Anti-Mexican Discourse

Growing up, I always wondered where my father would gain energy to head to work from 4pm to 3am in the morning every day, except Saturdays. Saturdays were my favorite days because I’d be able to see my dad and spend valuable time with him and my family, together. I also wondered why was it that my family or six had to endure living in a one-bedroom apartment when my dad is the living example of the idea of meritocracy highly valued in the U.S. Beginning college two years ago, I have begun to understand the various factors that are responsible for the discriminatory violence, financial exploitation, and the acts of resistance regarding Janitors and their families.
There is a vast amount of anti-Mexican discourses that portray the Mexican population …show more content…
26) Examining the use of language in defining and promoting certain ideologies on individuals and communities is crucial to understanding why anti-Mexican discourses still linger in our society today affecting janitors across the country. Hundreds and thousands of people have traveled from various parts in Latin America into the U.S. highly influenced by the ongoing projects of colonization, war, and as a result of historical processes from different periods of our nation’s history. Many of the anti-Mexican discourses prevalent today became more prominent and highly promoted after the U.S. unjustly took over ownership of the Southwest territory composed of modern day California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico which originally belonged to Mexico. When Anglo-Americans began to settle and inhabit these areas, in the book “Myth and the History of the Hispanic Southwest” by David J. Weber, he describes how Anglo-American colonist in the Southwestern territory began to depict Mexicans inhabiting the area as: “lazy, ignorant, cheaters, thieves, cruel, subhuman, and cowardly half-breed mongrels.” (Weber, p.153) Eventually, the creation of these racist and stereotypical depictions justified the violence that would be unleashed against …show more content…
One of my dad’s favorite pieces of advice goes something along these lines, “Look at the type of work I do every night. This type of work is only reserved for those of us who didn’t take advantage of an education. That is why this is the only job I could get when I came to the U.S. You have so many opportunities here. Take advantage of them. Work hard and become somebody so you won’t have to end up like me.” When I was smaller, it was easy for me to understand this and work hard enough to not end up in the same situation as my father. Yet, as I grew older and became aware of the financial, physical, and mental exploitations that Janitor's face in the workplace, I began to question everything I was taught to believe. Why are Janitors living in detrimental living conditions although they work long hours in highly-renowned companies throughout the U.S? How do economic and political structures affect the quotidian lives of this community? These questions were so ingrained in my mind I had to find answers in order to try and comprehend the immensity of the greater problem at large Janitors have to

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