One concept that I found particularly interesting about the O’Brien reading was the idea that the ‘immigrant as object’ metaphor is partially rooted in the belief that immigrants have no desire to assimilate and embrace an American identity. And even when these communities have been vocal in their attempt to adopt an American identity, they are rejected; in the case of Jews in the early nineteenth century, for example, they were still said to maintain a “Jewish essence” that marked them as different despite their efforts to be part of the mainstream.
Considering Latino immigration to the US today, to what extent might the portrayal of the immigrant as a distinct other that is a parasite, pollutant or invader, be linked to the “American = White?” syndrome we discussed last week? If we look at the American identity as having evolved in part from a desire by whites (with no or few external cultural ties) to find some form of cultural belonging, does the association of the illegal immigrant with both legal and racial markers make sense (in a twisted way)? Is the immigration debate in news and entertainment portrayed along white vs. Latin American ethnic grounds? And if so, where does this position other racial groups?
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