Hypocrisy comes in many shapes and forms, and the biggest facing the country of the United States? Its own policy on immigration. Specifically immigrants from Mexico crossing the border into the United States. Fred Reed addresses the hypocrisy the country shows towards when trying to enforce its policy with the use of satire as a persuasion method in his article Why Blame Mexico.
It is common for writers to simplify the theme of their article by using examples to make it easier for the reader to understand their point of view. Reed does exactly that when he starts out his article by introducing the theme indirectly by directly relating it to America’s views on Tobacco. “To grasp American immigration policy, one needs only remember that the United States frowns on smoking while subsidizing tobacco growers” (Reed, 1). By using the example of the hypocrisy shown when the government is financially supporting tobacco companies whilst showing disdain for smoking, Reed clearly introduces and summarizes his main topic of immigration, and how the United States’ policy is a tad bit hypocritical when it comes to it.
Reed uses personal experience to show the hypocrisy of American citizens that claim to be against Mexicans migrating across the border, “It’s a story I’ve heard many times—from a landscaper, a construction firm, a junkyard owner, a group of plant nurserymen. ‘We need Mexicans’” (Reed 1). Reed even includes how the Mexican government responds to crossing illegally in the area of Mexico where he lives. “In Jalisco, Mexico, where I live, crossing illegally is regarded as casually as pirating music or smoking a joint and the coyotes who smuggle people across as a public utility, like light rail. The smuggling is frequently done by bribing the border guards, who are notoriously corrupt” (Reed 1) His use of these examples adds a personal touch to the article, making his argument stand out and more
Recently illegal immigration has become a very pressing issue among people. Many people around the borders are being greatly affected by the issue and think immediate action needs to be taken to put a stop to the issue. The Documentary Border War: Battle Over Illegal Immigration takes a stand on the issue using many examples of pathos, ethos, and logos to try and persuade people that illegal immigration is a very serious issue and we need to put a stop to it. This documentary follows the lives of people who have been affected by illegal immigration, and explains how they feel about the issue. Another way that people can look at the issue of illegal immigration is through the eyes of the immigrants, and the reasons why they might be trying migrate to another country. The documentary Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary focuses on the issue from this point of view. This documentary uses pathos and logos to show the lives and hardships of those people who are trying to migrate to a new country. Although Wetback used many examples of pathos and logos to show the struggles of the migrants, Border War did a better job showing pathos by following the lives of people who were affected by the illegal immigrants they were also very persuasive with ethos by following credible people.
In Richard Rodriguez’s “Proofs,” Mexican immigrant’s destination is described, as well as their perceptions and expectations of America. Rodriguez describes the passage to the United States as difficult, yet worthy. He states: “The city will win. The city will give the children all the village could not- VCR’s, hairstyles, drum beat. The city sings mean songs, dirty songs. But the city will sing the children a great Protestant hymn.You can be anything you want to be.” He also states: “Mexico is poor. But mama says there
The Story “The Price of Crossing Borders” was written by Eduardo Porter. The story, “The Price of Crossing Borders” is Eduardo putting his opinion into words about the illegal Immigrants. He explains in many different ways how they help but, he also explains how many natives don 't consider their “help” as help. Eduardo believes the illegal immigrants can help the business industry, but that means the middle class actually working man and women has a chance of losing their job, or job opportunities to a person who shouldn’t even be in this country. in other words Eduardo is supporting the immigration of illegal immigrants.
Joshua Davis writes how on a drive back to Phoenix there was an immigration checkpoint, “Everybody’s heart rate kicked up…and Oscar prepared for the worst. He imagined being torn from his family and dropped across the border” (107). This is a constant fear illegal immigrants live with. Since my parents and oldest brother had no papers, I lived with constant paranoia. I was scared that from one moment to the next my family will be taken from me, and that I would have to grow up in a foster home without them. This fear was always there whenever I saw police, no matter the reason police was there. Illegal immigrants wake up every day with the uncertainty if it will be last day they see their families. I felt the same fear Oscar and the boys felt that day, because it will be horrible to be separated from a
This critical response explores author Roxanne Doty’s article, Bare life: border-crossing deaths and spaces of moral alibi. Specifically, it focuses on the section, Biopower and bare life in the US - Mexico borderlands. Accordingly, this analysis considers key questions and concepts as they mutually relate to the materials we cover in our module for week six about citizenship, migration and human rights. To be sure, Doty provides compelling support in her examination of migrant border-crossing deaths in the vicinity of the United Stated and Mexico border, stemming from components of the United States border patrol policy of ‘prevention through deterrence’ (Doty, 2011, p.599). Doty exceptionally explains this inhumane political strategy with
Martinez, Oscar. Border People: Life and Society in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. (Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1994), 232.
