The first thing I noticed was the similarities between the Mexican immigrants and the Filipino immigrants we read about in the articles on transnationalism. The Davila article mentions how Mexico is quite dependent on remittance (sending back of money) from its residents in America; Miyares’s article explains how America and Mexico maintain transnational ties with the sending of envlos and cargas (shipment of money and goods), similar to the sending of balikbayan boxes to the Philippines by Filipino immigrants living in America. This similarity illustrates the importance of transnationalism, as well as how many countries operate in similar manners (something, though, that we should be careful not to oversimplify).
From the articles, I found out that a group’s motives could contradict its desires. For example, the Puerto Ricans and Mexicans strive to make themselves culturally distinct from each other, yet do not hesitate greatly to ask the other for help in maintaining El Barrio as a “Latinized neighborhood.” For example, a Puerto Rican teacher assets that El Barrio will live on as a Latino neighborhood even if the Puerto Ricans move out because the Mexicans are “here to stay.” If we think about though, it is the natives of America who coin the terms “Latinos” and “Hispanics”, so it is interesting how groups moving to America fit themselves into the categories or relate to other cultures in their category even if they never would have while back in their home countries.
Also going back to the previous articles on whether or not to call certain areas Chinatowns, how could we call Sunset Park a Chinatown? Doing so “disregards all the other people still living in the community”, according to one of its residents. For example, the Puerto Ricans and Dominicans have also made their mark in Sunset Park. It is also interesting how the garment and sweatshop industries in Sunset Parks. From the articles and various other media, we can see that many consider Asians to be the group to emulate in terms of work ethic and dedication to education- however, does that characterization also allow for many people to be taken advantage of, because their need for a job may outweigh their needs for suitable work conditions, and because they want to fit in? In the article on Mexican El Barrio, the Mexican immigrants experienced a similar situation in that they are hard-working and “good model citizens”, but are unable to make their voice heard in the decision-making politics of the area.
