This clip is a great example of political divide, specifically in America. Immigration has been a heated topic since the 1800’s and possibly even longer. When the Irish started coming over in the 1800’s, people would put signs up at their work saying “No Irish Need Apply”. Since then there have been many other forms of political divide, for example the Dreamers which became very popular during President Obama’s time in office, or Masterpiece Cake shop, where the owner did not want to make a wedding cake for a same sex couple in 2018. American political culture is not like any other country, we only have two main parties, compared to other countries like South Africa with over 40 parties.
This clip focuses on Dreamers, and how even though we consider them Americans, we do treat them differently and in a way not many people realize. It illustrates a core concept of American political culture because Dreamers have been a heavily debated topic since President Obama’s time in office. Dreamers are undocumented children who have been brought to the United States of America by their parents and the children have not known anything other than America. Many consider these children American, however it is so heavily debated because they are not legally American and they cannot have the same access to certain things, like work or an education, as other Americans can. The other issue that comes up when talking about Dreamers is if their parents get deported, where do they go? This is debated because certain politicians believe that the children should stay in America as it is what they know, however others disagree because if they do stay here, they may not have anywhere else to go and will most likely be homeless. Trevor Noah explains this debate so well in this clip by showing how when you address Dreamers as Americans, but then talk to them in their native language, it gets confusing and brings the debates.
5 Discussion Questions:
- Do you believe that Dreamers should be granted the same freedom as people who are born in America? Why or why not?
- Do you think that English is the primary language Dreamers use?
- Do you believe that Dreamers are educated just like you are?
- This clip focuses on how politicians and everyday citizens are trying to help the Dreamers situation, but missing the point and as Trevor says “undermine what they were trying to do in the first place”. Do you think that many Americans misunderstand the politics surrounding Dreamers? Why or why not?
- Trevor mentions a time with his friends where they thought a strangers comment about being a “monkey” meant a lot more to Trevor than Trevor actually cared about, have you found yourself in a similar type of situation? What happened as a result of your situation?
I think that this project was an interesting way to explain American politics, I was never bored while making this blog post and it challenged me. The project was difficult at first, trying to find the right video and decide what to talk about, but once I figured that out the project became a lot easier. It also gave me great insight on what I will be doing in the future as a teacher. I believe you should keep doing this project as it is beneficial for all majors but especially education majors as it shows us what we will be doing on a daily basis.
Sources:
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/dream-act-overviewhttps://www.nilc.org/issues/immigration-reform-and-executive-actions/dreamact/dream-justfacts-2010-11-23/#:~:text=The%20DREAM%20Act%20(S.,way%20to%20obtain%20legal%20residency.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6/text
https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/what-daca-and-who-are-dreamers