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Chicano-studies expert tackling questions

What's a Chicano? Is it an illegal, a Mexican, or legal immigrant. Illegal aliens are not immigrants, they are criminals. It took this guy and 8,000+ mile bike ride to find out that the american people are tired of supporting and having to put up with these illegals? Why the american people don't like the illegals? The name illegals says it all. And the fact that the vast majority are coming from Mexico illegally they are easier to target and spot as illegals and are treated with the disrect and dislike they deserve. Not to mention all the ID thefts they perpetrate and victimize americans with. This guy should go back and join his ancestral Mayan culture he grew up with. Illegals do america no good and have contributed vastly to crime and deaths in america on the rise annualy with their criminal lifestyles.

Dear Bob, although it is not my duty to enlighten you... The notion of Chicana/o is a controversial one. It holds many different meanings for different people. Historically is has been understood as a person of U.S. citizenship and Mexican ancestry. Presently, the definition has morphed into a social justice ideology which recognizes the marginalization of Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and Latina/os alike as a product of systemic practices of inequality. You can say it is a consciousness.

As for the many accusations you have made, I am not surprised you feel this way given all the negative media attributed to this hot button issue. However, you would be surprised to find out that most identity theft related crimes are perpetrated by U.S. citizens and that undocumented communities in reality pump many millions into the economy without redeeming the benefits.

Your argument is a reflection of poorly researched mediated narratives which promote xenophobia. Tell me, are you ready/willing to work in the California fields? These communities encounter a glass-ceiling upon entering the U.S. which track them into jobs with poor job security and alarming health conditions ,codes, & practices.

Undocumented or not, STILL HUMAN!

The line between illegal and legal has been blurred, as predicted by Barbara Jordan in her immigration committee report to Washington in 1994. It is too bad. But illegal is only part of the equation (30% of it actually if you believe the Pew numbers).
Another part of it is the Third World influx. For those readers who just said, "Aha! A xenophobe." I suggest you read "Heaven's Door" by George Borjas or perhaps a paper by Samuel Huntington called "The Hispanic Challenge."
Assimilation is the third prong of this issue. I'm not talking about tacos and mariachi music. I'm talking about language, DUIs, financial responsibility (auto insurance, health insurance, retirement planning..), domestic violence (including date rape), street litter, and the value of education.
Spare me the comments that these aren't just immigrant problems. I know that.
The fourth issue is a dominance of Hispanic immigrants. The whole idea of immigration reform back in 1965 was true diversity. We are back to a "One Note Samba."
If you're looking at those issues professor, you are on the right track. If you just want to chant "Si, se puede!" you are a dime a dozen.

Aha... Mr. One Vote, it is easy to become trapped in the privileged position... Last I observed (from personal experiences in learning institutions) White or dominant values are fully represented in textbooks, media, and in politics... Those who share those dominant values learn they belong, while "others" are marginalized and (de)legitimized within spaces said to empower.

You see, viriarchy is the most ancient form of domination, and color-blindness & assimilation the most perfected euphemisms for racial-cultural genocide and inequality.

I proudly chant "Si se puede!"... it is awfully disheartening to see the ways in which our culture is received and dismissed (except in times when folk crave tacos- sarcasm). The dominant culture has negatively plagued and co-opted our traditions, utilized and exploited our labor, while failing to recognize our many cultural, educational, and economic contributions. I remind you, the U.S. was founded on foreign soil and it is unlike any other country- NON-MONOLITHIC!

I welcome your challenge... at the same time, I invite you to reconsider your ethnocentric definition of diversity and to ponder: What is the real spirit of the U.S.? Diversity in all respects? Or is it about diversity of phenotype under the flag of Whiteness/White standards?

Prof, it boils down to this: Americans don't want their country turned into Mexico. Heck, the Mexicans don't even want to live there.

Dear Brainwrap,

let us not forget this part of the U.S. was once Mexico... And whether you like it or not, Mexican peoples have inhabited the place for thousands of years! And as long as globalism and NAFTA exist, immigration will continue...

Sad reality is that you will continue to benefit from a market of cheap goods and labor...and undocumented and authorized immigrants alike will continue to occupy a locality of inferiority until we take a stand... and acknowledge them for more than their labor.

Happy New Year... enjoy your cheap meal... quality of your exploited undocumented communities...

~ Sonia

Bravo Sonia! could not of said it better myself. I am glad to witness that there are still individuals with knowledge in this country. I strongly urge you to continue spreading wisdom/knowledge among the ignorant community we encounter these days.

Sonia- Are you a proponent of Aztlan? Are you interested in taking back your land? A Zogby poll says that 58% of Mexicans still believe they are entitled to their pre-1846 land. Is that what "Si, se puede!" means to you? Wow! And you never really said anything about the assimilation problems, except to defend them. Are you a proponent of "machismo"?