Benjamin Charlot Sociol 110G “We Need to Take Care of ‘Real Americans”
The article “We Need to Take Care of Real Americans” by Kate Cebulko is an argument about the white immigrant narrative and how biased Americans are to colored immigrants. Cebulko cites that many Americans are uninviting to immigrants of color compared to white immigrants. White immigrants are seen as trustworthy and will impact the U.S economy positively. Immigrants of color are often seen as illegal or “illegal aliens”. Illegality refers to criminality. Another point Cebulko makes in her essay is the white immigrant narrative largely ignores the struggles faced by people of color. Many white Americans claim their ancestors never accepted “government handouts” and were …show more content…
My parents are immigrants from Haiti and have both obtained their U.S citizenship. They may have faced discrimination based on loans, social security and the type of jobs they could get. They had entry-level jobs during their first years in America until they were able to move up. I am insider because I was born in the U.S. Disregarding race, being a natural born U.S citizen allows me better opportunities for success in terms of education and career choices. Cebulko agrees that “when compared to their native-born peers of the same race (rather than Whites), are doing quite well, having higher levels of education and labor force participation” (226). This may be because I was born into the American culture and therefore didn’t really have to assimilate much compared to my parents. It may have been harder for them because they had to balance their Haitian culture and the American culture. Being a child of immigrant parents and being born in the U.S caused me to have two cultures. Cebulko speaks about downward assimilation and upwards assimilation. I believe I chose upwards assimilation or the American culture over my parent’s culture. I also believe my parents decided to assimilate upwards while mixing in their own culture as well. As Cebulko states “other immigrants may experience mostly upward assimilation through selective acculturation, or by selectively combining norms and values of both the dominant society and the immigrant community” (226). My parents assimilate to the American culture but they still follow many customs of the Haitian culture. I would say I am insider. I don’t follow the Haitian culture much or know very little about it. I chose to follow the American culture because one, it is what I am used too. Second, it will more likely benefit me in the long run because I will be seen as less of an immigrant to others. And that comes with easier access to
The article “We Need to Take Care of Real Americans” by Kate Cebulko is an argument about the white immigrant narrative and how biased Americans are to colored immigrants. Cebulko cites that many Americans are uninviting to immigrants of color compared to white immigrants. White immigrants are seen as trustworthy and will impact the U.S economy positively. Immigrants of color are often seen as illegal or “illegal aliens”. Illegality refers to criminality. Another point Cebulko makes in her essay is the white immigrant narrative largely ignores the struggles faced by people of color. Many white Americans claim their ancestors never accepted “government handouts” and were …show more content…
My parents are immigrants from Haiti and have both obtained their U.S citizenship. They may have faced discrimination based on loans, social security and the type of jobs they could get. They had entry-level jobs during their first years in America until they were able to move up. I am insider because I was born in the U.S. Disregarding race, being a natural born U.S citizen allows me better opportunities for success in terms of education and career choices. Cebulko agrees that “when compared to their native-born peers of the same race (rather than Whites), are doing quite well, having higher levels of education and labor force participation” (226). This may be because I was born into the American culture and therefore didn’t really have to assimilate much compared to my parents. It may have been harder for them because they had to balance their Haitian culture and the American culture. Being a child of immigrant parents and being born in the U.S caused me to have two cultures. Cebulko speaks about downward assimilation and upwards assimilation. I believe I chose upwards assimilation or the American culture over my parent’s culture. I also believe my parents decided to assimilate upwards while mixing in their own culture as well. As Cebulko states “other immigrants may experience mostly upward assimilation through selective acculturation, or by selectively combining norms and values of both the dominant society and the immigrant community” (226). My parents assimilate to the American culture but they still follow many customs of the Haitian culture. I would say I am insider. I don’t follow the Haitian culture much or know very little about it. I chose to follow the American culture because one, it is what I am used too. Second, it will more likely benefit me in the long run because I will be seen as less of an immigrant to others. And that comes with easier access to