Borderlands/ La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldua was very interesting to read. When I first started to read it I did not think that I was going to like it. But as I finished the reading I found that it gave me a different perspective on how Latinos must feel when that come to America. Then it got me thinking that nowadays it is the Latino’s that feel this way. However, in years past it was different minorities. People feel that they cannot walk in two different worlds and still be part of America. People feel that they have to give up a part of themselves to be American if you are an immigrant of any kind.
In the paper that we read by Anzaldua she states that “it is not enough to stand on the opposite river bank, shouting questions, challenging patriarchal, white conventions.” I think she is trying to say that you cannot change things if you are on the outside look in, you have to participate to get things to change.
Anzaldua also states, “The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react.” This quote is very versatile it can be used for everyone that has had or is going to have a problem. Once you become active in finding an answer to a problem then you have to right to complain if the outcome does not turn out in your favor, but you do not have the right to complain about anything if you are just a bystander and do not like the way things turn out. To have a say you have to let your voice be herd.
The reading this week is geared to the Latino movement but if you look deep enough you can find where if the minority was changed to a different group it would work for anyone. This I find very interesting. All minorities are part of La Frontera. Each minority has had to stand up for their rights.
Hey Cindy, I just wanted to let you know that I thought that you had a very interesting blog this week. I also think that you made a lot of good points in it. First off, I think that you are so right about how many of the Latinos feel when they come to this country and are faced with all the racism that Americans have toward them. When I thought about it, I thought that one of the reasons that this discrimination is present maybe due to the fact that the movement of the border with the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. I think that maybe if students were educated in this a little more, they may not be as racist against them as they are today. I also feel that the main reason that there is so much discrimination is because of all of the illegal immigrants that come into our country every day. I know that a lot of people that I hear talking about the Latino population seem to me to just be upset about the illegal ones that are coming in.
ReplyDeleteAnother point that you made that I thought was interesting was the fact that all of the ethnic groups that have come to this country have faced the same discrimination that our Latino population are facing today. It is interesting to me that no matter how far advanced we are in society, there is always racism floating around in the air. You would think that after seeing this happen throughout history we would learn better.
Cindy,
ReplyDeleteI joined you in focusing on Anzaldua’s piece for my week 2 blog. You’re attention to the following concept is interesting to me: “People feel they have to give up part of themselves to be American…” I think that historically, minorities did need to try to hide or at least, subdue their differences in order to gain acceptance in our country. Public perception needed to be “I’m just like you”. Maintaining cultural identity needed to be a private practice. Today, I think we are not only more accepting of cultural differences; most of us enjoy celebrating them thru food, dance, language etc. Variety adds the spice of life!
This concept also allows us to look at the concept of America being a great “melting pot” in a couple of different ways. It implies that minorities allow part of themselves to dissolve in order to become American, but it also implies that Americans allow part of our past identity (as described by Turner) to soften and mix with cultures that either have always been here, or have recently arrived. I’ve been thinking and writing a lot about how ignorance of others leads to fear, which leads to intolerance, which has often led to violence. Our nation’s path to truly embracing diversity has been a long, bumpy one. We surely haven’t reached the finish line, if there even is a finish line. It would be interesting to create a timeline of cultural acceptance. Not to make light of the real struggles communicated by Mora and Anzalduga, but I wonder if salsa, out nation’s best selling condiment, will be considered ground zero for truly understanding the Mestiza, and providing real solutions to the problems caused by the Mexican & American border.
Matt
Hey Cindy! I just wanted to drop a note and say how awesome the picture is in this post. It looks so unreal.
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