We're All PEOPLE

Hello Everyone! I hope you all are feeling better than I am. I’m going to start by apologizing in case anything I say sounds mixed up and confused. I’ve been sick the past few days. I see it as an accomplishment that I was able to get out of my bed to type this.

It was mentioned in class to look at the readings we have been investigating and make special note of the language used in them. In the articles “When The Melting Pot Boils Over” by Sean Scully and “Pa. City Puts Illegal Immigrants on Notice” by Michael Powell and Michelle Garcia I noticed a few things in regards to the language used to frame the discussion about immigration. Several words stuck out to me: we, people, residents, them, and they.

For the most part these articles used we, people, and residents to talk about one group of people. Them and they were in regards to another group. Can you guess which words describe who? We, people, and residents described the American citizens who are residents of Hazleton (in particular it seemed to be regarding the whites). Them and they generally were words used to describe the illegal immigrants who were living in or trying to enter Hazleton.

The thing that upset me the most was in regards to the word people. Throughout both of these articles whenever the word people was said (except for one time) it was addressing the American citizens in Hazleton. One of these examples is said by Mayor Barletta, “I am just trying to stick up for the people here that elected me…” Another example made again by Mayor Barletta says, “It was draining the resources, the limited resources, to the point where I can no longer provide the public service that the legal, hardworking, tax-paying citizens should be getting… I certainly can’t tell these people here that the federal government is working on it.” In both of these cases, in just the way that people was said I can’t help but feel as if Barletta is giving the impression that only American citizens are people. It seems as if he is saying that illegal immigrants are not people, and that’s just wrong.