Mexican America Case Study

Jessica Baeza: Response Paper 1- September 12, 2014

1. In the textbook, culture is defined as learned patterns of perception, values and behaviors shared by a group of dynamic and heterogeneous people (Martin & Nakayama, 2011 p.). Culture is learned ever since we are born our parents or guardians enlist certain rules and rituals to be met and practiced. Each culture also perceives different than other cultures. We share culture through food, dance, songs, and other hobbies and interests. We also express it through our feelings and our behaviors. People from different cultures behave differently (Martin & Nakayama, 2011). Sometimes, this also occurs inside the same culture that is from different parts of the world. For example, Hispanic people raised inside the United States often are not the same as Hispanics from their own country.

“Culture is symbolic communication (Li & Karakowsky (2001).” It allows for humans to identify who to belong to or who to communicate to. Humans are very quick to identify this

Stereotyping is generalizing and categorizing about certain people, groups, and cultures (Martin & Nakayama, 2011.) A recent example of stereotyping would be assuming that all Mexican Americans are illegal. There has been a lot of political uprising about the Dreamers and how they got deported. Many Mexican Americans have been deported without being here legally. This does not mean that all Mexican Americans are illegal but many people assume this. Recently, my father, who is Mexican American, had to evict some people from his apartments due to their dog and complaints from other tenants and this lady was not so kind towards him. She posted on Facebook that my father could go back to Mexico since he is illegal and a lot of other racist suggestions. Although, she does not know that my father is a United States citizen. She generalized that just because he was dark-skin and Mexican that he was not here legally. This happens way to often and to too many