The film “Sleep Dealer“ caught my attention this week because it was an interesting way to look at the current issues happening today to migrants all over the world, and especially in Mexico. The comparison of the factory Memo works at is a good representation of the maquiladoras in northern Mexico. These maquiladoras are seen as a promise for a better life for themselves and their families. The downside is that the factory jobs in the maquiladoras are dangerous, straining on the body, and overworks the people working there. When the film stated that the Sleep Dealer factories were a dream for the United States because the U.S. gets all of the work and none of the workers it triggered something within me. The maquiladoras have the same goal by having the factories in Mexico, but it is controlled by foreign countries without the repercussion of taxes or tariffs. This film touched upon much of what this course teaches about, and makes a very good point about the journey immigrants and migrants throughout the world. …show more content…
Nationalism is a topic I have become very passionate about over the past couple of years while studying at UCSB, and I enjoyed reading Eric Kaufmann’s piece that analyzes “The End of the Nation-State” by Kenichi Ohmae.
Ohmae finds that nationalism should be “eliminated to improve the quality of life” and I couldn’t agree anymore. I find nationalism to be a toxic excuse for xenophobia and discrimination of minorities within a nation. Ohmae suggests that society and the economy should be separated from their nations influence, and thinks that the nation-state is becoming obsolete. In the perfect world I agree with Ohmae, but I also find it difficult to see the members of society excepting the end of their national
pride. The article “Globalization and NAFTA” explains the pitfalls of NAFTA, especially its negative effects on the people of Mexico. We learned in class that agriculture is very important to developing and poor countries. I find it unfortunate that a trade agreement that was supposed to create more jobs and reduce immigration into the United States ended up killing the agriculture sector in Mexico’s economy. By doing this Mexicans now have no choice but to cross into the United States in order to survive. I think it is interesting how trade agreements like NAFTA are created and the countries that need the most help end up getting the short end of the stick. Zibechi’s “Dispersing Power” gives some insight into the struggles of the people in Bolivia. I found it interesting when he discussed the Aymara process and the effects that the Aymara people not only have on society with their social movements but the power they have gained. The Aymara people are touching upon what Kenichi Ohmae said in “The End of the Nation-State” about turning away from state power, which will hopefully give the new government of Bolivia a different voice then the ones heard in the past. I enjoyed reading Zibechi talk about change is within the beating hearts of the people, and I agree that these citizens have purpose, and with that purpose comes strength.
Chapter four talked a lot about The Tanaka brothers Farm and how the workers had picked berries once a week or twice a week and experienced several forms of pain days afterward. Workers often felt sick the night before picking due to stress about picking the minimum weight. This chapter also focuses ethnographic attention on how the poor suffer. The poorest of the poor on the farm were the Triqui Strawberry pickers. The Triqui migrant laborers can be understood as an embodiment of violence continuum. Triqui people experienced notable health problems affecting their ability to function in their work or their families. This chapter also talked about how crossing the border from Mexico to the United States involves incredible financial, physical, and emotional suffering for Triqui
The documentary El Contrato follows the exploits of Mexican migrant workers as they find themselves being exploited. In particular, it follows one man, Teodoro Martinez, a father of 4 who has worked many seasons in Canada. Teodoro returns year after year. He does not return because he enjoys it, he returns for the pay. The migrant workers are chosen with certain criteria in mind. These ‘desirable’ traits are that they have minimal, if any, education and a family in Mexico. The workers chosen are typically quite poor, many not owning a house. The pay is better than what they could get in Mexico, so they must make the decision to desert their families for two thirds of the year to support their loved ones. They are brought to a town where most
The futuristic film Sleep Dealer directed by Alex Rivera, released on January 19, 2008, presents modern-day issues with scenarios of the near future. Technology, labor, migration and exploitation are all showcase themes that are applicable and existing to the lives of many immigrants. Many immigrants as displayed in the film Sleep Dealer, initiate with life in small ranchos, where conditions of life are not the best. These immigrants, from Mexico and South America, come from families that were mostly field workers and in a week’s time, they find themselves in Los Angeles which is one of the most metropolises on earth or in Chicago. An immigrant’s life denotes the differences between the south and the north of the planet. We can see how extremely divided the world is and how the life of
Nationalism has been a potent force for change since the development of human civilization. However, opinion about the extent to which nationalism may be appropriately pursued is highly diverse, a factor that has led to immense tragedy and suffering in countless regions worldwide. While it is both appropriate and sometimes encouraged to take pride in being part of a nation, it is of the utmost importance that it is done without harming or subjugating people of another. Uniting a people by force and potentially eliminating or destroying those who may oppose it or not belong to it is unacceptable ethically, morally, and socially.
