Borders in Our Minds: the Development of Intolerance of Mexican Immigrants in the U.S.
Borders in Our Minds: The Development of Intolerance of Mexican Immigrants in the United States Stephanie Gregory Alverno College
Borders in Our Minds: The Development of Intolerance of
Mexican Immigrants in the United States Since the presidency under James Polk in 1844, many American citizens have, in one form or another, been in conflict with our neighbors to the south – the populace of Mexico. In the 19th century, however, those conflicts revolved mainly around ownership of land in what are now southwest regions of the United States (Scheffler, 2011). In modern society, American indifference toward Mexican immigrants exists in many other forms and plays a significant role in efforts to control Mexican natives entering the United States. It is my intention to bring to light various circumstances by which intolerance to Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans may have evolved. Such attempt will be made through: presentation of some of the various forms of bias currently in existence; application of the abstraction process as it applies to development of stereotypes; consideration of societal and cultural perspectives and how they may have precipitated non-acceptance of the Mexican immigrant into American society; and reflection on the roles in which Mexican immigrants have been placed that perpetuate stereotypes from an economic perspective. Finally, I will conclude by offering insight into that which I have derived from compilation of this paper from the perspective of one studying general semantics as part of an undergraduate program at Alverno College. This conclusion will include proposal for further consideration of the topic offered to the audience for which this paper is intended.
The Basics of Bias Since 2000, the Hispanic population in the United States has grown from 35.3 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000) to 50.3 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). This segment of the population has realized
Borders in Our Minds: The Development of Intolerance of
Mexican Immigrants in the United States Since the presidency under James Polk in 1844, many American citizens have, in one form or another, been in conflict with our neighbors to the south – the populace of Mexico. In the 19th century, however, those conflicts revolved mainly around ownership of land in what are now southwest regions of the United States (Scheffler, 2011). In modern society, American indifference toward Mexican immigrants exists in many other forms and plays a significant role in efforts to control Mexican natives entering the United States. It is my intention to bring to light various circumstances by which intolerance to Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans may have evolved. Such attempt will be made through: presentation of some of the various forms of bias currently in existence; application of the abstraction process as it applies to development of stereotypes; consideration of societal and cultural perspectives and how they may have precipitated non-acceptance of the Mexican immigrant into American society; and reflection on the roles in which Mexican immigrants have been placed that perpetuate stereotypes from an economic perspective. Finally, I will conclude by offering insight into that which I have derived from compilation of this paper from the perspective of one studying general semantics as part of an undergraduate program at Alverno College. This conclusion will include proposal for further consideration of the topic offered to the audience for which this paper is intended.
The Basics of Bias Since 2000, the Hispanic population in the United States has grown from 35.3 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000) to 50.3 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). This segment of the population has realized