Who’s Really Stealing Opportunity from Who?

Narratives are stories that convey experiences, feelings, and emotions that an author chooses to convey. Sometimes these narratives can be created by groups of people that share the same values, that are going through similar situations, and that share the same opinion. As more and more people tell these stories, we have new memories being added from generation to generation. These stories become one with culture, shifting and changing as time adds new pieces of information and new perspectives. Narratives like this are called master narratives, as they become an overarching story that individuals can frame their own stories after, personalizing a general narrative to fit their own unique experiences. As narratives change and evolve with culture, the stories may influence how groups of people perceive others and their understanding of others. A master narrative that has not only evolved over the years but changed dramatically due to shifts in perspectives and outside narratives is immigrants stealing jobs In America. This narrative has been especially impactful on the Chinese, Irish, and Mexicans. America is a land built on immigrants. It is famously known for being the melting pot of cultures from all over the globe. Walking down a street in New York City, you’ll see faces of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. However, starting from the late 1800’s we see a huge shift in immigration policy and attitude. Americans went from wanting an open immigration policy to condemning the acceptance of new immigrants into the country. A huge factor in this new attitude was due to the fact that natives felt like immigrants were stealing their jobs. This, however, brings up a couple of questions; How and why did this narrative start? Was this an honest narrative or one built on scapegoating? How has this narrative changed up until today, when in terms of politics, this narrative has gained increasing importance? And finally, what implications has unresolved issues surrounding this narrative had on American society? Throughout this piece of literature, we will explore how this narrative began, implications it has had in the past, changes undergone, and how the current narrative is affecting the American society today.

Chinese, Irish and Mexican immigrants share a master narrative of being accused by the American people of stealing jobs. The first group to endure this was the Chinese. Ironically enough, in 1849 before this narrative began, America not only welcomed immigrants, but employers were desperately seeking those who wanted to work. During this time, railroads were beginning to be built, and Americans had money to build it, especially because a goldrush had just occurred in California. Being poor, desperate, and in search of a better life, the Chinese immigrants took any job they could. However, as employers began to hire these immigrants, they realized, “’that the Chinese are such excellent workers that bosses will have no other if they can get them…” (Peck 1988). The Chinese Americans began to be perceived as valuable employees due to their dedication, productivity, and ability to perform well on many different tasks. This rise in excellent workers for lower wages threatened Americans as unfair performance demands became expected of Chinese workers, causing Americans to feel intimidated and many began to fear losing their positions (Leong & Tang 2016). In addition, employer began to have preference for Chinese workers. The combination of these factors caused resentment in Americans and they accused the Chinese of lowering wages and stealing American jobs. This led to discrimination and harassment becoming prominent in the workplace and eventually, only the lowliest of jobs were left open to the Chinese (Peck 1988). Ironically enough, Americans developed this narrative in regard to Chinese immigrants, because of insecurity in the quality of their own work and because of the decisions of American employers. The Chinese were persecuted because of their virtues and work ethic which made employers want to hire them. Bands of American labor unions and racists groups eventually put enough pressure on Congress to get the Chinese Exclusion Act to be passed in 1882, showing the extent to which Americans felt threatened.

The second group of immigrants that share the narrative of stealing jobs was the Irish. Due to religious persecution and the potato blight, a large influx of Irish immigrants came about in 1845. With such a large job-seeking population moving in, American workers became alarmed with Irish immigration and feared that “cheap Irish labor” would put them out of work (Peck 1988). Due to discrimination, the only jobs available to them were the jobs that no one wanted such as, coal mining, railroad building, canal building. These jobs were hard, dirty, dangerous, and often lead to work injuries and disease. Not only were these jobs undesirable, but the pay was also extremely low, leaving the Irish to live in unsanitary urban slums. Despite these circumstances, Americans were still discriminatory and accused the Irish of stealing their jobs.

