to be duplicated...” (Huntington 2). The previous
immigrants were “English speakers from the British Isles...” (Huntington 4).
Many say that in order to achieve the American Dream, one must learn to live
like the American people and speak the English language. However, is it really
necessary for Latin American immigrants to assimilate into the so-called
“American culture” in order to achieve the American Dream now in the early 21st
century? In this blog post I argue that it is not necessary to assimilate,
because every immigrant has a different version of the American Dream, and even
if some Latin American immigrants try to assimilate into the Anglo culture, the
“third border” (Davis 159) will try to stop them from achieve their ultimate
American Dream.
We must look into why Latin American
immigrants do not want or cannot assimilate into the American culture. The two
main reasons why immigrants can’t assimilate are being they are immigrants and felling
nostalgia. Immigrants are constantly being reminded “of not being wanted.” They
are also the victims of “having the threat of deportation hanging over” them.
(Decena, Gray 134). The Decena and Gray article
describes why immigrants come to the United States. They come to achieve their
American Dream. Immigrants come to the United States looking to provide a
better life for themselves and for their families, but they are not free. Yes,
they might have found a job that pays them more than what they earned before
arriving to the U.S., but they are “not able to organize, and, very literally
not able to hang out on the street.” (Decena, Gray 134). This is a constant fear
that Latin American and other immigrants have to face. They always have to hide
themselves from the dominant American society. Why try to assimilate into a
place where one is not welcomed? This is the reason why nostalgia starts, and
it “appears to be an organizing principle for the way immigrants live.”
(Decena, Gray 133). Being in a place where one is constantly being rejected by
society makes one want to feel back at home. That is why traditions are kept in
Latin American households, and these traditions are passed down from generation
to generation. This why when the offspring of Latin American immigrants are
asked what they identify as, they “simply do not appear to identify primarily
with the United States.” (Huntington, 9). However, assimilating into the
American culture or not, Latin Americans achieve their version of the American
Dream.
Everyone, even the pilgrims on the Plymouth
Rock who come to the United States (the New World for the pilgrims) came looking
for a better life, for their dreams, for, later on called, the American Dream.
Some immigrants want to achieve a lot, others are satisfied with what they earn.
Latin American immigrants come to the United States so they can help their
families back home. Helping their families is their American Dream; many even
organize with other people from their hometown to help the hometown they left
behind. “It is a process of becoming powerful in the context of being told to
disappear.” (Decena, Gray 132). Latin American immigrants have this mentality
of “I will become powerful there, where my family is. I will become powerful
somehow.” (Decena, Gray 134). They did not need to assimilate. Lets look at
what happens when Latin American immigrants do try to assimilate. Being
Hispanic is a “problem” because the American people do not welcome us. Latin
American immigrants can learn to speak English, get a degree, earn thousands of
dollars like the American culture wants us to do, but they will always have
that third border stopping them. “Immigrants have long complained about discriminatory
housing...” Many non-Hispanic whites want to have a “Caucasian forever”
environment, wanting to “limit the number of Hispanics.” (Davis 75). The third
border is basically the glass ceiling for Latin American immigrants and Latin
American decent. Assimilating or not assimilating, it
should not be a problem because immigrants made America; America will always be
the country with great opportunities. Like Huntington said it himself, “the
transformation of the United States into a country like these would not necessarily
be the end of the world...” (Huntington 12).
Work Cited
Chavez, Leo R. The Latino Threat: Constructing Immigrants,
Citizens, and The Nation.
Stanford
University Press, 2013. Print.
Davis, Mike. Magical Urbanism Latinos Reinvent the U.S.
City. Verso, 2001. Print.
Decena Ulises,
Carlos and Gray, Margaret. Putting
Transnationalism to Work, An Interview with Filmmaker Alex Rivera. Duke
University Press, 2006. Handout.
.
