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I dunno....I hear a lot of assertions of "racism" in El Paso, I'm a little suspicious as to what people mean.
Do people say "racism" because many jobs in the city require bilingual abilities? Well, that's not racism; it's just something you have to deal with in an international city. Folks sometimes come here expecting the city to be like where they lived in Illinois, Ohio, Alabama, etc., and then they're shocked to discover that the city is indeed on the border with Mexico and has a large Mexican-American population.
That's not to say racism doesn't exist here. It exists everywhere. And, yes, I've had the problem of getting jobs here because of my inability to speak Spanish, but I know it's not a case of racism, but rather a case of practicality. Companies are going to want to hire people who can deal with all of the public, not just a portion.
I have my problems with this city--crappy job opportunities and low salaries, mainly--but racism and crime have never been a problem for me, and I've lived on the east side, west side, central, and downtown. Technically, I'm hispanic, but you'd never know by looking at me or speaking to me. And I've experienced REAL bigotry on the east coast, the kind where you get pummeled by people with metal bars on your way home just because your last name is different from everyone else's.
In my 20 years of living here, the most discriminatory experience I've had directed at me came from the fact that I'm not a Dallas Cowboys fan.
Not trying to stoke anyone's anger here, folks, but when I start hearing the "racism" card dragged out, it's more often than not a case of folks just having a hard time adjusting to such a different place. Just my dos centavos.
I dunno....I hear a lot of assertions of "racism" in El Paso, I'm a little suspicious as to what people mean.
Do people say "racism" because many jobs in the city require bilingual abilities? Well, that's not racism; it's just something you have to deal with in an international city. Folks sometimes come here expecting the city to be like where they lived in Illinois, Ohio, Alabama, etc., and then they're shocked to discover that the city is indeed on the border with Mexico and has a large Mexican-American population.
That's not to say racism doesn't exist here. It exists everywhere. And, yes, I've had the problem of getting jobs here because of my inability to speak Spanish, but I know it's not a case of racism, but rather a case of practicality. Companies are going to want to hire people who can deal with all of the public, not just a portion.
I have my problems with this city--crappy job opportunities and low salaries, mainly--but racism and crime have never been a problem for me, and I've lived on the east side, west side, central, and downtown. Technically, I'm hispanic, but you'd never know by looking at me or speaking to me. And I've experienced REAL bigotry on the east coast, the kind where you get pummeled by people with metal bars on your way home just because your last name is different from everyone else's.
In my 20 years of living here, the most discriminatory experience I've had directed at me came from the fact that I'm not a Dallas Cowboys fan.
Not trying to stoke anyone's anger here, folks, but when I start hearing the "racism" card dragged out, it's more often than not a case of folks just having a hard time adjusting to such a different place. Just my dos centavos.
We did have a hard time adjusting to El Paso. It didn't help that my 10 year old daughter was called a "blanca backa (sp) within the first week of school by the "other nice girls" in her class. When we went on field trips with the school, the other mothers spoke exclusively spanish and left the white woman on the sidelines. That my pretty daughter was told she would never get a date for the prom. Yes I know girls can be cruel, but mine had the good manners not to retaliate and call the "fat older (held back a couple of years) girl" out.
That I could not get help in Walmart on several occasions because the employees didn't speak "english". That I could not get a job, despite college education - didn't speak spanish. That in some department stores, announcements are made in spanish.
It was a shock to my family. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but as far as we are concerned - El Paso is an extension of Mexico just with high taxes.
I dunno....I hear a lot of assertions of "racism" in El Paso, I'm a little suspicious as to what people mean.
Do people say "racism" because many jobs in the city require bilingual abilities? Well, that's not racism; it's just something you have to deal with in an international city. Folks sometimes come here expecting the city to be like where they lived in Illinois, Ohio, Alabama, etc., and then they're shocked to discover that the city is indeed on the border with Mexico and has a large Mexican-American population.
That's not to say racism doesn't exist here. It exists everywhere. And, yes, I've had the problem of getting jobs here because of my inability to speak Spanish, but I know it's not a case of racism, but rather a case of practicality. Companies are going to want to hire people who can deal with all of the public, not just a portion.
