The last few years there has been a
reoccurring theme in American media. It is a narrative of immigration and two groups
pitted against each other. One group is shown to consist of those whom are generally
against immigration, usually white republicans. The other group is made up of
the immigrants themselves.
Immigrants in America are painted
with one brush by the media. They are given one face and lumped together in
their political beliefs. When images of immigrants are shown on the news or in
other media they are portrayed as agriculturalists in desperation seeking an
escape from their current life situation. It is assumed that all American immigrants
feel the same towards immigration policies. The rhetoric and imagery are always
the same, victimized immigrants from Mexico holding posters saying something
along the lines of “Trump/Cruz/Rubio wants to deport me” at political rallies.
However, while researching sources
outside of mainstream media, including my personal conversations with
immigrants, I have found that many do not fit the stereotype. First of all,
half of Hispanic immigrants are not even from Mexico. Many of these immigrants
actually support legal immigration and strongly oppose illegal immigration. There
are also many of them that come from many professional backgrounds and not just
jobs in agriculture. By portraying all immigrants with one single story it can
be very damaging to the group as a whole. Once the public can better understand
the group and the diversity therein, more can be done to address the
immigration problem.
Many images perpetuate that all immigrants need to avoid immigration police even if they are here legally.
The populations of Central American countries are portrayed as being gangsters that don't respect the law.
Many jokes are made about the Agricultural workers that are hispanic, many can be demeaning.
Popular vines also support these stereotypes. These stereotypes aren't necessarily negative, however many times they are not accurate.
Most news stories try to show that all immigrants have identical political views.
Unfortunately, this is very true.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I would be interested in seeing a comparison of this representation to that of the opposite side that consistently portrays this group as just being women and children. It would be interesting to see which tactic is more effective (the scare tactic or the sympathy card).
As a nation of immigrants I feel that we should have a wider connotation associated with the word immigrant, but as you pointed out too often that is not the case. I agree with you in your assertion that immigrants can be extremely misrepresented.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good analysis of the immigrant single story. The memes were great, but it also would have been nice to focus more on the battle you were talking about with the "white republicans" and the immigrants. Some more artifacts from the news would have definitely showcased that.
ReplyDelete