This is an interesting topic that has come into the light as more and more immigrants come into the United States. As you have stated, many come to work to somehow achieve the American Dream. For the lucky few, it does happen after working long and strenuous hours that most "Americans" might not work. Even though they are hard working people, the "Third Border" is something new that has applied to immigrants as of late. When European immigrants came to the New World, they faced challenges and set the bar for those that would come after them.
ReplyDeleteSadly, Latino immigrants and other minority immigrants who are not "white" face the short end of the stick. This Third Border keeps them from actually integrating with society and being "productive", but that might not be a bad thing for them, but to those who are uncomfortable with it. With Latino culture springing up in urban cities everywhere, it is a sore eye to some and a wonderland to others. It might be true that Latinos don't need to assimilate, in my opinion, because growing up with two culture around me made me who I am.
This was a great read!
I like the detail that you went into about how there are Latino immigrants that don't assimilate and then there are Latinos that do, yet both of them are basically treated the same. The question that you posed was also really necessary to say because it put into perspective this idea of assimilation and if Latinos really need it.
ReplyDeleteI also like that you posed another question in the second paragraph about why Latinos should even assimilate into a culture that they are not included in. This was eye opening to me because I never realized that if Latinos want to assimilate, they can, but is it really the best idea?
I like how you explain that Latino/as don't have to assimilate to American culture to achieve the American Dream and I agree with that statement. I also like the detail you present on the reasons why Latino/as don't want to assimilate into American culture.
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that you brought in the "American dream" and stated that Latinos do not need to assimilate in order to achieve it. I feel like immigrating Latinos have a pressure on their shoulders to conform to the American lifestyle and the idea that they can't succeed unless they do. I believe anyone who works hard and is determined to achieve their goal will succeed. Success is not determined by how well you can fit in.
ReplyDeleteI like how you stated there are populations who assimilate into the American persona but there are others who don't. Whether they do or don't, it still wont satisfy what others want them to be. Americans initially do not welcome Latinxs so why try to conform to someone's desire if you are not welcomed the way you are? Those Latinxs in America are not only American and I like how you pointed how that Latin American immigrants or their offspring do not only identify with the United States because they are their own culture and a change of location cannot take that away.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the blog and the arguments that you present, I just wanted to bring light to some questions and comments I had while reading it.
ReplyDeleteWhen addressing Huntington's arguments there seems to be a sort of agreement or passive understanding that Latinos do not assimilate. Say they do not assimilate because of nostalgia and societal pressures; comparing them to past immigrants who have always assimilated. I would like to disagree here, although I do think racial issues play a large role in American hostility towards Latinos, I think Latino immigration is a new phenomenon that needs a separate look.
Germans, Italians, Polish, Russians, Chinese (this takes on Huntington too for saying we are all Anglo descendant) and many others came before Latinos and built communities that were looked upon as not assimilating, At one time Irish were even excluded. But slowly, and sometimes forcibly they assimilated and were deemed American.
In the 21st century though, Latino immigrants take planes here, they can Facetime their families, they can watch international sports on TV... Things I believe that help keep Latino culture alive and distinctly separate from the American narrative and norm, and something I believe most immigrants beforehand would have loved to have to keep their cultures more alive and distinct.
All in all nuances to add to the arguments at hand here.
It's quite frustrating seeing how many people, even political officials say that immigrants aren't assimilating, as well saying they need to fit these certain requirements to reach the "American Dream". I throughouly agree with your point about the American Dream and that it can be openly interpreted by anyone. All these figureheads who try to push definitions and labels are only doing so, in my opinion, because they want to strengthen this "third border". And also your point about assimilation really puts the nail on the head because through assimilation or not, minorities are still being discriminated.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote a very well and extensive post. I enjoyed your analysis of the Latin american experience in the U.S. and the barriers to assimilate. I agree with you in that the third border is an ever lingering effect that inhibits the social mobility of Latin Americans. The discriminatory environment forces Latin Americans to congregate and develop primacy communities making it harder to assimilate.
ReplyDelete