Mexican immigrants in the United States are willing to work hard and long hours throughout the day regardless of the amount of sleep or rest they may get. Conversely, this is not how Efren Mendoza, a public city bus driver, views Mexicans and he believes they are not motivated to achieve things in life. One would assume that he would understand how difficult it is for immigrants to assimilate in a new foreign country without knowing anyone or anything here, but he is not on their side and it is somewhat hypocritical of him because he himself is Mexican. It is as though Efren sees his own people as invisible individuals because he does not acknowledge all their hard work and sacrifices they may have gone through in order to arrive in the United States. He further proves his insincerity when he mentions that the “new wetbacks [are] picky about what jobs they’ll do [and that they] half-ass [the] work” that they are given to do (77).
The mere idea of sweatshops, let alone their existence, seems cruel and unusual to people like us, especially in today's day and age. After all, in sweatshops "workers are subject to extreme exploitation. This includes... (not) enabling workers to cover ...
Although some have said that "nationalism is measles of humankind", in my opinion, it is not. Nationalism has led to the growth of identities, and innovations. These reasons influence us in so many good ways that we should embrace nationalism to a great extent. Although at the same time I believe that we shouldn't embrace it to the extent of where we hurt others.
Considering the ideas that both authors have brought to the table, I have concluded that in order to make progress in solving the problem of undocumented immigrants, we as a country must decide what’s best for our country. We either look at undocumented immigrants as an asset or a parasite. America is the ‘land of opportunity’ where millions of people want to live there and pursue the ‘American Dream’. We should not let people stop from achieving their dreams. But on the other hand, a quantity of immigrants leave their country because it does not have “stable democracies and free markets” that “ensure economic growth, rising standards of living and thus, lots of jobs”, because the countries of these immigrants “birth rates and native populations fall”.
As people immigrated to the United States, legally and illegally, particularly Hispanic workers, they began to look for jobs to provide for their families. They took jobs that Americans did not want: they accepted the low-paying, physically-demanding, and temporal agriculture jobs. Since many did not speak English and were uneducated, some even illiterate, they were easy targets for farm owners to exploit. Immigrant workers were often not paid, had low wages, and because of such conditions, some even died. In addition, they also lived and worked in appalling conditions, some workplaces did not even have suitab...
... in the maquiladoras of Mexico that in order to help these women who work in these conditions we must look closely at the impact and turmoil that has been created by the Global Industry and NAFTA.
Many different theoretical approaches exist to study the rise of nationalism throughout history. One approach is primordialism. Primordialism states that nationalism is a natural part of human beings. This field contends that distinct nations have existed since the dawn of time. Primordialism is also described as nationalism is created by people being surrounded by distinct cultural features like religion, custom, and language. This view believes that nations are unchanging and primordial from their beginning (Özkirimli 2000, 64-65). Thus, ethnic and national ties are given at birth. One subset of primordialism is the perennalist approach. This approach believes that modern nations are clear descendants of their
Nationalism has played a crucial role in world history over the past centuries. It continues to do so today. For many, nationalism is indelibly associated with some of the worst aspects of modern history, such as the destructive confidence of the Napoleon’s army and the murderous pride of Nazi Germany. Large numbers of people, descent in their hearts, have carried out unbelievable atrocities for no better reason than their nation required them to. Authoritarian and totalitarian regime have crushed dissent, eliminated opposition, and trampled on civil liberties in the name of the nation.
“It is nationalism which engenders nations, and not the other way round.” Such words were written by prominent social anthropologist Ernest Gellner in his work Nations and Nationalism (1983). Nationalism can be defined as a person or group’s loyalty and support for their nation, whatever that nation may be. This brings to light a very troublesome and tortuous subject. Expressed simply as Nationalism, this being is very controversial, many hailing it as a propitious concept, while others putting it down and viewing it in animosity. But what is more controversial & more complex would be the establishment of such. What effects its creation? What factors develop it? And what factors affect it the most?
Moreover, nationalism has positive and negative sides. Supporters of this process just see positive sides of it; however anti-supporters see the opposite. For example: Followers of the nationalism think that they have national superiority than the other nations. Moreover, I think that we are humanity and each person has equal rights. In this case we can not say that one nation has superiority than the others. Actually, nationalism real...
Nationalism is the idea that a people who have much in common, such as language, culture and geographic proximity ought to organize in such a way that it creates a stable and enduring state. Nationalism is tied to patriotism, and it is the driving force behind the identity of a culture. Nationalism had many effects in Europe from 1815, The Congress of Vienna and beyond. In the following essay I will describe many of the consequences of nationalism on European identity, as well as some of the conflicts that it created.