Movie Reflection

I thought the movie tried to be informative, but I felt like it had a very liberal bias to it and didn't necessarily look at the situation objectively. I disagreed that the children should have had all their healthcare and education taken from them. They are just kids and have no say in where they live. However, I thought that their wasn't really much of a rational conservative viewpoint. The teacher and the librarian who were for the proposition came off very negatively and I wish that they would have had someone with knowledge speak for that view. The people at the rallies who were for the proposition were stereotyped as hicks, and I am sure that not all the people who supported it were like that. There is a certain validity in saying that the government's resources should be allocated to those who pay taxes. I do think that the proposition was too extreme, but that some of the ideolgies behind it were not as radical as depicted.

Additional Key Terms for Unit Two

Hey everyone,
Below are the Key Terms and definitions all of you came up with in discussion section. Feel free to add others! And please remember that you will have to be more specific when defining any of these terms on the Unit Two exam--always relate the terms to the larger class objectives (i.e. the Latina/o experience)
-Isabel
p.s. You can also check out the terms and definitions from my other sections by clicking *Section A* and *Section B*

From Lecture:
[]-Globalization: increasing international economic ties and interconnectedness between foreign countries*
*note from your GSI: Is this how the readings/lectures define it? Can anyone provide other definitions?

From Discussion:
[]- Immigration and Nationality Act: Applying quotas to all countries and limited the total immigrant number*
*note from your GSI: When did this occur? Is this all it did?

[]- Basic Pilot Program: internet-based program that ensures immigrant workers are naturalized as legal

[]- Exit Revolution:

[]- Flexible Labor Pools: Populations of people that are easily mobilized to find work, not a part of labor unions therefore, businesses more free to deal with them as they wish

[]- Immigration Act of 1924

[]- Open Door Policy

[]- Gentleman's Agreement

[]-Passenger Act of 1819: Designed to attract immigrants from all countries*
*note from your GSI: How? Why?

Reflection Post 10/28

I really enjoyed yesterday's movie about Proposal 187 in Los Angeles. I had never heard of Proposal 187 before and I thought that the movie did a good job explaining the ideals behind the proposal and how many people in L.A. felt about it. It was smart of the filmmaker to focus on one particular elementary school in L.A. so that viewers could feel more connected to the "characters" in the movie, particularly the little girl (Maya?) who the film focused on. I agree with the post below me that the film did indeed present some biased viewpoints. But I do think it was important to show both sides of the issue. The moment in the film that stuck out the most to me was the elementary school librarian who spoke to the kids in an incredibly demeaning and edgy tone as he told them that he "does not litter" on the streets of L.A. and that many people of "illegal" status do. This ridiculous accustaion proved the filmmaker's point that many problems in the United States are blamed on illegal immigrants, when "legal Americans" are at fault as well.

I do have to say, though, that I believe there needs to be a better system to make undocumented immigrants a legal part of the United States. It truly is unfair to "legal" kids in elementary schools to learn in overcrowded classrooms without the proper equiptment and supplies if many seats are being given to those of "alien" status. But, as the movie rightly explained, this is by no means the fault of the children in elementary schools. It is their parents who are unregistered citizens of the United States, and the blame should not be placed on school-age children for the overcrowding in school systems. There needs to be a different way to encourage immigrants who move to the United States to register as full American citizens so that they and their children can get the rights that all established American citizens.

Overall, I think the movie did an excellent job presenting the issues brought about by Prop 187 in L.A. in 1994. I think it presented a wide array of viewpoints from the extremely liberal to the extremely conservative, and even included a Latina women who voted in favor of Prop 187. These ranging opinions were helpful in understanding the consequences of Prop 187.

Reflection on Movie

I thought the movie shown in class today presented very biased viewpoints. For one, the teacher who claimed ‘they come to our country, they should learn English,’ really didn’t do herself any favors. It’s no surprise that she ended up resigning considering she seemed to have no appreciation for the Latino culture and their motives for coming to America. However, I also thought the narrator presented an extremely biased liberal view. I agree prop 187 went too far, but there is truth in the fact that undocumented citizens essentially funnel tax dollars away from American citizens. Many of the people interviewed tried to make it into a racial issue, when there is more to it. I think a proper solution would be to make it easier for immigrants to become naturalized citizens. Then they could stay in school and receive other social benefits, without anyone feeling as though they are mooching off taxpayers.

