The
welcoming mat
Being
ignorant, or having no plain clue of the world you are living in only sets
yourself up to get used as a doormat in what we call the “Land Of
Opportunity”. Workers like Lupe, or
immigrants that are undocumented often suffer, because they have no clue of
what to expect upon arriving to the United States. Many grown adults take jobs that we as
citizens of America tend to look down at.
Job’s such as working as fast food restaurant employees, janitors, and
sweat shops. I think that many have no
clue, but settle there because life is a lot similar there, than in their own
country. How far can you go in a country
with a totally different language other than your own? Many immigrants have no choice but deal with
the consequences of being used as a doormat, because they are undocumented and
not protected under United States laws.
They also suffer because they do not speak English, which makes it hard
for them to understand.
Many
immigrants come to the United States for various reasons, such as to live in
freedom, to practice their own religion freely, to escape poverty or
oppression, and to make better lives for themselves and their children. They come to live the “American Dream”, but
have no clue what is at state for them upon arrival. Taking a look at it our country was built by
immigrants, and it goes back to the year of 1500, the great European
migration. Settlers from Europe and Asia
came to seek fortune, but many people from Africa, and Caribbean were brought
forcibly to America to work as forced laborers.
Immigrants
back then did not act like immigrants today.
They attacked the Native Americans, and although Native Americans could
not fight back with guns, they did what they could to defend themselves. The immigrants in this day in age come here
in groups; some with their families, while risking possible turn-a-round or jail-time.
The journey to a better life in the United States also risks the possibility of
death, and starvation. Immigrants come
here wearing pretty much only the clothes they have on, and do it either by
land, or water. All to live the
“American Dream” but not knowing how life would be while pursuing that
life.
Today
in our age, many large companies rely on temporary workers, which many so
happen to be undocumented immigrants like Lupe.
These firms often recruit undocumented immigrants because the fear of
deportation means immigrants are helpless under U.S. law to fight worker
abuse. Being helpless under U.S. law
immigrant workers withstand a lot of abuse, and face additional pressure not to
speak out because they can lose their jobs or worse face deportation back to
their own country, and face possibly jail time.
This treatment that many immigrants face is no different than from the
treatment in their own collectivist society, which hinders them from the same
freedoms that we have living in an individualistic society such as the United
States, and that is why they come here in the first place. In “Harmony And The Dream” by David Brooks,
he explains the differences between a individualistic society, and a
collectivist society. David states that
“The individualistic societies tend to put rights and privacy first. People in these societies tend to overvalue
their own skills and overestimate their own importance to any group effort.”
“People in collectivist societies tend to value harmony and duty. They underestimate their own skills and are
more self-effacing when describing their contributions to group efforts.”
Putting
myself in an immigrant’s situation, I feel that it is better off to be
ignorant, than knowing too much! Being
ignorant does have risks of harming you in the long run, but it keeps you out
of the spotlight. Ignorant workers are
protected, but still have a high risk of being deported back to their own
country. It all stems around what
conditions can you tolerate? The tolerance of conditions such as long hours,
low pay, and also being looked down at because you do not understand how the
system works. Some employers view
immigrants as being dumb, but they are really not. They just do not understand how the system
works, and it takes time. Anyone would
struggle going into a whole new country with totally different system than
their own. Another thing it boils down
to is how much you want to live in the “Land Of Opportunity” to make a better
life for you and your family. Knowing
too much will not get you any further than someone ignorant. It just means that your risks of being
deported are higher than a person willing to suffer through worker abuse, and
if you do not have groups of immigrants that are employed with you than you
really have no voice. Knowing too much
also risks chances of you being fired from your job, being labeled as an
outcast among your fellow employees or employer, that will further put you in a
position of being alone.