I have my problems with this city--crappy job opportunities and low salaries, mainly--but racism and crime have never been a problem for me, and I've lived on the east side, west side, central, and downtown. Technically, I'm hispanic, but you'd never know by looking at me or speaking to me. And I've experienced REAL bigotry on the east coast, the kind where you get pummeled by people with metal bars on your way home just because your last name is different from everyone else's.
In my 20 years of living here, the most discriminatory experience I've had directed at me came from the fact that I'm not a Dallas Cowboys fan.
Not trying to stoke anyone's anger here, folks, but when I start hearing the "racism" card dragged out, it's more often than not a case of folks just having a hard time adjusting to such a different place. Just my dos centavos.
I do believe there is racism. Not equally in all parts of town. In parts of the Northeast and West side, people of many backgrounds can find work. In some areas of town, if you aren't from Mexico you won't fit in, you won't find work.
It is discrimination no matter what you want to call it. Black Americans, White Americans, Asian Americans might as well find signs up "non-Mexicans need not apply".
You're talking about fluent Spanish being required for jobs that really don't require it. Does bussing tables really require a 4 year language degree? Does fixing a car require that? No, but language is being used to exclude anyone not from a Mexican ancestry.
It's like racism anywhere -- when you find a business that is 100% one ethnicity there is something going on in their hiring policies.
We did have a hard time adjusting to El Paso. It didn't help that my 10 year old daughter was called a "blanca backa (sp) within the first week of school by the "other nice girls" in her class. When we went on field trips with the school, the other mothers spoke exclusively spanish and left the white woman on the sidelines. That my pretty daughter was told she would never get a date for the prom. Yes I know girls can be cruel, but mine had the good manners not to retaliate and call the "fat older (held back a couple of years) girl" out.
That I could not get help in Walmart on several occasions because the employees didn't speak "english". That I could not get a job, despite college education - didn't speak spanish. That in some department stores, announcements are made in spanish.
It was a shock to my family. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but as far as we are concerned - El Paso is an extension of Mexico just with high taxes.
So, um, your little girl was teased a couple of times, some mothers were speaking Spanish, and there are bilingual announcements in stores. Okay, so THAT'S racism? Come on, please. The main problem is that you've never been exposed to life on the US-Mexico border before. It's been like that forever. My father would speak Spanish to his relatives, even when I was in the room. Wasn't bigotry--they were just used to it, is all.
And having a college education doesn't guarantee anyone a job. Unless you have a skill-based degree in business, engineering, or the sciences, then it's never going to be easy-going when it comes time to finding employment. I've got a couple of degrees and couldn't find a job in this city, either. Wasn't because of racism. I just didn't have the skills that local employers wanted. Luckily, I found an employer eventually.
El Paso is mainly a service industry-based economy, heavily reliant on stores and restaurants. To work in places like that, you're going to have to interact with the public. Since the city is a gateway to Latin America, you're going to have a lot of folks coming here to spend money, so you'll need to communicate with them. If you own a business, it makes good sense to have at least some folks on your staff who are bilingual. Go to any city in America that has large numbers of immigrants or foreign shoppers and you'll encounter the same situation (LA or NYC, for example).
Think of learning some Spanish as just another skill that some employers want, like learning Micorsoft Excel or PowerPoint. If you want a good office job, then many employers want you to have a good working knowledge of MS Office. If you want a job dealing with the public in El Paso, then it's best to learn a few key phrases in Spanish. But if you don't want to pick up a few key phrases, then why should employers in a city like El Paso take a risk on you?
I do believe there is racism. Not equally in all parts of town. In parts of the Northeast and West side, people of many backgrounds can find work. In some areas of town, if you aren't from Mexico you won't fit in, you won't find work.
It is discrimination no matter what you want to call it. Black Americans, White Americans, Asian Americans might as well find signs up "non-Mexicans need not apply".
You're talking about fluent Spanish being required for jobs that really don't require it. Does bussing tables really require a 4 year language degree? Does fixing a car require that? No, but language is being used to exclude anyone not from a Mexican ancestry.
It's like racism anywhere -- when you find a business that is 100% one ethnicity there is something going on in their hiring policies.
That's funny--there are a lot of black and white Americans where I work, along with Hispanics and some folks from Mexico. In fact, many of the local businesses and real estate owners are whiter than vanilla ice cream. They seem to do okay.