Discussion Questions for 10/24

Lecture

1 How would you define discrimination?

2 What are some problems with current definitions of discrimination?

3 Give an example of a chronic discriminatory stressor and an acute discriminatory stressor.

4 What are some factors that effect latino/a’s different discriminatory experiences?

5 Name some personal effects of discrimination.

6 In Kristine Molina’s study, which nationality reported being the most discriminated against?

7 What problem results from the fact that most studies on discrimination have been qualitative?

8 Roughly what percent of all Latina/os have been called names or insulted?

9 What are some causes of intra-group discrimination?

Reading: Izote Vos

10 What are some common themes between the stories?

11 Did you find anything in these stories that might be fuel for prejudice and discrimination? Anything that contradicts common stereotypes?

Discussion Section Questions for 10/24/08

Reading: "Becoming Somebody": Central American Immigrants in U.S. Inner-City Schools

1. Research suggests that students of Central and South American origin tend to do better or worse in U.S. schools than their Mexican American and mainland Puerto Rican peers? (3rd paragraph on page 285 of course pack)

2. Do Latinas/os of Central and South American origin drop out of school more or less than Mexican American students? (3rd paragraph on page 285 of course pack)

3. Participants from the study were from what Central American countries? (bottom of page 286 in course pack)

4. What are two "special problems" facing Central American immigrants? (2nd paragraph of page 287 in course pack)

5. According the the Central American informants, what is the single most significant avenue for status mobility? (top of page 289 in the course pack)

6. How do Central American immigrants motivate themselves? (bottom of page 289 in the course pack)

7. Who typically goes to the U.S. without their family? How do they feel about the family they left behind? (page 290 of course pack)

8. How do Central American youth immigrants feel about the sacrifices their families have made for them? (page 290 of course pack)

9. Why do Central American immigrants want to "become somebody"? (page 291 in course pack)

10. What can interfere with academic tasks? (page 292 of course pack)

11. The motive for achieving is not rooted in an individualistic wish for self-betterment, or in a wish for becoming independent. What is the motive for achieving rooted in? (top of page 294 in course pack)

12. What makes Central American immigrants different from other immigrants from other Latin American countries? (bottom of page 296 in course pack)

-Channing Franko

Reflection Post: Professor Pedraza's lecture

I found Professor Pedraza’s lecture very interesting, as I have never learned much about Cuban migration.  It was very interesting how the demographics of the Cubans changed as the waves progressed.  For example, the race became darker as time went on.  The meaning of exile was also very different among the refugees.  In the beginning, the white upper class was simply waiting to return, while the poor today are escaping from starvation and political prison.  The policies the United States has implemented are also quite interesting.  Most especially is the Wet Foot Dry Foot policy, especially since it is taken so literally.  Refugees are found running down the seven-mile stretch of beach in the United States to dry their feet while being chased by the United States police.  This image is particularly disturbing.  Professor Pedraza did an excellent job of explaining Cuban migration, especially since she has first hand experience herself.  The first slide of her lecture shows a picture of her as a little girl with her family.  She explained the feelings of being separated and joining a new country’s culture.  This was extremely moving and made me even more engrossed in the topic.

Discussion Questions 10/17 on Cuba

Back ground: Who was the initial Cuban Revolution against and when? Who was the proclaimed leader of the rebels?

1. How many waves of exodus were there? When did they occur? What were characteristics of each?

2. How did they push/pull factor affect each wave? How did the Cuban society/government and the U.S. society/government affect those who left Cuba?

3. Throughout the waves, what was the relationship like between Cuba and the United States? How did the different waves of exodus affect the two governments?

