Single story of Mexicans

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/21/remarks-president-immigration

One snapshot that I have found in regards to a particular minority group is about Mexicans. I have noticed that a lot of the media is geared towards the idea that Mexicans are only capable of doing housework or lawn work. I specifically found a meme, Tweet, and a remark from a presidential address that perpetuate this single story. First, the meme of the child conveys the message that Mexicans are raised to simply become lawn maintenance workers. It suggests that this desire is rooted in them, starting at a young age, and then continue this ‘dream’ through adulthood. The text of the post is lighthearted, suggesting that Mexicans themselves are satisfied with this lifestyle. Because the Instagram account is called “Mexicanprobz,” it too suggests that this is something that all Mexicans can relate with, not just a select group of Mexicans. The tweet from Donald Trump has similar implications. This tweet refers to El Chapo, an extremely powerful Mexican and drug lord. First, this tweet, puts all Mexicans in one category – lumping the drug lord Mexicans with all other law-abiding Mexicans. Trump then in his tweet suggests that he loves all Mexicans because “his housekeeper is Mexican.” Similar to the meme, Trump’s tweet tries to use humor to belittle Mexicans and categorize them all together as blue collar workers. Finally, in an address to a high school in Nevada about immigration policy, Obama referred to the type of work that many (Mexican) immigrants do. In his address, he says they, “mow our lawns, make our beds, clean out bedpans, with no chance ever to get right with the law.” This statement suggests that Mexican immigrants are only good for doing the manual labor that people from the US don’t want to do or don’t have the time to do. They do this work for “us” as suggested by his use of “our.” This comment proposes that Mexicans do the hard labor for us – placing Americans on a pedestal.

               

   It is media artifacts like these that shape the public perception of people from Mexico as a whole. These artifacts are especially damaging to this minority group because they limit their ability to perform. When the media circulates artifacts such as these, it suggests to the larger public that Mexicans love doing housework or yard work – they are simply content with these jobs and desire nothing else. It also suggests that Mexicans are only capable of this one type of manual labor and stifles their ability to break past this stereotype. It elevates people from the US and lowers Mexicans because it supposes that Mexicans do the dirty work that others think they are above. While probably unconscious, this can affect future employers who may view Mexicans through this lens, seeing them unfit for any positions outside of blue collar work. Even when Mexicans have the desire to surpass these jobs for other higher paying jobs, their chances will be bleak because of the clouded judgment of employers. When their parents have always worked blue collar work, it then teaches children that these are the jobs they must stay in and the cycle then continues.

In examining the media artifacts, it is easy to determine that this single story, limits the social and cultural progression of Mexicans as a whole. When the public views this culture as only good for house cleaning and lawn work, it is hard for them to break this mold. We must look past these stereotypes and recognize there is more to this culture than just doing others’ dirty work. In doing so, it will eliminate the views that Americans are better than Mexicans and create more equality between races.