Wrapping Up

So, the end of the semester is finally here.
In my first blog I said that many of us would definitely have our eyes opened up to new ideas and would have a new perspective on the issues surrounding us today. I know that this has happened to me. And isn't that the point of the class? to cause individuals to become aware of facts, not just media bias, or personal opinions, but the facts. The facts are what matter.
We have covered many topics, so many that it makes me wonder how we covered it all in just 4 months. We talked about the media and power/elite and how they influences what is seen as a social issue, and to me, that is one of the most fascinating topics. Poverty and crime, divorce/marriage, education, the environmental impact humans have on the environment, and the impact the environment has on us. We focused alot of time on immigration, specifically illegal immigration. I realized that I knew very little about this topic. Coyotes gives a real insight to the world of the illegal immigrant and the discrimination against them. Almost all people have a small amount of bias or prejudice, whether it be conscious or subconscious. one way that research is being conducted is through the Implicit association test which can be taken by anyone at: http://www.understandingprejudice.org/iat/
I think that all students should take this course in order to learn about the problems that surround them today. The only way that those problems can be fixed is through collective action. Yes, one person may be able to change the world, but he can't do it by himself.

I really liked Ted Conover's book Coyotes. It was very interesting to see the other side of the coin, to really get a glimpse into the lives of not just the undocumented workers, but also their families left back home. I think that there are many gray areas when it comes to illegal aliens. One of those is the fact that they are taking jobs from American workers, but on the other hand, Americans don't really want to do those jobs. Yet, the fact is that they are taking American jobs, and illegally, and then sending American money out of America. The money part is a big problem itself.... doesn't that devalue the dollar in the long run? They send back home an estimated $6-$8 billion every year to Mexico. That makes the undocumented workers the third largest source of income for the country, behind oil export and tourism. But the funny thing about all this is that Mexico is Not a resource poor country. Actually, they are one of the most resource rich, but a corrupt government does not help at all. every time the Mexican workers (in Mexico) get higher pay wages, the value of the peso conveniently goes down. Another thing is the cost to American tax payers. There are MANY illegal alien children who take advantage of the free public education that Americans pay for... this isn't fair. Why should Americans have to pay to educate an illegal alien who has violated the sovereignty of the U.S?

I don't know what the answer to the problem is, i do feel like we created the problem in the first place with the Bracero Act. And it doen't help any that employers knowingly hire the undocumented workers anyway, but who can blame them... we all want to make a bigger profit if possible, and the illegal alien workers allow them to do that.