4. Over time, Cubans who left went from being refugees to being ______.

5. What were the basic outlines to President Johnson's policy on immigration?

6. What were the Vuelos de la Libertad? Who did they involve? When?

7. In what exodus did the immigratin go from a politcal act to an economic one?

8. In what decade did Fidel Castro officially become President of Cuba?

9. What was operation Peter Pan? During which exodus and in what year did it occur?

10. What was the Bay of Pigs? How did America help imprisoned exiles (who were imprisoned as a result of what happened at Bay of Pigs) after the Cuban Missile Crisis?

11. What occured during the periodo especial? What did Castro emphasize?

12. How did the Cuban exiles change from exodus to exodus, how can they be compared?

13. What are some psychological effects on refugees who have migrated and resettled?

14. Which Cubans faced especially hard racism? Why?

15. What are balseros? What was Attorney General Janet Reno's plan of action in terms of balseros under President Clinton's orders?

History of Mexicans in Michigan

Discussion Questions 10/17

"Michigan" (Latinos in America State by State)

1. What were some of the primary industries in which Mexicans worked, and please list a few key contributions that Mexicans had in these industries?

2. How were Mexicans viewed as citizens in the state of Michigan?

3. What profound impact/transformation did Mexicans have on the sugar industry?

4. What increasingly essential/significant role did sugar play in society?

5. For what reasons did Diego Rivera and Frieda Khalo support and then oppose repatriation?

6. Who were Texicans?  Braceros?

7. What issues promoted and opposed Mexican immigration to Michigan?

8. How did the "American Dream" change for Mexicans throughout the 20th century?

9. Was FDR's "New Deal" beneficial for Mexicans?

10.  How did the Women's Liberation Movement also catalyze change in work opportunities for Mexican women?

Reflection Post: Latino/as in Michigan

I found Professor Garskof's lecture on Latino's in Michigan to be very interesting. Until today, I was not aware of the profound effects that the sugar cane and beet farmers had on Michigan's employment and economy. I thought this specific statistic was particularly illustrative in describing America's hunger for a cheap source of calories:

1830 -- The average American consumed 12 Lbs per year
1900 -- The average American consumed 75 Lbs per year
1920 -- The average American consumed 100 Lbs per year

I also enjoyed Professor Garskof's points about the influx of migrant labor as a cornerstone and foundation of the United States economy. Interstate and international migration has been extremely vital to our nation and I will take these points into consideration as our group creates our final project website.

Ultimately, I was very impressed by today's lecture and I am now enthusiastic about researching Professor Garskof's main points. In fact, I have recently come across The Political Economy of Mexican Farm Labor Program, 1942-1946 by Joon Kim. This reading is very relevant, as Kim highlights many of the domestic workforce issues which are related to our current discussions.

Discussion Questions for 10/9

"Immigration" Questions

1. How is migration like an investment decision?
2. Who are "coyotes'?
3. What are the 4 historical lessons pertaining to American immigration?
4. What are the top 4 occupations for foreign born workers?
5. What are the 4 states that account for 57% of all foreign born workers in the U.S.? Why do you think this is?
6. Describe the representation of the foreign born on the educational spectrum.
7. What are some contributions that highly skilled migrants provide for the U.S.?
8. How much did the U.S. spend on border control in the year 2007?
9. Do you think this is an accurate amount when considering that there was an estimated 11-12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. in 2006?
10. What is the key stone for immigration policy reform?
11. Why is this difficult to achieve?
12. What is the government doing to fight this?

"Rethinking the last 200 years of Immigration Policy" Questions

1. What were police powers?
2. What was the exit revolution and how was it achieved?
3. What would the British government do with their convicts during the 18th century?
4. What did the U.S. do in response to this?
5. What did this act entail?
6. What new technology during the 1860s made immigration easier? What was its downfall?
7. Why was there a huge wave of Japanese immigrants in the U.S. in the late 1800s?
8. How did this backfire?
9. After WWI, how did the U.S. change their stance on immigration?
10. How was this new stance carried out?
11. How did it apply to Mexico?
12. What was the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965?

