Social Class and Diversity

This week in class we discussed social class and cultural diversity. I really enjoyed the discussion we had in class on Thursday, we talked about the article, ‘The Costs of Getting Ahead’. In this article it discussed some of the sacrifices and hardships that immigrant (specifically Mexican) families endure in order to provide a better life and opportunities for their children. I wasn’t and still am not the most educated on this topic, so this discussion sparked a question in my mind. The question being, what is so great about America that these families are risking EVERYTHING to come? I understand that we have more freedoms and a less corrupt government but most of the time when these families get to America, they have less opportunities and more negative effects (usually caused by the environments they are forced to live in).

These families are being separated due to the inability to take the trip to the United States, this forces the rest of the family to shift the dynamic of their family. Most of the times the dads will go to the US first so they can start work and send money back to the rest of their family. This means that the mom will have to take on more of the paternal roles including being out of the house more in order to work to provide for the family. The mom working more means more responsibility goes to the kids. All the roles completely change from the original family. From personal experience, my dad is a civilian for the Army. He had to leave our family for 6 months and it was really hard for him to come back home and find out how he fit back into our family. We learned how to work as a family unit without him there, we had learned not to rely on him. I took on more of the mom role so that my mom could take on more of the fatherly responsibilities. We got into this routine that took weeks to perfect and for us to feel comfortable with, so when dad got back it was a long process to figure out a new routine that still left the kids with some responsibility but fit our dad back in. My experience happened within the 6 months that my dad was gone, in the family situations that we read about the families could be separated for an average of 3 years! Is it worth the crumbling of your family system?

Another effect I saw was their situations when they get to the US. When they come into the country legally or illegally the search for work is long and hard. If they come legally their former education or experience might be discarded or looked over. Some of these fathers coming over could have been accountants, doctors, etc. but since they didn’t study or get certified in America their education wasn’t valid. If they came legally the language barrier could be a big issue as well. We need people who are able to communicate and understand directions, sometimes they are looked over because they were never given a good or fair opportunity to learn the language. If you come illegally you need to find a place to work, that in and of itself if super dangerous and risky. By trying to find a job you are exposing to employers that you are an illegal alien. Also, you probably won’t get a fair wage because people that hire illegal aliens tend to be more crooked anyway.

There are plenty of other negative effects, but I am sure there are positives. But as I was reading the article the question of why kept popping into my head. It seems to me that the cons heavily out way the pros but then again, like I said earlier I have never had to experience anything close. I would love any insights that you have!