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Show THERE ARE NO IMMIGRANTS IN THE WORLD 35 used in the immigration debate, and 4) offer a counter-narrative to the widespread negative media depictions of Mexican men. I posed the questions, "What does it mean to be ‘illegal' to an undocumented Mexican immigrant man and what, if any, effect has that experience had on self-perception?" The men, however, wanted to tell more than just their experience living in the U.S. They wanted to tell the story of their lives, where they came from, why they came to the U.S., and their experiences living here. For years, immigration rhetoric has focused on public perceptions of immigrants as reflected in the media and by politicians (Esses, Lawson & Medianu, 2014; Pearson, 2010). Comparatively, little research has been done on how self-perception and cultural identity may be affected by the negative attitudes towards immigrants and years of living as an "illegal" in the U.S. Undocumented Mexican immigrant men are among the most feared groups in the U.S. (Ewing, Martinez & Runbaut, 2015). Mainstream media has played a tremendous role in manufacturing and perpetrating this belief by portraying Mexican men as violent criminals who come to the U.S. to harm American citizens (Carpenter, Mckeever & Riffe, 2012; Schemer, 2012). Although the use of "illegal" as a noun didn't originate from the media, the media is largely responsible for its widespread use (Schemer, 2012). Calling immigrants "illegals" is dehumanizing, paving the way for the broader public to "other" them, further validating an "us vs. them" framework (Ferguson & Lakoff, 2006). This serves as a rationalization for inhumane treatment and laws that violate their human rights. Undocumented Mexican men rarely get an opportunity to represent themselves in the media and, as a result, the public isn't exposed to an alternative view (Esses, et al., 2014). Pro-immigration advocates often use the same familiar rhetoric and framework to challenge and fight back against the anti-immigration sentiment. |
