Socioeconomic Personalities of People - Essay Example

You’re Name Professor Course 7 November 2006 Personal Experience Essay From many personal experiences in my life I do believe that there exist multifaceted reasons why some people turn out good natured and positive in their life and others seem to struggle and barely make it through. I feel that I am an individual that lies in the median between these two socioeconomic personalities of people. I can say, more than likely like any person in the world, I have had various adversities that I have had to deal with in my life and some are still present even today. There are no easy answers in life, and the only way I have found to really make it through the day to day struggle is to find some source of positivism and focus on that regardless of how negative the rest of the outlook for the day or week might appear to be. Personally, I feel that for me my greatest obstacles are directly related to my ethnic background, personal beliefs, color of my skin, and my own unique individuality because I do not conform to what society wants but what I feel I need for my own life instead. This makes it hard for me but it also inspires me to strive for many goals in the future. I think the most pertinent adversity that I continue to face has to do with my ethnic background. Living in America and being of Hispanic descent is not an easy task as there is a lot of discrimination in the country. I find that people tend to judge me simply because I am Hispanic. Some people don’t even realize that I can speak English even though I have been living in America for many, many years now. I am a bilingual person and I chose to learn English because I myself realize how impractical it is to be around someone who can not understand what you might be saying or vice versa. So, again I took it upon myself to take up the study of the English language and it was extremely difficult in the beginning but I have come quite a long way. Nevertheless, I am still judged based on my ethnicity and this is something that plagues me everywhere that I go. It is also a very hurtful area as I do get very tired of being stereotyped based on an entire culture. For instance, many Americans believe that Hispanic men mistreat their wives and girlfriends and tend to control there every action and emotion. Though this does hold some truth in my culture I am not like this myself but I am still labeled this way. This is a very hurtful situation and is something that should not have to be for any person at all, despite what color or ethnic identity that they might originate from. Color and ethnic background simply do not make the entire individual. What I feel people need to do is to quit looking on the outside of an individual and being so superficial in their opinions and ideas. It is when they just judge someone by how they dress and look that presents hurtful scenarios and miscommunication in society. This also tends to lead to difficulties with other races too. For instance, Hispanics and African Americans have been battling it out for a good number of years now, both not liking much about the other. However, this is due to the fact that the wrong ideas are being represented and false information about both races is being spread. If people would simply take a moment and examine a person close up and take the time to talk to them then they would not be so quick to judge and create violent situations with their statements. Another issue that I deal with and that I personally see between African Americans and Hispanics is the interpretation they have about how Hispanics are trying to take all of the jobs and leave them with no way to improve upon their life because they are seemingly taking over the big picture in America. I can understand this to a degree but becoming violent or saying obscene things to a Hispanic individual (such as what has happened to me) does not help the situation any at all, it only makes it worse and brings retaliation. I know from my own experiences, with regard to this type of situation, hearing obscene remarks about my race and then having derogatory comments thrown in my face in public has only infuriated me and enticed me to seek revenge against those who have persecuted me rather than trying to understand their feelings and reactions. Now, perhaps if someone were to approach me in a polite manner and ask me how I believe about this or that or what my culture perceives a certain social situation to be then my attitude would be much different than what it has been in the past but currently no one has really been polite or honest about how they really feel in racial situations. To further complicate issues in life for me, with regard to my race, I have very often had to deal with conversations about the migration of those of Hispanic ancestry into America, which I think I previously mentioned. Caucasian Americans in particular often ask why Hispanics continue to enter into America. I become irate with questions such as these because common sense should tell the American people that foreign people come to this country for better opportunities and to improve upon their personal lives. It is the main reason that I traveled to America from Peru so many years ago. America is known to be a land of opportunity and as far as I know there is nothing written that states this is just for those born within this country's borders. When I tell people why I came here they seem sympathetic and understanding but at the same time they begin talking about how there isn’t much room for progress for the natural born citizens with the tremendous amount of fluctuation in migration and illegal immigrants seeping through the borders, etc. What makes me angry is that Americans presume the majority of Hispanic people to be illegal citizens and therefore argue that a good percentage of them don’t have a right to be here in this country. It is the statements that they make and the false accusations that continue which make I and other Hispanic people angry and irritated. This again is a simple stereotype based on ethnicity and rumor. The main point of fact is that if people were to examine the truth to the matter more wholeheartedly instead of going on hearsay and inappropriate or misguided information there would not be so much drama coming from the situation. Because of all of the negativity associated with migration and illegal citizens I feel really hopeless in my life at times. I sense people looking at me and feel that they are wondering if I have a legal right to be here or not. I personally know that I am a