The third and final group that shares this narrative was the Mexicans. Mexican immigration has often had a pretty steady flow and even today there is significant amount of travel between Mexico and the United States for Mexican immigrants. However, the bulk of Mexican immigration occurred in the 1900s due to the Revolution in Mexico. Migrants were attempting to escape from violence and were in search of stability and employment. With such horrific conditions occurring in their homeland, many of these immigrants were willing to take any job for any pay, making it easy for employers to take advantage of them. However, the most vulnerable of the migrants, were those who migrated outside of legal channels. These workers, especially those who were undocumented, were, easy to exploit and are often taken advantage by unscrupulous employers. Similar to both the Chinese and Irish, Mexicans were often lauded by employers for their work ethic and their willingness to take jobs most Americans would not (Arnold 2007). Near the end of the decade when the Mexican Revolution broke out, labor shortages associated with American entry into the First World War also played a role in encouraging Mexican immigration (Briggs 1975). The increasing trend of the number of Mexicans emigrating to the United States continued until the 1920s, where it stopped abruptly due to the Great Depression that took over the 1930s. Then, in the 1940s, the economy turned around significantly, and this time, the American Federal Government sought out Mexican workers to fill labor shortages in the agricultural sector that developed from the World War II and the Pearl Harbor attack. The Mexican Government and the Federal Government made an agreement to create The Mexican Labor Program known as “the bracero programme” where Mexican workers did agricultural work in exchange for housing, transportation, food, medical needs and wage rates (Briggs 1975). This agreement, along with the mass influx of Mexican migrants, and employer preference for Mexican workers, both documented and undocumented, caused Americans to see Mexican work forces as a threat to the American workforce. Despite not wanting to fill the jobs the Mexicans were taking, the Americans still felt threatened that a mass number of these migrants were filling job positions in their country. The Americans also felt threatened that the Mexicans were working for such low wages, which they felt was not only pushing wages down for everyone in the workforce but guaranteeing that they would be hired over an American that would expect more in wages as they are citizens with greater rights than those of the Mexicans. From these factors, Americans added Mexicans to their narrative of immigrants stealing their jobs.

Overtime, key changes have occurred to this narrative that have had positive and negative implications, as well as, a major influence on people’s perception on immigrants. The changes that have occurred focus on the Irish and the Chinese and the changes that have occurred in social norms, wealth, and education. For the Irish, the narrative has changed in that they were able to overcome prejudice and take their place in the mainstream of American life (Peck 1988). This was proven when in 1960, John F. Kennedy, a descendant of Irish immigrants, became the first Catholic to be elected President of the United States (Peck 1988). This shows that not only were the Irish able to change their stigma of being “job stealers” but were also able to integrate into American life and become “one” with the American people. In this context, the Irish have now become a part of the population that immigrants are stealing jobs from; they are no longer considered to be immigrants or “aliens”. The Irish immigrants were able to change their narrative due to their early arrival, their skills with language, and their political and religious power (Talty 2006). An advantage that the Irish immigrants had in changing their narrative was their knowledge of English and their European background. Due to the colonization and conquest by England in the late 16^th century, English had become the majority language of many of the Irish that migrated to America. Knowing the language not only helped the Irish socialize with other Americans, but more importantly helped them get jobs. Over time, the Irish were able to use their language skill to climb occupational and social ladders through politically appointed positions such as policemen, firemen, and teachers (“Planning” 2003). In these positions, not only were the Irish respected more, but they were also able to make better wages, which gave them extra revenue to invest in things like their children’s education. In addition, being white, Europeans help the Irish assimilate faster, as they did not have to go through the same racial discrimination that colored immigrants and African-Americans had to endure. Their white skin helped them to identify better with the Americans in power which were citizens of white, European descent. Another way the Irish narrative changed was through their strong family connections and faith. The Irish overcame discrimination and prejudice through their close-knit communities and families that was held together by the Irish’s strong Catholic faith. With the new revenue they were making and the Catholic already present in America, the Irish took advantage if the American Catholic Churches to create a parochial school system for their children (Rapple 1995). Through these schools, Irish children were able to receive an education and the later generations of Irish became wealthier and more educated, leading them to go after better jobs and earn more respect amongst their fellow Americans. In fact, President John F. Kennedy was the great grandson of an Irish immigrant who started as a common laborer. His great grandfather’s hard work earned his father to be college educated and wealthy, which allowed him to raise equally as successful sons, one of which is him (Rapple 1995). The third and final way the Irish changed their narrative was through their political beliefs. Most Irishmen were Democrats, and due to this fact, the Irish saw a huge increase in political power. During the 20^th century, political machines controlled major American cities, from New York to San Francisco. With the Irish’s ability to organize, coupled with the large number of Irish living in U.S. cities, the Irish dominated New York’s Tammany Hall “political machine” (“Planning” 2003). Through this “political machine”, the Irish were able to place local power in the hands of the working class, which rewarded them with giving them the ability to get jobs, deal with discriminatory issues, gain naturalization, found social welfare programs for fellow Irish immigrants, and gain power in regard to labor action. All in all, the Irish fought hard to change their narrative as “aliens who steal American jobs” and even today are looked at as Americans who contributed to the growth of America, not the foreigners who took away from it.

