TV Tokenism: Criminal Minds

SOURCE

Criminal minds is a popular network drama and this cast photo refutes Mr. Bolos's thesis because although Derek Morgan is the only minority character he is featured in the center of the shot and is shown as larger than most other characters. This indicates that he is a main character and of some importance to the show.

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"Profiler Profiled" Season 2 Episode 12 - This episode was early in the show's life and it was part of a series of episodes that developed Morgan's character and explored his past. This shows that he is not just a token minority character but that his character has depth and is important to the show if they are going to spend multiple episodes developing that character so early in the show's lifetime. Also note that he is not wearing a suit nor is he used as a "side kick" to reign in any of the other characters. This clip shows that he has a wide range of emotions and also illustrates the conflicts in his life as well as his elaborate personality. Therefore Derek Morgan in Criminal Minds refutes Mr. Bolos's thesis.

Agricultural dependency on illegal immigrants

Sign warning illegal immigrants

                While looking up the term “illegal immigrant” in the etymology dictionary I found the term “wet back”, which has come to be another term for illegal immigrants. It refers to illegal immigrants swimming past the Rio Grande to get to America. The term “wet back” was so incredibly racist and rude that it reminded me of discrimination and racism or African-Americans, which we are studying in my American Studies class.

                So I was looking up the term “illegal immigrant” in the etymology dictionary because I was reading “Help Wanted” an article by David Eddy, which I read in American Fruit Grower, a produce magazine that my parents left on the table. The article made the argument that the government’s crack down on illegal immigrants is hurting the produce industry and thus hurting America’s ability to produce its own food. The article also touched on the injustice of the laws preventing the hiring of illegal immigrants as well as expelled rumors surrounding illegal immigrants. For example, many believe that immigrants do not pay taxes, but they do pay taxes and social security under a false name. However most return to Mexico and do not retire in America and therefore do not collect social security. Another rumor is that they are taking jobs away from America who is sufferings an enormous unemployment rate, however most jobs in the agriculture industry have gone unfilled after these laws were enacted. These were the defenses used by the politicians to rally support for these laws, which created a racist sentiments and stereotypes against Mexicans.

Migration patterns of illegal immigrants similar to the migration
patterns of African-Americans in the early 1900's

                “’One day we will look back on this and say this is almost as bad as the Jim Crow laws,’” said Gary Paulk a blackberry farm owner who is suffering from the loss of workers, quoted by Eddy. Similar to the Jim Crow laws these state laws are preventing Mexican workers from bringing home money to thier families as well as preventing American farmers from producing food for their nation. Paulk is saying that the state governments are creating these laws out of racism, because in reality implementing guest worker programs would be more beneficial and wouldn’t make cause the decline that is being seen in the agriculture industry. The government is spending money to crack down on illegal immigration while it fuels America's agricultural industry which is now crumbling because of the loss of labor. 

What do you think should be done about illegal immigration?

Racism all gone?

From the AS Field Trip in the fall

The first use of the word "gentrification" and phrase "white flight" was in 1964 and 1967, respectively.  These dates are around the times of the Civil Rights Movement and can hinting at the movements strides towards equal hosing opportunities.




Today, in the Chicago land area, neighborhoods can be categorized by race which is often a result of socioeconomic standings. A quote from the excerpt of  "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander says "A new race-neutral language was developed for appealing to old racist sentiments, a language accompanied by a political movement that succeeded in putting the vast majority of black back in their place" (Alexander, 40). The phrase "back in their place" suggests a predetermined place for African-American people in the minds of the majority of the population. Whether this thought is a thought that is subconscious or one that is apparent to the thinker is unknown but racist sentiments are apparent in virtually all areas of society.

Part of 14th Place

This is interesting because earlier in the year my American Studies class took a field trip and looked at different neighborhoods in Chicago, which is when I first learned the terms "gentrification" and "white flight". And as I was doing some living this weekend I saw its applications. In many torn down neighborhoods, such as the area around West 14th pl., I saw signs advertising the fact that new buildings were going up and more condos and single family homes were being built. The neighborhood had vacant lots and poor infrastructure but it looked as if it were improving because of the new buildings and families that were moving in. This was a real life example of gentrification to me.

A changing 14th Place

However, on the flip side, I also saw neighborhoods, such as Edgewater, which my mom claimed was an upscale neighborhood back in the day. It had theaters with boarded windows and beautifully crafted buildings that had been closed down as well as many closed small businesses with gates over the windows. This was a real life example of white flight to me.

The sounds of the phrase "white flight" even creates a racial system that puts whites on top. I think that Michelle Alexander's message of an ever present racist sentiment is very apparent in the neighborhoods of Chicago, which suggests that the African-Americans have "their place" in the city which is far from the suburbs of Chicago. Although most of us would like to believe that racism has been defeated on literally all fronts and that it only exists in the minds of racists, there is evidence of segregation and racism in virtually all areas of our society.

What are some other areas where racism can be seen?

Shirt

The shirt I researched.

A shirt is a garment that every single person in America has worn at some point in his/her life. But how often do we stop to think about our shirt? Where it came from? Who made it? When it was made? Under what conditions was it made? But over the weekend while I was doing some living I was forced to think about that for an assignment in American Studies. 

It turns out my shirt was manufactured in Dhaka, Bangladesh in a factory called "That's It". The working conditions are poor and the hours are unreasonably long.This factory has had 200 fires that have killed 600 women in the last six years. The doors were locked, similar to the Triangle Factory fire and  (Source : The Dartmouth) 

I couldn't believe I was so unaware of the sweatshop labor that made my shirt. I honestly don't remember ever thinking about where my shirt came from or who made it. I had always just assumed that it was done humanely in some sort of safe environment. 

That is the problem. We have fixed what we can see. A result of the highly publicized Triangle Factory fire was legislation crafted by President Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins. Perkins created the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 which protects American workers therefore the working conditions in America are all safe and humane. (Source: The Dartmouth)

But simply because we cannot see the cruelties overseas does not mean that we should be ignorant and let them slide. It is our duty as fellow human beings to ensure that we are all treated humanely so we should not turn a blind eye simply because it will be easier. This happens a lot in our society but seriously once you are aware of a problem you should fix it not let it continue because you are not directly related to the problem. 

What are some other problems that you think have slid by?