The author is using personal experience to convey a problem to his or her audience. The audience of this piece is quite broad. First and foremost, Mexican-Americans just like the author. People who can relate to what the author has to say, maybe someone who has experienced something similar. The author also seems to be seeking out an audience of white Americans who find themselves unaware of the problem at our borders. The author even offers up a warning to white America when she notes, “White people traveling with brown people, however, can expect to be stopped on suspicion they work with the sanctuary movement”(125). The purpose of this writing is to pull out a problem that is hidden within or society, and let people see it for what it is and isn’t.
There are millions of people who attempt to cross the border every day. These people cross the border from different countries to the United States to live a better life, to provide for their loved ones, and to live the American Dream. The American Dream is to be able to spend time with family while paying the house bills and the car bill all while having a job. People migrating to the United States could be an advantage and a disadvantage in the United States. In “The Crossing” by Ruben Martinez the social issue is immigration. Immigration is a problem in this story because we see a lot of immigrants trying to migrate to the United States. Ruben Martinez mentions in the short story “The Crossing” This desert is armed with Mexican and American
Ngai, Mae M. 2004 “Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America” Publisher: Princeton University Press.
Jose talks about how he has dealt with things in the past which includes treatment such as the time when he went to the DMV to get his license, “I handed the clerk my green card as a proof of US residency, she flipped it around examining it. ‘This is fake she whispered. Don’t come back here again.’” (Vargas 3). Jose’s encounter with the clerk shows some of society’s hate towards immigrants which is shown by the clerk’s hostile language. Jose may have bypassed this in the future, but had lost many opportunities when he did not have a license. Jose’s calling was to be a reporter, but when he was offered internships, his undocumentation always held him back, “... She called back with the answer I feared: I couldn't do the internship.” (Vargas 30) Jose did however persevere in doing what he wanted but is among those few who beat the “system” unlike most
As long as civilizations have been around, there has always been a group of oppressed people; today the crucial problem facing America happens to be the discrimination and oppression of Mexican immigrants. “Mexican Americans constitute the oldest Hispanic-origin population in the United States.”(57 Falcon) Today the population of Mexican’s in the United States is said to be about 10.9%, that’s about 34 million people according to the US Census Bureau in 2012. With this many people in the United States being of Mexican descent or origin, one would think that discrimination wouldn’t be a problem, however though the issue of Mexican immigrant oppression and discrimination has never been a more prevalent problem in the United States before now. As the need for resolve grows stronger with each movement and march, the examination of why these people are being discriminated against and oppressed becomes more crucial and important. Oppression and Anti-discrimination organizations such as the Freedom Socialist Organization believe that the problem of discrimination began when America conquered Mexican l...
Ngai, Mae M. Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America. Princeton, N.J. [u.a.: Princeton Univ. Press, 2004. Print.
Thank you for smoking is a satirical comedy about a lobbyist whose job is to promote tobacco use at a time when the disease burden secondary to smoking threatens to cripple the nation. The film presents how industries, media and the government interact to influence the consumers’ decision. While the use of rhetoric, such as fallacies and twisted truths, is evident throughout the film, it is most evident midway when the chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, assists his son with his assignment. The son, Joey Naylor, enquires why the American government is the best and in response, the father argues it is because of America’s ‘endless appeals system’ (Thank you for smoking). His response seamlessly captures the tone of the movie as much as it represents the extensive use of a combination of fallacious arguments and twisted truths.
One of the many reasons that life can change for someone is because of racism. In the poem Mexicans Begin Jogging, there is a perfect example on how somebody’s life changed all because they had to run away from the danger of racism. This poem is a vivid example of how people of color always have to on the edge of their seat, waiting for next moment to run. The man from this poem was an American, but due to his physical attributions and the environment he was in, it was more than expected for him to being confused as an illegal immigrant. “And I shouted that I was American. No time for lies, he said and pressed a dollar in my palm, hurrying me” (Soto, pg. 114). This guy’s boss did not even let him explain the situation because he did not have “time for lies”. The assumption was that this man was an illegal immigration just because he was of color. In the article Race and Social Problems, there is also a deeper explanation about confusion towards people of different descent. This article talks about the frowning upon Mexican Americans. It talks about how education and social interactions are more of a challenge because of racism. This article can relate to the poem because they both address the issue about Mexican American inequality. It is very common that when a person sees a Mexican American, their instant thought is that they are not from America. The life of the man from the poem has changed because, even though he is legal, his rights are constantly being judged. The constant race against
"I wanted to make a better life in America," states 63-year-old, Raudel Sanchez. (Keen, 2009) An abundance of the population, when asked what backgrounds they acknowledge of ancestry, say at least more than one different racial or ethnic background. The United States attracts 20 percent of the world's international migrants who arrive bearing a common purpose, an improved lifestyle. Numerous individuals such as Raudel Sanchez, reach out in hopes of achieving future ambitions for themselves and following generations, and by doing so, they abandon homes to seek refuge, taking only belongings dearest to them. Evidently, those currently taking residence within the intended nation, may or may not transpire to misjudge migrants