Provide a reflective analysis of how the visual uncertainty surrounding difference (in this case: race, class, citizenship) is being negotiated through both the law and the senses today in
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Week Four
Provide a reflective analysis of how the visual uncertainty surrounding difference (in this case: race, class, citizenship) is being negotiated through both the law and the senses today in
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Is this for all of us to do or is this the prompt for Week Four's author?
ReplyDeleteThe visual uncertainty surrounding race, class, and citizenship is an interesting one; for me, this is especially true after our discussions and readings that discuss how race is actually a social construct and not a fixed set of genetic factors. This visual uncertainty is being negotiated through the law by Alabama's HB56. Although the law technically says that one's immigration status can only be inquired about upon a routine traffic stop, others are saying that the law actually makes racial profiling legal. This is the main point in the article that I found (http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/09/alabamas_anti-immigrant_hb_56_upheld.html). The article recaps what provisions the judge did and not accept when passing HB56, and according to the source, the provision was blocked that an authority figure could ask for a person's immigration status due to "reasonable suspicion." However, it seems that persons who were "reasonably suspicious" could still be pulled over for some mundane traffic violation, and then questioned. Because of the threat of deportation, other articles I read said that children have stopped attending school, parents and families have disappeared overnight, and latino churches have seen a sharp decline in attendance. Why does it seem that we are always driving to drive poeple who are different out of our country? As for the comparison to Segregation in the South, I can definitely draw a comparison. Facilities and buildings for Blacks and whites were separated on visual factors alone. However, the instability of detecting race visually was even present back in the days of slavery, as Mark Smith tells us; there was in increased reliance on the "one-drop rule, which, if anything, confirmed the argument that race could not, in fact, be seen" (7). Similarly, the increasing number of mulattos muddied the lines between white and black, thus invalidating the judgement of the white people. For example, in the book and movie "The Help," one of the main controversies of the book is caused by a black girl who looked white (I won't go into any further detail as to not ruin it for someone). With all these examples from the past and the similarities seen as it relates to our present situation, it seems that we should smarten up and change our future.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/keith-rushing/alabamas-immigration-law_b_992801.html
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this question I did some research myself on the HB56 bill that was passed in Alabama. Through this article I obtained a better understanding of the law's extent regarding racial unfairness and the opportunity it created for obvious appearence profiling. Alabama being my home state it was heartbreaking to read this and see how strong of a comparison could be made between the Jim Crow south and modern day Alabama.
I have always been more than open to South American's risking everything such as becoming caught, their home, and often times their families to come to the United States to pursue the "American Dream." The article even refers to it as being their primary motive. It also tells of farmers who literally can not find people willing to take on some of the agricultural driven jobs that are unfilled since this law passed. This concept made me realize two issues. The first is that an agricultural based job (farming, cropping, and manual labor) is literally a snapshot back in time to slavery in the south. The fact that the article suggusts that whites will not fill these jobs, and that they were manned predominantly by immagrants is a very clear example through the lens of how the two situations could be compared to one another. The second issue I have regarding the farming instance is that if those people were willing to work sometough jobs that American citizens do not even want. If that is the case then what in the world were they hurting to begin with? Those people had a better life here and were willing to work hard. There is no reason that they got deported for the jobs to now remain unfilled. That is very discriminatory that our state would rather have no one that have immigrants doing certain labor.
I was not supportive of this law when it first arose before it was passed. Although I have not exactly thought about it in the sense of comparing it to some history that Alabama has tried to overcome; I am now even more apalled to have seen this law pass. This article paints a stong correlation between segregated times and modern day discrimination. This is especially true in regards to the article touching on the issue of the immigrant children (elementary and secondary aged) being rejected the same learning opportunities as children with citizenship. That is where it really got to me. This is the Promise Land, and Alabama has came so far in equality to start denying elementary school aged Mexican children a seat in the classroom. This was another clear depiction of the two issues having similarities. One of the saddest parts of the article was where it mentioned reported numbers of consecutive absences from young children after this bill passed. (that was from those children who were actually attending school- many of them it states did not even try to attend school on count of risking getting their parents deported) Here we have disabled a child's education and chance at a better future. America is supposed to be all about education today.
Now that the ball is rolling, we could probably spend all night making examples of how the two relate. The link to the article I have posted definitely does that. It almost made me not want to promote the article on behalf of it putting Alabama in a shameful, prejudice manner. I do not like to think of any state in the country being this way, especially not the one that I was born and raised in. Alabama has a hard enough time trying to build back respect from its past. Articles that point out the same type of discrimination today only bring Alabama down again. Unfortunately though the article seems credible and is correct in regard to its comparisons and how it describes the HB56 law allowing authority to racially profile according solely to skin color and outward appearence.
