A Tale of Two Countries
Seth Holmes’s article, “‘Is it worth risking your life?’: Ethnography, risk and death on the U.S. – Mexico border,” describes the many hazardous risks of crossing the border by providing a detailed account of Holmes’s personal experience embarking on the border journey with the Triqui indigenous group. Holmes emphasizes the grave encounters migrants face not only in the desert, but with public opinions and policies as well. Before reading Holmes’s article, I had understood some of the difficulties of transnational migration from some previous knowledge that I had gained in a high school issues class. However, I had yet to realize the way in which U.S. border policy deceives its public audience by blaming the deaths of …show more content…
From an official presidential candidate advocating to build a wall in order to keep out undocumented immigrants to derogatory “Illegal Alien” Halloween costumes exhibiting a space alien holding a green card while clothed in a jumpsuit and sombrero, it is quite apparent that our society thrives off of stereotypical judgments when speaking about migrants. Our perceptions of Mexican immigrants are inherently stigmatized by American morality. Throughout my life, the iconic concept of the American Dream has been persistently planted into my conscience. This westernized value of gaining personal rewards by means of hard work represents the highly esteemed myth of meritocracy held important by Americans, specifically whites. The United States individualizes responsibility for survival (Holmes 2013, 160). Rather than seeing something within its own cultural context, we, as Americans, are blinded by our privilege and are quick to ethnocentrically make the assumption that Mexicans are too lazy to work within their own country. As a result, migrants are seen as extraterrestrial and dispensable, entirely void of human life. In the U.S., migrants are believed to be deserving of their fates, a consequence for making the intolerable decision to cross the border. This leads to a lack of grief for those who die and the utter demoralization of human rights by policy makers and voters (Holmes 2013, …show more content…
It would have been beneficial if Holmes had further clarified the possible fear, anxiety, and obstacles that undocumented immigrants experience while living in America for employment. While Holmes aims to influence both public and political audiences, he fails to address USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) and the blatant legality of becoming an American citizen. It’s important to realize that even being granted citizenship into the United States is a tedious, lengthy process. If Holmes had included stances on these factors, his article may have further supported his conclusions and described the constant cycle of distress that migrants
Seth Holmes’s article, “‘Is it worth risking your life?’: Ethnography, risk and death on the U.S. – Mexico border,” describes the many hazardous risks of crossing the border by providing a detailed account of Holmes’s personal experience embarking on the border journey with the Triqui indigenous group. Holmes emphasizes the grave encounters migrants face not only in the desert, but with public opinions and policies as well. Before reading Holmes’s article, I had understood some of the difficulties of transnational migration from some previous knowledge that I had gained in a high school issues class. However, I had yet to realize the way in which U.S. border policy deceives its public audience by blaming the deaths of …show more content…
From an official presidential candidate advocating to build a wall in order to keep out undocumented immigrants to derogatory “Illegal Alien” Halloween costumes exhibiting a space alien holding a green card while clothed in a jumpsuit and sombrero, it is quite apparent that our society thrives off of stereotypical judgments when speaking about migrants. Our perceptions of Mexican immigrants are inherently stigmatized by American morality. Throughout my life, the iconic concept of the American Dream has been persistently planted into my conscience. This westernized value of gaining personal rewards by means of hard work represents the highly esteemed myth of meritocracy held important by Americans, specifically whites. The United States individualizes responsibility for survival (Holmes 2013, 160). Rather than seeing something within its own cultural context, we, as Americans, are blinded by our privilege and are quick to ethnocentrically make the assumption that Mexicans are too lazy to work within their own country. As a result, migrants are seen as extraterrestrial and dispensable, entirely void of human life. In the U.S., migrants are believed to be deserving of their fates, a consequence for making the intolerable decision to cross the border. This leads to a lack of grief for those who die and the utter demoralization of human rights by policy makers and voters (Holmes 2013, …show more content…
It would have been beneficial if Holmes had further clarified the possible fear, anxiety, and obstacles that undocumented immigrants experience while living in America for employment. While Holmes aims to influence both public and political audiences, he fails to address USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) and the blatant legality of becoming an American citizen. It’s important to realize that even being granted citizenship into the United States is a tedious, lengthy process. If Holmes had included stances on these factors, his article may have further supported his conclusions and described the constant cycle of distress that migrants