4 ms·

It's not a "problem" per se, it's unskilled, untrained labor and someone with no resources trying to make it. Not all hard work gets a reward. Not everyone ha

It's not a "problem" per se, it's unskilled, untrained labor and someone with no resources trying to make it. Not all hard work gets a reward. Not everyone has a happy ending. While statistically, you have a better chance of making a "high" salary in the USA, it really also depends on what you do and who you know. Picking up cans also sounds like they could be undocumented, with no "legal" work papers. Many times, it would/could be better for someone to stay in their "origin" country and live a regular life, but at the same time, you have to think - "would many people that have a network and a "career" leave everything they have, uproot their close family and go to another country, where even the language is different to pick up cans? Is that sacrafrice? Is it worth it? Is it even legal? (lols) As shown with "amiga" in the article - the authors parents also do not know English. The same happens with many "normal" Americans as well. The ones that are illiterate, have a poor network of friends, uneducated, etc. While we don't hear about it as often, it's pitted away as more depressing/their own fault because "they were born in the USA anyway." -- Nothing against the author, but it reads as poverty porn. Great she accepts herself, and isn't ashamed, and while we may all think she should wear it as a badge of honor - in reality, the more socially distanced you appear to your peers, the more you are. Pariah is pariah.

shortstuffsushi 5y ago
I think the one bit you've not covered here is the children. While the parents likely will live a life of difficulty and work, their children become part of the American education pipeline that makes it quite likely they will be, if nothing else, integrated into society in a manner that will make their taking the next upward class step much easier. The parents are taking the hit to their livelihoods and careers to enable the next generation to be more successful. It's not a guarantee, but probably more upward mobility here.
snapetom 5y ago
Your comment is a sobering economic reality of what it's like for immigrants, documented and undocumented, and even putting aside the huge cultural adjustments. We're biased in tech because we see H1-B visa holders living a comfortable life, even with lower wages. However, this is an outlier in current, and certainly prior, immigrant stories. Immigrating to a new country is downright hard. Many times it's unskilled, but also, at least in the Western countries, it's an issue of unrecognized skills that makes things difficult. My father had an EE degree and certifications from his home country, but the US, where we immigrated, didn't recognize them. He had to work in lower skilled jobs in electronics for years because of this. I remember going can scavenging with him to supplement household income. It was a decent way to put food on the table back in the early 80's.

shortstuffsushi 5y ago

I think the one bit you've not covered here is the children. While the parents likely will live a life of difficulty and work, their children become part of the American education pipeline that makes it quite likely they will be, if nothing else, integrated into society in a manner that will make their taking the next upward class step much easier. The parents are taking the hit to their livelihoods and careers to enable the next generation to be more successful. It's not a guarantee, but probably more upward mobility here.

snapetom 5y ago

Your comment is a sobering economic reality of what it's like for immigrants, documented and undocumented, and even putting aside the huge cultural adjustments. We're biased in tech because we see H1-B visa holders living a comfortable life, even with lower wages. However, this is an outlier in current, and certainly prior, immigrant stories. Immigrating to a new country is downright hard. Many times it's unskilled, but also, at least in the Western countries, it's an issue of unrecognized skills that makes things difficult. My father had an EE degree and certifications from his home country, but the US, where we immigrated, didn't recognize them. He had to work in lower skilled jobs in electronics for years because of this. I remember going can scavenging with him to supplement household income. It was a decent way to put food on the table back in the early 80's.