Stereotypes Of Immigration Essay

Why are certain portions of our country so against immigration and immigrants? Maybe it is due to newspapers and other media outlets calling it a “National Issue” (5) or even “an important problem in communities” (6). The news’ main job is to notify people about what is going on in the world, but now they are also shaping people’s perspective towards certain issues and stories. Due to the spreading of a particular single story, immigration in the United States has become known as “a problem” (10) and “a disease” (10), as well as, immigrants are now becoming “unwelcome” (18), known as “outsiders” (29), and even becoming an “onerous burden” (15) on society. Based upon the Fairman thesis, immigration and immigrants are being referenced and portrayed, in newspapers, primarily negative based upon certain stereotypes, their

Some of these stereotypes include immigrants as “distinctively non-American” (12), “lazy” (14), and “taking advantage of local resident’s space and resources” (29). These labels being drilled further and further into people’s head by newspaper is helping readers develop a negative attitude toward immigrants and possibly even immigration as a whole. However, these negative descriptors are not the only descriptions of immigrants going around. Some Americans feel the immigrants are “victims” (26) and “strongly motivated” (17). When these positive stereotypes are mixed together with the negative, it helps not only ourselves, but also other readers see another view of immigrants and immigration. Thus, letting them shape their understanding of the topic by themselves instead of a single view being spoon fed to them by a particular newspaper. These stereotypes are with and around us all the time, however they really only seem to become prevalent around election