Jacob Riis Slum Book Review

As the reading demonstrated, Jacob A. Riis may be a social reformer but perhaps more racist in his expressions. He fought to eradicate the horrible living conditions in the lower East Side of New York. He too tasted part of the harsh life as a poor immigrant with very little to eat on daily basics, hunger, homelessness and very suicidal. Nevertheless, Riis made it an objective to study the “slum” in which poor people living their lives by judging instead of trying to identify them. He just felt uncomfortable due to many immigrants from all over. Maybe, he felt the loss of hope and misery but not to the full extent. Therefore, Jacob A. Riis was unable to comprehend the poverty and living hardships. For this reason, he cared less a little bit
It is unnecessary to single out or label them out freely by their racial group. “One may find for the asking an Italian, a German, a French, African, Spanish, Bohemian, Russian, Scandinavian, Jewish, and Chinese Colony. Even the Arab… has his preserves at lower Washington street” (19). In fact, he claimed having motivation to inform the people in upper and middle class by being a spoke person for the poor. However, he found it really essential to label and discriminated specific racial groups by spitting out their name freely. Other ways he charged flame to his racial comments, “he German rag-picker” “the Chinese coolie”. The comments showed his pure racism. He did so by naming many countries to his audience in incorrect way instead of focus on individual people. It is exactly behavior we are experiencing or seeing in the current presidential election nomination process today. Blaming a country or certain religious group because one person commits a wrong act is not acceptable ways to treat others. Some comments always cause division and create hatred in wicked ones’
For example, he said “Unlike the German, who begins learning English he lands lands as a matter of duty, or the Polish Jew, who takes it up as soon as he is able as an investment, the Italian learns slowly, if at all” (P. 43). How in the world Riis knew how every single German immigrant learned English the day they arrived America; or how Italian are slow learners. Riis’ drew his conclusions too fast. His personal opinions went too broadly of putting every immigrant in the same boat or same learning abilities. Another racist comments is “Like the Chinese, the Italian is a born gambler,” (P 44). Here, he was note focused on their struggling immigrants lives. “With all his conspicuous faults, the swarthy Italian immigrant has his redeeming traits. He is honest as he is hot-headed.” (P.47) So, he gave unnecessary information. In the current election period here in the United States, some immigrant groups are facing criticism and verbal abuses. Donald Trump is mimicking Riis today by saying all Mexican immigrants are all rapists. Mr. Trump singles out Mexican living in the United States as lazy; that the Mexican government sent felons or bad one into United States. So these kind of bad way of self-interests advancement are truly divisive,