Author: Brandon Seidman

In George Borjas’s ‘We Wanted Workers: Unraveling the immigration narrative’ chapter 4 discusses much about the selection of immigrants within the United States. The immigration population within the United States is compromised by a diverse group of people. Borjas highlights several different themes throughout this chapter, they include: barriers to immigration, trends in the entry wage, and why national origin matters. In terms of barriers for immigrants to overcome, financial limitations stand out the most. The reason being is because moving costs are more overwhelming than the personal economic potential of financially progressing in a new environment. Possible migrants have psychological value to the social, cultural, and physical traits of their hometowns or cities and it is hard for them to give this up. Moving forward, immigrants are measured in regard to economic standards based on their past experiences such as work, education, and English language fluency. According to studies, it can be implied that since the mid-1900s, immigrants’ entry wages have been facing a decline. Such an occurrence has taken place due to the change in US labor markets. In contrast, some claim that it doesn’t even have an effect on immigration productivity. Lastly, Borjas mentions that national origins play a significant role in the success of immigrants within the United States. Generally speaking, Mexican immigrants earn less than say a German immigrant. Self-selection, the wealth of an individual’s prior country, and discrimination all play roles in this concept. If a migrant has more money than another, he or she is more likely to have a better lifestyle in terms of employment and economic opportunity. Discrimination also limits immigrants in many forms as some employers hold biases in the workforce. Overall, Borjas makes strong claims in this chapter and it is backed by profound research and data.

In George Borjas’s, ‘We Wanted Workers: Unraveling the Immigration Narrative’ the first chapter mentions a comparison that stood out to me. He mentioned that immigration and international trade have much in common because they both involve the movement of something across national boundaries. Moving forward, he progresses his prior statements into the realm of the workforce and how immigrants fill needed labor slots. Despite the economic benefits that are generated from such an action, there are some downfalls to this. One of them being the fact that these jobs are only temporarily filled, leaving a specific country filled with unnecessary people. I found this topic to be interesting as there are two sides to the argument in terms of the utilization of immigrants in society.

In the reading, ‘Race, Wrongs, and Remedies’ written by Amy Wax, there is much controversy presented. Issues beyond school, work, and families are presented within the African American community. Racism affects blacks in many other sectors including, but not limited to lending and consumer credit, housing, health care, policing, criminal justice, and law enforcement. It is inferred that there is a relative contribution of biased treatments in favor of the dominant races present in American society. Observed disparities are best addressed through reform of the victim’s own actions and strategies. Temptations to devote attention to finding elusive research of bias are challenging to avoid.

In the reading, ‘Race, Wrongs, and Remedies’ written by Amy Wax, there is much controversy presented. Firstly, I would like to point out that Wax is making most of her original references in the text to Australia as opposed to the United States, but eventually focuses on the U.S. One of the key topics she touched on directly related to aboriginals. An aboriginal is an original inhabitant of a specific body of land. Aboriginal disadvantage and comprehending historical reasons due to disadvantage offers pointers to African Americans’ treatment of dilemma. I feel as though this topic is touchy and has a lot to do with outside variables as well. I believe, that blacks are at a disadvantage in some cases due to aboriginal advantage, but not in all.

In the film, ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ directed by Arthur Penn there is much action taking place. Bonnie and Clydeportray to the viewer a complex relationship between crime and celebrity. As soon as the movie begins, the “heroes” become media sensations. Many people get beaten down by the hard times and become angry at those in power, thus leading to the outlaw pair. Throughout all of this though, Bonnie and Clyde revel in all this attention. It makes them feel as though they are of significance because it means that they will be recalled in the history books, they represent a sense immortality. Lesser-known gang members have their own reactions to this, too. Buck seems envious that Bonnie and Clyde seem to get all the media attention. On the other hand, C.W. is more like a groupie, someone who’s happy just to be close to the celebrities.

            All of the main characters in Bonnie and Clyde have very strong family ties; despite this, these circumstances typically lead to disagreement. Upon running away with Clyde, Bonnie has a strong desire to see her mother. Throughout the film, characters use phrasing such as “baby brother”. For example, Buck goes against his idea to go straight in order to rob banks with his “baby brother.” When C.W. momentarily takes charge after both Bonnie and Clyde are wounded, his first instinct is to drive to his father’s house for help. The gang that these individuals are apart of represents a close-knit family. As Clyde tells Bonnie at one point, “I’m your family now.” Despite the fact that not all the characters are blood-related, they still consider themselves a family.