"The Founding Immigrants" Question

1. What are your opinions on this article? What emotions did it provoke?
   

El plan Espiritual de Aztlan

1.) what are the four aspects of the Aztlan's plan that constitutes as full liberation?
2.) what are the organizational goals of Aztlan's plan and what were the main points of each?
3.) What was the ultimate goal of Aztlan's plan?
4.) who was La Raza?
5.) what was the date of the Chicano walkout?

Young Lord's Article

1.) Who were the Young Lords?
2.) The young Lords had a 13 point program and platform, what were the 13 points?
3.) Describe some of their actions?
4.) Why did the re-locate to Puerto Rico?
5.) What was the consequence of this?

Joaquin Article

1.) Who was Joaquin?
2.) Evalute the quote "Crown was gone, but the parasites still remained, and ruled, and teach, with guns and flame, and mystic power.
3.) What was the overall message was throughout this poem

Reflection Post- WEST SIDE STORY- America

I love this movie. There is beautiful artistry in the way that it was written and conceived by Jerome Robbins and brought to life onstage by Leonard Bernstein and ArthurLaurents. The show is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Romero and Juliet brought to NYC in the 1950's. The original Broadway production opened on Broadway on September 26, 1957 and featured Larry Kert as Tony, Carol Lawrence as Maria and the arguably most celebrated Lain theatre actress Chita Rivera as Anita. After three trasfers to other Broadway theatres and over 700 performances, the show closed on June 27, 1959. The movie version was released worldwide in 1961 featuring Natalie Wood as Maria, Richard Beymer as Tony and Rita Moreno (who won an Oscar for her performance). The world centers on two rival gangs: The Sharks(Puerto Ricans) and The Jets (the Caucasians). "America" (changed from the original Broadway staging) focused on the struggles, hardships, dreams and gender stereotypes of Puerto Ricans by Caucassians.
In my opinion "America" is stereotypical, but at the same time rooted in truth about the harsdhips that Puerto ricans were facing all over the united States. This was the time when the commercial airplane was introduced to the world and it made it much easier to travel to the United States from Puerto Rico. More than 50,000 people a year were coming to the US from Puerto Rico. People were coming to get away from the harships and the terrible economy that faced Puerto Rico in the 50's in search of better wages and other means of bettering themselves. I think "America" is a stereotype because of the way that many of the actors in the movie portrayed their characters, not the lyrics or the music. The music while it is flamenco and from Spain has a had a deep influence in the Puerto rican bomba y plena, salsa and merengue. The lyrics are very poignant in the way that is shows the dichotomy of how Puerto Ricans in America felt about the economy, the jobs they held and the roles of men and women. I think Arthur Laurents' lyrics embody the two types of ideologies that Puerto rican were faced with everyday. Tha nationalist and the assimilationist ideals, the same issues that still is a huge issue in Puerto Rico and Puerto rican communites in the US til this day..

Reflection post, Young Lords

I really enjoyed the readings and lectures on the Young Lords Party.  Their similarities with the civil right's movement were amazing to discover, and their purpose in accomplishing equality through protest was also very enlightening.  I am very interested in the Civi right's movement, and it's very intriguing to learn about other profound groups like the Young Lords.  As a group representing the poor man, whether Puerto Rican or African-American, this party and other groups like the Black Panthers, SNCC, SCLC, etc. all inspire me as they produced and effected change through direct social confrontations and strict demands for their constitutional rights.  It's discouraging today to see similar social disparities and inequalities, but it seems as though the youth movement is less active than in prior decades.  All of the information we've learned on the Young Lords is novel to me, and I find it upsetting to go through years of school and important knowledge like this has been so neglected.  I also thought the video was great, especially the acquisition of the church to feed the hungry! 

