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Post by jesswang on Feb 6, 2016 16:52:44 GMT
From growing up in a first generation immigrant family, the idea of the American Dream has been instilled in me since the day I was born. They might not have known the name of it, but my parents moved to the United States specifically so their children could have a shot at the "American Dream". While growing up in communist China, they experienced poverty, oppression, and a severe lack of education. The only reason they had the chance to move to America was because they were both in the top 1% of their schools, enabling them to pass the college entry exam and receive a college education. They had the worst possible childhoods, and the only way they could avoid this life for their children was to move to America. They had heard of the freedom, wealth, education, and endless opportunities that success in America could bring, so they packed their bags and immigrated. After learning a new language, attending an American graduate school, and raising two kids, they've defied all odds and attained the "American Dream"... or at least an immigrant's version of it. Now, the only thing left to do is to make sure my sister and I surpass their success and achieve an even greater and more successful version of the American Dream. That's a lot of pressure, and it's the reason why Asians are so notoriously "smart" in school. We're all under the same first-generation-immigrant pressure to take advantage of our free education, a privilege we know our parents didn't have, and become more successful than they are. Otherwise, it'll feel like their toils were all for nothing. This intense, immigrant version of the "American Dream" might differ from the traditional white-picket-fence American Dream, but it is just as effective in controlling our lives and our decisions.
Recently, the 2016 Presidential election has brought up many opinions on immigrants. Many GOP candidates think that immigrants are stealing "true" Americans' jobs and preventing these "true" Americans from attaining the American Dream. But, if immigrants are working hard and attaining their version of the "American Dream" themselves, then do those "true" Americans really deserve the jobs over immigrants? Are immigrants obstructing Americans from reaching the American Dream, or are we just changing the definition of this Dream and making it harder to achieve?
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Post by dgarrett on Feb 6, 2016 23:31:51 GMT
Hey jess, I really like your ideas and wanted to add some more and answer your questions (thanks for asking them). Immigrants, while they seem to be stealing jobs from the so-called "true" Americans, are really just raising the bar higher and making everything more competitive. This is a great thing for our society because, as we know from the past, competition challenges everyone to work harder, and hard work pays off.
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Post by cnelson on Feb 7, 2016 0:02:08 GMT
I agree with that completely. This is really specifically shown in the Great Gatsby as to how carefree and essentially lazy the wealthy were. They had so much money that they didn't even know what to do with it, they enjoyed life and lived off of their family wealth with no real sense of hardship. Immigrants and African Americans came to find work and to make a better life and because of their hardships they understood the true value of money and family. The competition that this caused not only helped immigrants to gain hope and courage to peruse their American dreams but it also helped to change the morals of many of the selfishly wealthy individuals in society. Immigrants are most definitely not "stealing" the American Dream, but actually opening the eyes of many who have not really appreciated or valued the American dream.
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Post by tmehta on Feb 7, 2016 2:44:02 GMT
Jess, I think you did such a great job of explaining what the American Dream is truly like from an immigrant's point of view. Every person who lives in the U.S. today has ancestors who struggled and worked hard to move to our country in search of a better life for their family. We are all immigrants, whether 1st, 3rd, or 10th generation. America is known as the home of the free and the land of the brave. We’re under the global spotlight because we claim to accept any and all as our own. It shouldn’t matter if your family has owned property here since 1866 or you moved here 5 months ago; as long as you’re willing to put in the work to make a better life for yourself and your family, and alongside that make the world a better place, I think you deserve a place in America.
But I will say that I don’t believe the American Dream is changing; in fact I don’t know if it can. It’s always been the idea that hard work brings prosperity and success. I think what has actually happened is that the true definition of the American Dream has been forgotten. Presidential candidates who warn of immigrants taking over believe that that prosperity and success is reserved only for those who have been living here for decades or who have white skin. In reality, the American Dream is even for anyone who comes to the U.S. in search of success, and immigrants who want to take this opportunity are just reminding those scared candidates what the true meaning of the Dream is.
