If you look up Mexican in google images the first images displayed are ones that look like the second image from the top on this post - a short, dark man, with a thick mustache, giant sombrero, and pancho. The Mexican single story that is portrayed a lot of time in our media is that Mexicans are all illegal immigrants that are maids, restaurant workers, and landscaping hands. Lots of the news about Mexico and Mexicans in the news has to deal largely with drugs and immigration issues the majority of the stories portraying Mexicans in a negative light. As I searched through social media I also discovered that one of the positive stories that is told about Mexico and Mexicans is that they have delicious food and know how to cook. I served my mission and Mexico and it is so interesting to see the two different sides; to see the story of americans in Mexico and the story of Mexicans in the US.
I have an aunt who is from Mexico, and thus I have been to Mexico more than once, and it is amazing the many perspectives that can be gained. On one of my trips, we visited her family members that live there, and we found that they had jobs, relationships, and overall pretty normal lives. On another occasion I went to Mexico on a tourist trip in the Yucatan. The only exposure I had to the Mexican people on my trip was to poor people trying to sell cheap trinkets to me. This type of experience is what most American tourists will have when visiting Mexico, and I think it only perpetuates the stereotype of Mexicans being poor illegals.
ReplyDeleteI would say that the mexican stereotype is very much alive and that it is a huge problem. A lot of things need to change in society to change this but it is sadly unlikely to happen in the next couple years.
ReplyDeleteIn my hometown of Ramona, CA, our traffic reports cover the Mexican border. My high school had at least half Hispanic student body. I have grown up around this single story. We actually had a Mexican landscaping hand who helped us with maintenance on our avocado grove and he was one of the kindest, hardworking men I've ever met.
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