The Documentary 'Matters Of Race: The Divide'

Anthony Paris September 12, 2006
SOC244 "Matters of Race: the Divide"

The documentary, "The Divide", was very informative and enlightening. It focused on a specific area in America (Siler City) and the many effects that race has on it. The video focused on Siler City, North Carolina because it has been a hotspot of racial controversy over the years. Many issues have risen in Siler City that are prime examples if not better examples of problems involving race throughout the country. The Mexicans that are immigrating to Siler City are doing so mainly to work and provide a better life for themselves or their families. In Mexico they are not able to work throughout the year because their crops are in seasons. If the Mexicans
did not find work in their "time off" they would have no money. There are no other jobs in Mexico for them so they immigrated to America and then Siler City because of the many companies and factories there were to work for.
These companies and factories would give many jobs to immigrants that were difficult but manageable and pay them less then minimum wage. The immigrants did not care that they are being underpaid because being paid at all was a good thing for them. The process of this was unpopular with many Americans who saw them as stealing American jobs but it was accepted by others who realized that the jobs were not jobs that any Americans typically want to have. More problems arose with people when immigrants who came to work, moved their families with them and began to ask for additional services and certain places, especially school, became overcrowded. Many people, as said in the documentary, connected the rise in crime, abuse, DWIs, etc with the Mexicans who immigrated to their city. These problems show that the residences of Siler City's racial tendencies most likely stem from the Scapegoating Theory of racism. This theory of racism involves the blaming of a race for the problems caused to one's race. In this case, the problems with escalated crime and overpopulation being directed toward the immigrating Mexicans lead residences to racial tendencies because they feel that these
people from a different area are having a negative effect on their city, country, and people. I feel that immigrants become Americans when they get their green cards and swear allegiance to our country. I think it is unfair to think they have to do anything more that that to gain our acceptance in America because most of all of our ancestors were originally immigrants at one point and as one African American said in the film, "They (Mexican immigrants) are just looking for a better world, same as we were." Many people may argue with me that the immigrants need to adapt to our country and customs before they can be called Americans. While I do think it is important for them to learn certain aspects of our culture like language, I don't think it is right to completely change who they are to fit our patterns and ways of life. If different cultures can coexist with our culture I find it wrong to make them change, however many different languages in one area can cause problems. I don't know who it is up to to decide when they become Americans, I think it is up to us as individuals to decide because it is up to us how we our going to interact with others and what our relationships are going to be.