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ReplyDeleteBy being a black person in American, my race is often looked as inferior. With the lynching and dehumanizing of my race, I was mad and upset because these people could have been my relatives. But it was by white supremacy and racism that caused the black people to fall into despair. Even though blacks are not seen as inferior, the Hispanic race is getting the ugly side of racism. With the HB56 law passed, to me, this is just another to legalize and illegal way of life. The police have to right to stop people who they feel are here illegally and pull them over. If they are here undocumented, then they are deported back to their home land. The Article (http://www.thenation.com/article/164029/alabamas-hb56-and-dark-side-fake-economic-fixes explains the thought of fixing the economy by getting rid of the undocumented.
ReplyDeleteIf you are finding a way to dehumanize people and tear away their families, them that makes you as the Bible puts it “worse than an infidel.” I understand that our economy isn’t the best, but it does not mean you have to expose another race to humility. The Hispanic race is trying to better themselves for the sake of their families. This article also made me realized that im blessed to not have to go this type of humiliation. My race still get hit with racism card, but not as bad as other races. I also taught me not to get mad at a situation I could not handle. I should just try and make sure that my race and every other inferior race gets the respect that is well needed. I don’t need one race telling me what good for me and them, unless you have been in my shoes, don’t bring me any thing as ignorant a HB56 or racism. Lets learn to work and live together, to make the next generation better than one before.
http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/09/alabamas_anti-immigrant_hb_56_upheld.html
ReplyDeleteI think that this article hit a lot of the issues right on the nose. I think that one of the sections that stood
out to me the most was "Even though the Supreme Court has upheld elementary and secondary education as a constitutional right, undocumented immigrant parents who fear being tracked by the government will likely be too fearful to send their kids to school". I think that this is a prime example of how stereotypes are perpetuated by society and politics. The stereotypes of uneducated hispanics will only continue to 'prove' itself because of this law and the restrictions that it puts on hispanic families.
I believe that laws like these are enacted because Americans fear difference and white Americans feel threatened. It is not uncommon to hear statistics that soon white will not be the majority in America any longer. This is often said to be due to the influx of hispanic immigration. This is something that causes white Americans much panic. How are they supposed to hold domination as the minority? Could current 'minority' groups rise up and have their voices heard? Would it be possible that the marginalized groups in society would no longer be marginalized? These questions are at the base of all fears of difference. It mirrors the fears of the American South after emancipation. They no longer had legal property rights over African-Americans. They had to determine a way to keep African-Americans oppressed so that they could maintain their way of life and continue to live in a land of white privilege. This was done through Jim Crow laws and segregation. The same thing is being done right now to the hispanics. White Americans are fearful for their own power and domination and they must figure out a way to preserve it. This law and the many like it provide them with a "way" of doing that. There is no logic behind this. What this law does is character a race (hispanics) as different and inferior, and thus it is not necessary to provide them with the same rights as "Americans"... White Americans.
The immigration system itself is racist. It is set up in a quota system so that for immigrants to "legally" come to the United States they must be of certain backgrounds. It is not surprising that the Western European quota is the largest, followed by other parts of Europe, and Central/Latin/South America which has the greatest demand has the smallest quota. These are people that are coming to the United States for a better life, for the American Dream. People who will take any job and work hard, and yet instead of being given a chance and shown the beauty of America, they are shown the worst part of American history. Its like a bad rerun of something that should never be shown again. They are discriminated against solely based on their color, 'smell', culture, 'food', etc. What does that say about America. It is said that you can tell more about the people that are talking than those they are talking about. Has there really been no progress? I'd like to believe there has, but this worries me. Always striving for a MORE perfect union.
http://www.leftinalabama.com/diary/8954/the-legacy-of-hb56-racial-profiling-of-schoolchildren
ReplyDeleteThe link above connects you to a video done by the ACLU months ago about the sensory-based discrimination Latino schoolchildren in Alabama have received. It's short, so be sure to watch it!
In the video, Cineo says that the principal admittedly and seemingly without realizing that there was anything wrong with what she was saying, that they gave papers explaining HB 56 to students who "didn't APPEAR to be from here."
The similarity between the immigration laws in Alabama, Arizona, and Georgia have been compared time and time again to Jim Crow laws of the segregationist South-- and have been unfondly labeled as "Juan Crow" laws. I think this is a completely accurate comparison. The two categories of laws (one directed toward black people, one toward those who are Latino) are enforced through using "context clues" of appearance, and the law itself uses the word "suspicion"-- how else are officers expected to perceive undocumented citizens if not through profiling them according to stereotypes? This is definitely a problem and a violation of Alabamians' rights to live in peace without discrimination because of their skin pigmentation or ethnic background.