Response to “Legal Alien”
In her poem, Pat Mora discusses what it feels like to her to be Mexican-American. Do you believe that our society prejudges immigrants? Do we make certain assumptions about people from other countries? Do we treat immigrants from one country different than we treat immigrants from another country? Are there some immigrants that are more likely to be prejudged than others?
October 13th, 2007 at 10: 13 pm
I feel that we do prejudge immigrants. We only base them on world events as a whole, rather than who each of them are individually as a person after knowing them. Immigrants from Iraq are more prejudged by us than most because of the war. We don’t take the time to sit down and get to know them before we make up our minds about the type of people they are seperately. We group them together based on the world. I don’t think it’s fair. I think that we should treat others how we would want to be treated. That sounds kind of stupid, but it’s true. But for this concept, I am singling out the immigrants. We should treat them as our equals, rather than treating the immigrants like they are worth less than we are just because they are from somewhere else, and they are a little different than we are. We are all the same, despite appearances and diverse cultures.
October 14th, 2007 at 10: 14 am
I think our society prejudges immigrants because as you see the have fence blocking the border from they came from.I think some people do make assumpitons about immigrants even though they don’t know them and why they came from mexico.I think we do because some people think that other immagrants are better because they might have something way better that what other immagrants have like money.I think the poor immagrants will most likely be prejudged more than others.
October 14th, 2007 at 3: 23 pm
I think everyone at times judges other people by race. It is not because of racism, it could be from past experiences like 9-11.
October 14th, 2007 at 4: 21 pm
I really do think that our society judges immigrants before they even get to know them
just because of the fact that they may look different from us. I feel that all of
us make assumptions about people from other countries because we feel self-
conscious around them because they may look, talk, or act differently. For example,
because of the war in Irag, if an innocent family moved here, most Americans
would probably treat them like they were trash but if it was maybe a Italian
family, we would welcome them with open arms. Even more so, just the other day
I told my friend that I was half Hispanic and she actually asked me if i needed
a green card to be here! I was extremely offended and assured her that I don’t
need a green card to reside here. Talk about judgmental!
October 14th, 2007 at 5: 14 pm
I think society judges immigrants faster than figuring out what is 2+2. Some assumptions we make about immigrants are that they are inferior, or not as good as us, just because they’ve come from out of the U.S. We think they mock us by not fully learning English, but they aren’t. It would be hard for me to learn Spanish within a year if I moved to Spain or Mexico. We basically disrespect them because they are different than us. We would treat immigrants from Iraq as terorists, and immigrants from Mexico as illegal refugees, not as people. Immigrants from the Middle East(Iran) are probably going to be judged more often than immigrants from England. I think judging people is one of the worst things you can do.
October 14th, 2007 at 6: 07 pm
Our society is completely judgemental. Why do we call them aliens anyway? I have friends of all different colors, shapes and sizes and in my eyes, they’re people. Alien is such a harsh word. Now a days, any mexcican walking down the side of the street get judged. Mexicans get judged more than any other race I know, and not following close behind is blacks. I’ve never been to another country, so I’ve always been viewed as ‘normal’. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be judged based on where I was from or what color my skin was.
October 14th, 2007 at 11: 05 pm
immigrants are judged in the us. they are judged on there appearence and what people say about them. those are the immagrants on the other side of the border. but the immagrants that are not from the border are not judged as bad sometimes not even judged. they have better privilages. the immigrants from the borber are judged by thinking they are just here to do work.
October 15th, 2007 at 5: 30 pm
Unfortuantly some people prejudge other immiagrants. Americans think that most Latinos are in gangs or braking the law.Yes wetreat all most ever culture differenlly Irish,Canadians,Europiean ALL get the same treatment as Americans.On the other hand other cultures are treated as what T.V shows them as.Lets say this if T.V gives a culture a bad rep then people will belive T.V. Media verses culture and media all ways wins.
October 21st, 2007 at 11: 20 am
I believe that society prejudges Mexicans and African Americans. It’s unfair. It’s got to be hard to be a mixed ethnicity. I think the local immigrant problem causes it.
May 11th, 2008 at 10: 56 pm
People are hating on others that are regular people too. They are literally no different from anyone else. Two ears, a nose, a pair of eyes, a mouth, a body. Different looks but a person all in the same. Everyone has different cultures and customs, but that doesnt make them any less of a person in God’s eyes, why should we be one to judge?
January 11th, 2009 at 10: 04 pm
I do see were Mora is coming from with the whole identity thing, its probably really hard for people like her. BUT honestly in relation to some of the comments below don’t be so sensitive. MAny Mexicans are just as judgmental to whites as whites are to them. Just like how her poem says “an American to Mexicans a Mexican to Americans.” This shows how both sides are judgmental. So people really need to stop pulling the ohh poor Mexican line in all areas of life. It just makes mexicans look stupid im half mexican myself and iIm embarrassed for all the complainers
March 26th, 2009 at 10: 13 pm
i believe that in our “society” people that judge others, need some level of controlled chaos to make them feel safe sucure, etc…
but if we believe that if were all aliens then nobody will be.