The legalization of illegal immigrants

本文讲述了作者对美国种族问题的思考。作者用一种幽默的方式，用举例子的方法来进一步证明了从南北视角对种族分析的重要性。在这个复杂的社会我认为我们的政府需要采取一个新的办法，希望他们在移民法律的方面做到改善。它必须承认非法移民给我们带来的积极影响，以及他们为什么在这里流动的原因。

Reflection on Richard Rodriguez’s The North American

Richard Rodriguez points out a new contemporary interracial society of a new cultural geography in his The North American. In his view, the white-and-black term is no longer appropriate to interpret the multi-racial communities in the United States though it still roots in people’s mind when comes to similar topics, such as multiculturalism and cultural identification. Yet, brown has become distinctive and prevailing in racial distinctions nowadays. We should transfer our focus from an east-west axis to a north-south route that connects Mexico and the United States, as such a revolutionary change has already influenced our lives extensively. The author uses examples of the concept of Hispanics and California in a humorous way to further demonstrate the importance of the north-south perspective for racial analyses. He also mentions that bad feelings, such as fear, sometimes are the reason that help to construct a sense of belongings, and immigrations grow out of the call of culture, which the U.S. Border Patrol can never stop. We somehow have to admit that our fear of immigration from the South is not for its separateness, but for not wanting to be replaced. Meanwhile, the North America has become a mestizaje world where assimilations happen and distinctions exist.
I agree with his unique viewpoint of racial problems in America, which liberates us from textbooks overwhelmed with black-and-white issues. Nowadays, the integration has extended itself from black and white, to Mexican, Chinese, American, African, etc. We need to continually accommodate our views towards the current society to avoid a repetitive pattern of social critics. The north-south axis put forward in this article is worth discussing, as brown is becoming one of the leading color in the United States. They form a “young” and “fertile” group in America, accomplishing every job vacancies and enjoying warm welcomes in their community despite of the strict immigration statute. To understand their immigration motive, just as the author says, we have to know that their living environment teaches them to see behind the surface of everything, which means they recognize the “private welcome” rather than the “public utterance of prohibition” (72, Rodriguez). Besides, we, Americans, do need them in many jobs. We do not want to keep them away from that border at all, which helps to strengthen their feelings of recognition and belonging here, making them part of this society.
What’s more, through close reading, I find the opinion that terror is the source that people starts to realize they belong to one city very interesting. According to Rodriguez, emergencies bring people together, making them forget their origins, colors and other identities. However, I think it is true in the early stage of acculturation. A “mature” city, to me, should connect people together by making everyone feel comfortable of being themselves. The sense of belonging comes from long-term education and attraction, whereas unity out of fear stands for a short while and is easily broken the next minute. As the immigration and integration process continues, young Americans are of more and more identities, which will eventually lead to a diminishing influence of races. Since American’s grandchildren will all be “Mexicans”, people ignore their identities and get along friendly.
Drawn from this essay, I think our government needs to take a new look into this complex society if they do want an improvement in immigration laws. It has to recognize the positive effects that illegal immigration has brought us and the reason why they flow here. The cliché of black color needs to be removed and we must take a sensitive attitude towards the changing world that our cultural geography has shifted. We are now preparing ourselves to a world where distinctions and assimilations are coexisting in harmony.

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