Tonight, Dylan and I ordered chinese takeout and lounged about watching The Lorax. Happy Labor Day to us, right? Neither of us have ever seen the movie and thought it would be pretty neat to watch together... he is my nephew, after all and we both share a love of animated movies, I mean c'mon! Don't act like you guys don't like animated movies (i.e., Disney, Pixar). Instead of ultimately watching a movie that I thought would prove to be super cute and laid back... I find that this movie made me think a lot. Especially the quote at the end of the movie from Dr. Seuss, "UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
Now, this quote can be applied to a whole bunch of different scenarios and situations, but it got me thinking of cultural acceptance in the United States. Most of you know that I'm a hispanic studies major at ECU, so of course it's natural that I would automatically think of the acceptance-- or lack thereof-- of the Spanish speaking population here in America. Obviously everyone has their own opinion and are entitled to them; I'm not trying to say that any one opinion is wrong or that someone is insensitive because they have a different opinion than I do. I'm simply stating mine.
If you are a native Spanish speaker and you are here in the United States legally, I believe that you should have the same rights that I do because America prides itself on being the "melting pot" of the world.
A lot of people will actually fight me on this belief saying that if your first language is Spanish, then you should be deported. I don't believe that's correct for legal immigrants. Note that I said LEGAL. If you are here illegally and you expect to get the same treatment and benefits that we as Americans receive, then I am all for the deportation laws. That's just not fair. You aren't contributing to this nation nor its economy, so you should not be allowed to partake in its wealth. With that being said, I do believe that deportation laws should not be applicable to children under the age of 18. Most of these children did not ask to come here, and a lot of them were born here. To them, this is the only "home" they've ever known. To deport them with their illegal parents and family members is like stripping them of everything they've ever had. It isn't their fault they were born here illegally.
There are some people who believe that if you're not a native English speaker, then you should be deported anyway because you "are not accepted here; we no speak-ay da Spanish" (I literally heard that line this weekend). This makes me so mad. America prides itself on being the "melting pot", the most "diverse" nation on this planet, the most "accepting" of them all (whether it be race, religion, culture, etc). If this is so, why are the majority of southern Americans still on this kick of being so much better than everyone else? If I were born in a different country where there were absolutely no opportunities to advance myself as a person or to make a better life for my family, I would want to immigrate to the "land of opportunities" as well. I would want my children to learn English, go to American universities and make something of themselves. They would be RICH in culture because not only would they know their own culture, but they would learn the American way of life as well.
Honestly, I think this is one of the worst forms of discrimination in the United States. People learn that someone is a mexican, latino, etc., and they automatically assume that they are freeloaders and shouldn't be here. Thank you very much, but most of my native Spanish friends are all here legally and are contributing to America's economy very well. Sometimes I honestly wish I were of hispanic descent because they are the most caring individuals I have ever met. They are hard workers and so intelligent. Take for example a friend of mine; she just graduated from ECU with honors and is now in grad school at NC State. Another friend of mine is in Puerto Rico for the semester; not only is she finishing her bachelor's there, she's learning so much about her heritage as well.
Obviously if you think that Spanish speakers (or any other immigrants for that matter) are "second class citizens", you are ignorant and we should not be friends. But you know who are the worst offenders of this tragic misconception? People who never went to college, who never broadened their horizons and went from high school straight into a minimum wage job. I'm ashamed to say that some of my own family members probably feel that way because they are old fashioned and set in their ways. Can't people see that this is just another form of "racism"? Just another way to discriminate against people who are different than you are? It's so ignorant... you can learn so much about the world and about yourself from people who are DIFFERENT than you.
Coming to ECU was the best decision I've ever made in my life and I would do it again if I had to. I have learned so much and met such a broad spectrum of people. These people have made me a better person, they have shown me the light. Discrimination is not okay in any form or fashion. I don't care who you are, you should respect all people no matter their heritage, race, gender, sexual preference, etc. Some people may say that I've become too "liberal" and that ECU has completely "changed me", but I believe that I have been changed for the better. The southern states in America are the last to change, but it's been a long time coming and needs to happen. Life would be so much better if everyone just got along.
I could go on and on and on and on about this topic, but I think I'm going to stop here. So, my question to you is: Do you care enough about your beloved nation, and the morals/values we pride ourselves in, enough to stop discrimination in all forms?
Food for thought.
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