Fixing a car? Busing tables? Both jobs require interaction with the public, then you may need to know some Spanish if you live here. And who said anything about a 4-year degree? There are cheap continuing education classes at EPCC and UTEP that teach conversational Spanish, if you'd like to pick up on some phrases to help you out.
And, yes, many of the businesses here have almost 100% Mexican-Americans workers there. Know why? Might have something to do with the fact that most of the city is populated by Mexican-Americans. Go figure. By your logic, if I went to, say Nebraska, moved into a small, mostly white town and found most of the businesses manned by whites, then I could scream "racism!" That would be silly, of course.
I think this just confirms my suspicion. When I hear the racism card pulled out, it usually has nothing to do with someone facing racism, just with someone having a difficulty in adjustment to a new place.
Like I've said, I've encountered real bigotry when I was a kid living up east. Physical beatings, threatening phone calls, and so on. All done by good-ol'-'Murrican freckle-faced kids--and just because of my name. When you pull out the term "racism" simply because you're living in a unique environment on the border, then you cheapen the actual meaning behind the concept of racism.
You sound like certain whites who don't believe racism against blacks exists. In denial.
Or you sound like you have a big resentment of Americans and see El Paso as payback for any perceived insults or slights. Revenge time, force Americans to speak a foreign language that isn't their own ancestors' language. Yet encourage Mexicans to never learn English because they must cling to their own ancestors' language.
This is the attitude that so many Americans see in El Paso and why it remains a low-wage town and until it can overcome that attitude, it always will be. There will continue to be a brain drain until people here decide to become a part of the USA.
when your children aren't invited to parties with their classmates, because they are white, that is racism. when the spanish speaking mothers on a field trip, who do speak english choose to exclude the white mother, that is racism.
TexanWest, Yes, those things are racist. But to answer your question~if you went to certain places in Neb., you would find a lot of people of your race. I doubt that you'd be shunned or beaten because you aren't white. I really am sorry that it happened to you in the past though.
So, um, your little girl was teased a couple of times, some mothers were speaking Spanish, and there are bilingual announcements in stores. Okay, so THAT'S racism? Come on, please. The main problem is that you've never been exposed to life on the US-Mexico border before. It's been like that forever. My father would speak Spanish to his relatives, even when I was in the room. Wasn't bigotry--they were just used to it, is all.
And having a college education doesn't guarantee anyone a job. Unless you have a skill-based degree in business, engineering, or the sciences, then it's never going to be easy-going when it comes time to finding employment. I've got a couple of degrees and couldn't find a job in this city, either. Wasn't because of racism. I just didn't have the skills that local employers wanted. Luckily, I found an employer eventually.
El Paso is mainly a service industry-based economy, heavily reliant on stores and restaurants. To work in places like that, you're going to have to interact with the public. Since the city is a gateway to Latin America, you're going to have a lot of folks coming here to spend money, so you'll need to communicate with them. If you own a business, it makes good sense to have at least some folks on your staff who are bilingual. Go to any city in America that has large numbers of immigrants or foreign shoppers and you'll encounter the same situation (LA or NYC, for example).
Think of learning some Spanish as just another skill that some employers want, like learning Micorsoft Excel or PowerPoint. If you want a good office job, then many employers want you to have a good working knowledge of MS Office. If you want a job dealing with the public in El Paso, then it's best to learn a few key phrases in Spanish. But if you don't want to pick up a few key phrases, then why should employers in a city like El Paso take a risk on you?
"My little girl was teased a few times". They made her life a living hell. She was slapped, tripped and excluded from everything. The school counsellor had to become invoved and the girls "mother" had to meet with him repeatedly.
Yes maybe I should have learnt spanish, but quite honestly why should I have to - I thought I was still in the USA and english was the language spoken. El Paso is in the USA isn't it!!!!! I did pick up a few words, but not enough to get by.
And as to the job situation, we moved back to the East Coast and within three weeks I had two offers of employment, one of which I accepted and am enjoying.
But thank you for your comments. I am more than happy to have left El Paso, and believe me, it will be a cold day in hell before I would return.
i am with you on that. i won't be coming back here for anything. 3 days left in hell on earth.
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