legal citizen but that does not change my feelings or my attitude I have about how others are perceiving me. I know there are a lot of Hispanic people that feel this exact way, especially with the new laws that are being implemented with the control of the border here in this country. Although I can understand people’s feelings about so many others coming into this country and their questions over the legality of the situation, they do not have to point fingers or make accusations when they do not have all of the facts. This issue alone is one that complicates my life so matter of factly that it is hard to concentrate and keep my own goals on track and in site for myself. I do have to say that I think African Americans are more aggressive towards Hispanics with regard to this type of dilemma more so than Caucasian Americans are and I think this is because of the fact that African Americans have been struggling so hard already in the country for so long. It is true that African Americans have worked hard to make a place within America and they have had a long struggle with it do to past slavery issues, etc. However, they should not start putting blame for not getting promotions or having a shortage of jobs or living space onto Hispanic people when it is not just the Hispanic people’s fault. The government has some control over this type of matter as well. The violence that has been occurring is outrageous and again it could be quelled if the citizens in America actually knew the entire truth about Hispanics living situations and their legality within America, period. This type of controversy makes Hispanic people in particular ask themselves, “will it ever end?” I feel this way all the time, wondering how much longer such racial violence will have to continue before it can flounder to the wayside? I am beginning to feel that it will never decrease because there is too much hate associated with it. I know that not only are Hispanics racially discriminated against but many other races are as well. It just happens that the Hispanic identity is the one that has been to blame for so much drama of late which is sad for me to have to say because myself and my culture are not solely responsible for the entire disharmony that is taking place within America. Americans bring a good percentage of this unhappiness and racial violence onto themselves as well so there is more than just one side to blame in the matter. The main point of the matter is that for there to be peace and contentment between all races in the country of America the racial profiling from law enforcement, businesses, citizens, and all other areas has to stop or it will not ever end. Racial profiling has become the most serious problem for me in my life, and I have been discussing this throughout this personal essay. The Declaration of Independence teaches American citizens "All men are created equal." Through this ideal, we infer that we each have an equal opportunity to live "The American Dream" of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Despite laws that date back to the constitution of the United States of America, racial equality is still absent from today's society. Only those who choose not to look, and those who are naïve and determined to remain blind, believe that humankind has evolved to a standard that does not judge based on skin color, or ethnic background. We only need to recall the dozens of black churches that were burned in the south during the early nineties, or remember that a black man was dragged to his death behind a pickup truck, and even the Native American beat to death by a man with a baseball bat, both victims of vicious hate crimes not even five years ago. Hispanics are being done in the same way without much regard for their feelings or what the accusations being made about their residency in America are doing to their lives either. By analyzing significant acts that have occurred since the Declaration of Independence, it has indeed become obvious that the plight of the minority of Hispanics and other non-White people in the United States is only slightly better that it was one hundred years ago. From the very beginnings of American history it is evident that the masses of white men and women were not concerned with the rights and liberties of minorities then nor are they truly concerned with them now. The Declaration of Independence that so many of us have learned about is actually a revised version of an original draft. The revised version is only a declaration of partial independence, claiming freedom for those settlers that happened to be white, male, and landowners. Perhaps this is why there is such hatred and animosity towards the Hispanics that continue to enter into America, it isn’t for certain however. The thing is this type of controversial issue can be changed if the government in America recommends it needs to do so. People need to become more accepting of other nationalities because again, as the Declaration of Independence shows it is meant for freedom for all people, no matter what others have drawn into this type of theory over the decades. Unless an effort is made to stop discrimination, it will continue to spread and consume America from the inside out. A country as great as the United States, that has the power to thwart wrongdoing on all corners of the globe, cannot ensure that all of its citizens will be treated fairly, and will not judged on the basis of the color of their skin. This is a very sad and unfortunate situation, one in which I am fully a part of. It is extremely haunting for the Hispanic people and all minorities for that matter to still be judged and discriminated against after all the trials and tribulations in America have taken place over the decades. The plight of the minority has become improved over time but for Hispanics it is very slow in doing so, specifically with more and more attention being given to the borders and the thoughts that citizens in America have about the majority of Hispanics not having a right to be here in this country. To bring finality to this personal piece, the only hope for this type of circumstance is to truly have faith that the Constitution will one day be representative of all people despite where they are coming from or going to in America. America was founded based on a theory of equal rights for all, and the words of the Constitution of the United States should apply to every man, woman, and child, but still today they do not. If Americans cannot live together in harmony, it will be the destruction of the mightiest country ever formed. Read More