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Post by echeng on Feb 7, 2016 23:33:37 GMT
Hey Jessie, having an almost identical back story and experiencing the same social pressures, I can really appreciate and relate to this post! That desire to work hard and succeed academically is so deeply rooted in many Asian children; we want to make our parents proud and take advantage of the rare opportunity they have given us. My father came to America with only $100 and a single suitcase, and my mom left behind her 5 other siblings and parents in China. Once they settled in this new land of opportunity, my mom worked as a waitress for many years, and my dad slept overnight at the lab so that he could make the most out of his work day. All of their hard-work has really paid off, and I believe that they have truly achieved the coveted American Dream; these types of stories are what inspires me to make them proud. Regarding your questions about the candidates, I believe that immigrants should have an equal chance at obtaining these jobs because those who put the work and effort into what they do should reap the benefits. However, I do see where a lot of the candidates are coming from, as nationalism has a very large influence (shout out to McCann- War of 1812). |
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Post by amytheoriginalg on Feb 8, 2016 0:48:51 GMT
Immigrants have always come to U.S to achieve the American Dream. From an Italian-American family, my great-grandparents came in through Ellis Island. Today its interesting to note how much the U.S seems to hate immigrants, but yet we are an entire nation built upon immigrants (and oppression, and terrorism, and racism...but I digress!) and their contributions to society. But yet people always wanted to push them away. My great-grandparents had to change their last name just to get a job. It shows just how much immigrants are forced to assimilate to the American norm just to have a chance at life here, even in the early 1900s. I feel like my family has achieved the American dream too, after 3 generations the family finally lives a comfortable life. I just hope that we can learn to recognize how important it is to accept all kinds of people into society and give them a chance at the American Dream.
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Post by tatummcp on Feb 8, 2016 2:19:55 GMT
I do have to agree with what Tara said here. To me at least, the American Dream has always been slightly different for everyone, for it is working hard towards whatever you think will make you happy and successful. So I hear what you are saying about immigrants attaining their own version of the American Dream, but in a way everyone has always had their own "version" of the American Dream. We tend to think that the American Dream has changed just like everything around us has changed over the years, but can it really? Tara said it perfectly when she said "it's always been the idea that hard work brings prosperity and success." This is still 100% true today. Even though the American Dream may be slightly different for everyone (what they consider successful), it is based on the same principals for the so called "true" Americans as well as immigrants.
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Post by rcb1008 on Feb 8, 2016 2:23:24 GMT
These are very thought provoking questions given the upcoming election, and the ability for many of our peers to begin to vote. As a second generation American, I have a similar story to yours. My grandfather was born in Berlin, Germany and moved as a Jewish refugee to Palestine (current Israel) as a young teenager to avoid the horrors of the Holocaust. His family was wealthy in Germany (they owned a wine distributor) but this was all taken away due to his religious beliefs. At the age of 18, with less than a high school education, he emigrated from Palestine to New York City. Simply put, for my Grandfather, the "American Dream" did not only represent social mobility, but a means of survival. In America my Grandfather learned English, served in the armed forces, had two children and four grandchildren, and later enjoyed a long retirement until his passing in 2012. The narrative that immigrants are here to "steal our jobs" is untrue. Throughout my Grandfather's life he worked several jobs, mainly in factories, as an American Citizen. I agree with Jess, being starved of opportunity their entire childhoods, immigrants are given the ability to succeed in the United States, which is why people of foreign origins tend to be so intelligent and hardworking. America is a country of immigrants. The "American Dream" only works when there is diversity in our society and restricting any ability for immigration (especially to refugees, during a time of relative peace) is frankly absurd. We are all Americans, all united, and all equally free. We shouldn't forget that.
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Post by jesswang on Feb 8, 2016 4:38:50 GMT
Tara and Tatum, I completely agree regarding your point that the American Dream hasn't changed, and that success and prosperity still stem from hard work and perseverance. These days, it seems as if this original definition gets obscured by stereotypes and politicians who seem to think the American Dream is only available to a certain group of citizens. In reality, we are all immigrants, whether our family's been here for 150 years or 1 year, and we all deserve the same opportunity to achieve the American Dream, no matter what our own individual versions of that Dream might be. The original principle that anyone can succeed with hard work is what makes America the great country it is.
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Post by aamornwichet on Feb 10, 2016 3:10:27 GMT
I think it is interesting to see the differences between the immigrant stories of those more recent (1-44 years ago) to those from long ago (45+). There has always been a trend of discrimination between the so called "nativist" Americans and incoming immigrants. Typically though, and still in most places, immigrants come as un-skilled workers, who must assimilate into society and often start off taking the jobs nobody wants, like with Ryan and Amy's stories. Overtime their children or grandchildren may come to be very successful, but hardly ever were they. But many of the more recent immigrants like with Jess' or Emily's they came over as the result of brain drain, they were mainly unskilled workers who came to the United States and were able to get desirable jobs, and be successful right off-the-bat. Do you think that this difference in immigrant situations has changed the way people view immigration? and how do you think it has affected anti-immigration policies?
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