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AlejandraCano
3August2016
English5

Discrimination

BeinginadiscoursecommunityofanimmigrantfamilywhocamefromMexicois

difficult,especiallyonmyparentsbecausetheyhadtofacediscrimination.Movingtoanew

countrywithunfamiliarfaces,makingstrangegesturesisnotwhatanyonewouldliketo

encounter.Forinstance,whenmyfamilyarrivedinAmerica,theydidntknowEnglishvery

well.Theyonlyknewhowtopronounceafewwords.TheyhadapproachedanAmericancouple

toaskfordirections,andtheyhadtriedtheirbesttocommunicatewiththem.However,the

couplehadstaredattheminanuncannywayandinsteadofhelpingmyparents,theycontinued

towalkaway.Discriminationcanhavedifferentacts,suchasverbalandphysicalactstowards

peoplebecausetheylimitopportunitiesanddiscriminatepeoplewithadifferentrace,color,

religion,etc.Theseverbalandphysicalactsofdiscriminationcanaffectanindividualoragroup

ofpeople,makingdiscriminationinhumanandunjust.

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SinceMexicoandtheUnitedStatesbordereachother,manyMexicansmigrateintothe

UnitedStates. Mexicanimmigrantshavehadtoexperiencediscrimination,suchaslimiting

education,poorjobsandlowwages,andbeingstoppedbyapoliceofficerandbeingaccusedof

beinganimmigrant.Mexicanshaveevenbeenaccusedofbeingrapist,drugaddicts,and

criminals.EvenpoliticalcandidateshavediscriminatedagainstMexicans.DonaldTrump,for

example,hasstated,WhenMexicosendsitspeople,theyrenotsendingthebest.Theyrenot

sendingyou,theyresendingpeoplethathavelotsofproblemsandtheyrebringingthese

problems.Theyrebringingdrugs,theyrebringingcrime.Theyrerapistsandsome,Iassume,

aregoodpeople,butIspeaktoborderguardsandtheyretellinguswhatweregetting(Kohn,

2015).ManyoftheMexicans,however,havecrossedtheborderbecausetheywantabetterlife

fortheirfamilyandthemselves,buthowcantheyliveabetterlifewhendiscriminationisstaring

themintheface?

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Immigrantshavehadtofaceandovercomemanydifficulties,oneofthembeing

discrimination.Discriminationisntonlyfoundinacommunity,regionorcountry.

Discriminationisfoundallovertheworld.Peoplewhobelievetheyaresuperiortowardsothers

tendtodiscriminatetheinferiorbecauseoftheirraceandcolor.Forexample,AfricanAmericans

havehadtofacediscriminationsincethe15thcentury.AlthoughAfricanAmericansdidnt

migratetoAmerica,theywereexploited,theywerestillimmigrantstothenewlandsthatthey

wereunfamiliarwith.Astheywerebroughthere,theyhadtoexperiencedifferenttypesof

discriminations.Theyfacedverbalactsofdiscrimination.TheWhiteshadexpressedtheir

feelingstowardstheAfricanAmericansinavulgarlanguage,andWhitescreatedlawsthat

prohibitedtheAfricanAmericanstogoagainstthoselawstheyhadnorights.Whiteshadalso

discriminatedtheminaphysicalact.Violence,slavery,lynching,andmurderwereallinhumane

actsthatAfricanAmericanshadtofaceandarestillfacingviolenceandmurdertodayinsociety.

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TherewasandstillisapossessiveinvestmentinwhitenessinAmericawherepeople

becomesoconflictedwiththeideaofbeingwhiteandbeingsuperiorthattheytendto

discriminatethosewhoarenonwhite,immigrants.Discriminationisanissuethathasntbeen

resolvedevenwhensomanydecadeshavepassed.

NotonlyhaveAfricanAmericansbeendiscriminated,butmanyotherraceshaveaswell.

Forexample,therewasactsofdiscriminationagainstChinesethatevolvedwhentheChinese

ExclusionActof1882hadpassed.TheChineseexclusionActof1882prohibitedChineseto

becomeU.Scitizens.TheChinesecouldnolongermigratetotheUnitedStates.Discrimination

tookadifferentcourse.Therewerelaws,almostassimilartothelawsoftheAfricanAmericans,

thatallowedtodiscriminate.Theseunjustlawsofdiscriminationgavetheminorities

disadvantagesofbeingabletocontroltheirownlivesandhaverights.

Peoplehavenotonlybeendiscriminatedbecauseoftheirrace,buttheyhavealsobeen

discriminatedoftheirgender.Peoplehavebeendiscriminatedfortheirgender,especiallythose

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inthelgbtcommunitybecausetheyhavedifferentpreferences.Theyhavebeennotedagainst

andevenmurdered.OnJune13,2016,therewasashootinginagaynightclubinOrlando,

Florida.AmanbythenameofOmarMateen,whowas29,hadgoneintothegaynightcluband

killed50people.ThemassacretheworstmassshootinginthehistoryoftheUnitedStates

beganwhenthegunmanstormedthePulseNightclubabout2a.mETwithahandgunandaSig

SauerMCX,andAR_ISstylerifle,officialssaid(Grimson,Wyllie,Fieldstadt,2016).People

aresocoldheartedandfilledofhatredthattheycoulddiscriminateandhavethecapacitytohold

agunandpullthetriggertoendsomeone'slifejustbecausetheyhaveadifferentpreference.

Discriminationbasedonrace,color,gender,etc.,whetheritsaverbalorphysicalact,

canafflictanindividualorgroupsofpeople.Discriminationhasnotonlyoccurredinthepast

affectingpeople,butitisalsooccurringtodayinthepresentbeinginhumanebecauseiscauses

sufferingthatshouldnotbeencounteredorpresentedtoanyone.Discriminationisadisk,aCD,

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thatsbeeninsertedintoapersonsbrainthatonlyreplaysandneverendsbecauseitismissing

thestopbuttontoputanendtoit.

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WorksCited
1. Kohn.Kohn:TrumpsOutrageousMexicoRemarks.CNN.CableNewsNetwork,n.d
Web.24July2016.
2.Grimson,Wyllie,Fieldstadt.MassCasualtiesAfterTerrorismatOrlandoGayClub.
NBCNews.N.p.,n.d.Web.24July2016.