The second way, the narrative of immigrants stealing jobs has changed is in regard to the Chinese immigrants. Through settlement patterns, education, work-ethic, career success, strict parenting, and language acquisition, Chinese immigrants were able to change their narrative. To give a little background, Chinese immigrants came in large numbers in the 1770s because of the California Gold Rush and railroad construction. The competition the Chinese laborers present in low-wage jobs caused the Chinese Exclusion Act to be enacted in 1882. This decreased Chinese immigration dramatically, however, later on, the passage of Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 was passed. This allowed for Chinese immigration to continue, however, it only gave immigration rights to students, professors, and other academically strong foreigners, causing the Chinese immigrants in the United states to be highly educated (Bai 2015). Due to the education levels of the new waves of incoming Chinese immigrants, many of them were tolerated in predominantly white neighborhood, and allowed to live in these communities. This gave immigrants a huge advantage in assimilation as their children were allowed to go to quality schools and had access to cultural institution to aid in their children’s and in their own assimilation. In addition to having better aids in assimilation, being in better neighborhoods prevented the Chinese immigrants from being group together with crime, gangs, poverty, and other public risks, that would have a negative impact of American perception of them. The next factor that changed the Chinese narrative was education level. Education in the United States offered opportunity to all, regardless of immigration status, ethnicity, and class (Bar 2015). This allowed Chinese immigrants to show their talents and achieve upward mobility by acquiring academic achievements. A 1980 survey but the U.S. Department of Education showed that Asian Americans receive the grade “A” more often than white Americans or any other ethnic group at school (Zinzius 2005). Education often led to high level or high-skill career options which lead to economic success. The success of Chinese immigrant children is linked the strict parenting practices of most Asian cultures that call for near perfection in any activity done at school. This parenting style is due to the work ethic of the immigrants. Chinese immigrants, even in their past narrative have been know be extremely hard-working and skilled workers. Mastering their task to the point where it is perceived as “robotic” (Leong & Tang 2016). The third and last factor in the change in narrative is the language acquisition of the Chinese immigrants. Language is the bridge that connects immigrants to a new land. As mentioned in the Irish narrative, knowing English gives immigrants a huge advantage in assimilation as foreigners are able to communicate with Americans and therefor learn more about the culture and make better connections with the natives. This is due to the fact that Americans believe that speaking the English language is a key component of national identity, which provides the social glue that holds the nation together (Schweb 2013). Many of the second and third generation Chinese immigrants were bilingual as a result of the Chinese government policies (Bai 2015). Due to the development of English becoming the official international business language, China began to put a huge emphasis on English education in Chinese classrooms, starting as early as elementary school. This helped to lower language barriers and speed up Chinese assimilation. In total, assimilation through settlement in white neighborhoods, strong educational backgrounds, emphasis on work ethic by parents, career success, and language, Chinese immigrants were able to change their narrative to one where they are one with the Americans, and not an invader on the American workforce.

Despite the change and evolution of the narrative of immigrants stealing jobs from Americans, some aspects of the narrative lay unresolved. The most prominent and alarming is the fact that Mexicans are still thought to be stealing American jobs despite the efforts to assimilate. The reason why the Mexican narrative has stayed stagnant is due to typical stereotypes associated with Mexicans and the stigma associated with the immigration status of Mexicans. In regard to stereotypes, there are many placed on Mexicans that alienate and cause further discrimination on Mexican immigrants. These stereotypes include that Mexicans are lazy, Mexican immigrants are mostly violent criminals, most Mexicans are undocumented, and that undocumented Mexican immigrants are a drain on the U.S. economy (Stroud 2017). Proof of how these stereotypes are invalid lies in the fact that many American employers see Mexicans as ideal workers who will labor cheaply, do jobs no one else will, and work harder than most Americans (Arnold 2007). Another example of how these stereotypes are false is in a White House report of June 2007 that was prepared by the President’s Council of Economic Advisors. This report concluded that “foreign -born workers have accounted for half of the labor force growth in the past decade, fueling overall economic output, creating jobs, and increasing earnings for native-born workers by as much as 80 billion a year. The lower paid foreign worker contributed to a suppression of inflation” (Jordan 2008). This statistic shows that Mexican work actually stimulates the economy. These false stereotypes prevent the Mexican narrative from changing as they keep the opinions of Americans towards Mexicans negative. Negative opinions only justify the narrative of Mexicans stealing jobs as they provide “proof” as to why this narrative would be more true than false. Another reason why the Mexican narrative has continued to stay stagnant is the stigma that most Mexican immigrants are undocumented. This stigma deals directly with the narrative because if Americans think that most Mexican immigrant are illegal, then it also justifies the narrative because people who are taking away jobs from the labor market aren’t even supposed to be in the country, they are stealing as they are taking away something that they shouldn’t even have access to. These factors have stunted the progression of the Mexican narrative of stealing jobs from Americans.