Discussion Questions for 10/3

Hey guys,

Here are more questions for discussion on Friday:

"Chicanas Speak Out"

1.  What are Chicana women fighting for? 

2.  What is triple oppression?

3.  Did women always face inequality?

4.  What did the women due to get their voice heard?

5.  According to the article, what must the Chicano men do?

"Notes from a Chicana coed"

1.  From whom are the Chicanas facing discrimination?

2.  What do the Chicanos want from their women?

3.  Do males have to follow this same standard?

4.  How do Chicanos feel about the women's liberation?

5.  According to the poem, what do Chicanas do anyway?

El Plan De Aztlan

After reading this article I felt a little surprised because I never knew this happened. It made me think...what if an american was in their shoes and another country was trying to assimilate everyone into the "ideal" or Western/American culture even if they were completely against that form of culture. Gringo's they call the people that took their territory and use it for economic purposes even when it isn't theirs. I just feel bad for what they had to go through and the worst thing about it is they couldn't stop it by themselves. After enough of the big business owners making money off their land and the workers getting paid next to nothing, it was time for a protest/uprising. A group of Chicano's got together and eventually formed a strong nationalist power and were willing to do whatever they could to liberate themselves. The only way Chicano's would feel completely liberated as by economic, cultural, social and politcal independence. If i were to switch places with them at that time...I probably would have done the same thing.

Reflection Post: Immigration Reform

Reflection Post: Illegal Immigration & Immigration Reform

There is no doubt that immigration has become a highly contentious issue over the last four years, but lately immigration has taken a back seat to the economy, health care reform, and the war in Iraq as a talking point on the presidential campaign trail. However, the issue of immigration is not going away any time soon. No matter what your political views happen to be, I believe our class can benefit from listening to both Bill Richardson and John McCain’s views on immigration:





In the first video, Governor Richardson outlines his multi-faceted approach to dealing with immigration by:

1. securing the border
2. punishing those that hire workers illegally
3. proposing Native Mexican job creation and joint border projects
4. raising illegal immigration quotas
5. passing an illegalization plan
a. earned legalization program

On the other hand, John McCain’s biggest proposal includes enforcing pre-existing laws and seems to make a harder-line approach towards illegal immigrants who have broken United States law. I'd be remiss to not mention that there seems to be some discrepancy between John McCain’s approach to immigration reform now compared with his past statements because of his need to appease his conservative base.

In all fairness to John McCain, we have seen political candidates ‘slide’ their views in order to win primaries and subsequent presidential elections throughout the history of the United States. Nevertheless, Barack Obama highlights a particularly alarming case of a shifting ideology:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRCjN3wZ48Y

What are your thoughts on immigration reform?

We Call Them Greasers

We Call Them Greasers portrays the invasion of a Native American community by white men. It is written in the perspective of the white man and therefore shows how truly prejudiced the invaders were. The diction of the poem, including words such as betters, cowards, and troublemakers, shows how the white men saw themselves as far superior. Even though Native Americans had unique, developed languages, the Anglos seemed to believe that anyone who could not speak English was illiterate, thus enforcing the idea that Anglo Americans saw their culture as the most advanced. From this view stemmed the Manifest Destiny concept.
Even more startling than the Anglos views of the natives was their blatant disrespect towards the communities. It was tragic to me to consider that rapes similar to the brutal act portrayed in the last stanzas occurred often during the times of the invasions. And despite the Anglos' portrayal of the natives as animals, I could not help but consider the narrator as the most brutal animal and the Native Americans as civil, peaceful human beings. We Call Them Greasers portrays perfectly the hopeless situation of the Native American communities during this era.

Reflection Post on We Call Them Greasers

When I was reading the poem, I was dismayed and angry at how brutal these men could be towards other human beings. Then again, they didn't feel like the Mexicans were even considered humans, as there is lots of animal imagery associated with them. I can't say that I was shocked by this behavior, as this does seem to fit the attitude of many white people at the time. The White Man's Burden is a prime example of how many white people felt towards people of other skin color. I was disgusted in the pleasure these people took out of others' pain, and how they were so proud of being able to trick these natives with such ease. They had no remorse whatsoever and the only reason the man who was raping the woman even stopped was because of the look of disgust on his friend's face. He was unconcerned with the woman he was harming, but of the opinion of his friend who deemed Mexicans unworthy of interaction with white men.