These restrictions on the progression of the Mexican narrative have caused a few implications. The most prominent implication is on American opinion on immigration. This opinion has become a prominent issue in politics and an essential determinant in recent elections. From this unresolved issue in the narrative, many Americans feel that immigration restrictions should not only be tightened and restricted further, but there should also be an increase in immigration border policies. These opinions can be seen in the plans of the current president Donald Trump. Trump’s immigration plan includes building a wall across the southern border between the United States and Mexico, fully enforcing current immigration laws and eliminating the illegal aliens from the country. These plans and actions already taken in increasing border and immigration control are causing many Mexican and other immigrant groups’ families to be ripped a part. Earlier in his presidency Trump released the “zero tolerance” policy that separated children from their parents, relatives, and other adults who accompanied them in crossing the border. The policy involves prosecuting all adults who were detained at the U.S.–Mexico border, sending the parents to federal jails, and placing children and infants under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Horwitz, Sari, & Sacchetti 2018). This policy has even been seen to go as far as separating children from those who have proper documentation at border ports, with the excuse that this procedure is to “prevent human trafficking”. This is a serious implication as America is a country built on immigrants and instead of moving towards the acceptance of this idea and the immigrants that come accompany it, America is continuing to stay in its old ways of systematic discrimination and alienation of immigrants, especially those from Mexico. In a poem written by Jimmy Santiago Baca, an American of Mexican descent, Baca describes the hardships and reality of being labeled as a “job robber” as a Mexican in America. In his poem he writes, “he children are dead already. We are killing them, that is what America should be saying; on TV, in the streets, in offices, should be saying, We aren’t giving the children a chance to live.” Mexicans are taking our jobs, they say instead. What they really say is, let them die, and the children too.” This alludes to the fact that there are bigger issues in America such as poverty, monopolization by big corporations, and uneven distribution of wealth, but the only thing America is worries about is “Mexicans are taking out jobs.” It shows how Americans are so stuck on this narrative, when it is not even a real issue, that they willingly choose to ignore other issues that have far more importance and relevance.

As a concluding thought, it can be said that the current narrative in regard to immigrants, specifically Irish, Chinese and Mexican, stealing jobs from Americans is that there is no longer a belief that Irish and Chinese immigrants steal jobs, but instead they are a part of American society as overtime they figured out ways to assimilate into the culture. As for Mexicans, the belief still lives that they are stealing jobs from immigrants due to negative stereotypes and negative stigmas regarding Mexican immigration status. This unsolved issue regarding the stagnant narrative of Mexicans cause many implications but the main implication lies in unnecessary increases in immigration restrictions and border policies, that are not only tearing families apart, but preventing the very foundation of America from entering the country. A reason why this narrative may still be so prominent today, and even why it even came in existence, may have something to do with the idea of “normalcy” as presented by Lenard Davis in his piece, “Constructing Normalcy”.  In Lennard’s piece, he talks about how societies may create a “norm” that sets certain standards in a society; those who deviate from the norm are isolated, while those who come close to achieving the norm are able to fit into society (Davis 1995). With this being said, the Americans may have created this stigma against immigrants because they did not fit their idea of what they considered “normal”. Depending on how far from their idea of normal the different groups of immigrants deviated, the easier or harder is was for them to change their narrative and assimilate. The closer the group is to the norm, the easier it is for them. In this case, it would make sense that the Irish had the easiest time of the three groups as they already fit standards such as language and skin color. This could also explain why the Mexicans are have the hardest time, as they deviate the most from the “norm” as they have a drastically different culture and language from Americans. Although this theory may not entirely be deemed true, it can definitely be considered a factor in this ever-evolving narrative.

 

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