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Hispanics have been relegated to certain jobs just like many immigrant groups...because they were not yet part and parcel of "the club" and many were undocumented. As we move forward this will change...
Also, and this is not a bad thing, if you look around the world you will find that many from Tropical and Semi-Tropical countries prefer a more balanced way of life. Celebrations, Families, Cafe Society, etc....as you note, the Rat Race and competition is not in their genes. I wouldn't want these influences to change - because, lord knows, the last thing we need is everyone climbing the corporate ladders.
Hispanics are self relegating. No place I have ever worked in MA pushed Hispanic immigrants to certain jobs, rather they would apply for those jobs because they had friends and family members already working in certain departments. And instead of working on their English skills, they preferred to hang out with other Spanish speaking workers. They are the ones self-segregating themselves when they were always welcome to work with the rest of us.
All of my Hispanic co-workers with children are in two parent situations, but their children aren't interested in pursuing STEM careers and their parents just don't care if their kids aren't 4.0 students. So despite having two parents, their kids will never succeed in life like a Jewish or Asian child will. Some will, but most just aren't interested in a life in a high powered career. But on the other hand, they place a higher priority on having time off from work and fun times. It's just the nature of being from a macho culture where the menfolk are more concerned about being a player and the women want to be sexy and attractive to all men.
I grew up in a San Antonio, Texas, a minority among minorities. You nailed it. The schools I attended had plenty of disruptive students who couldn’t care less about education with parents who couldn’t care less. Folks were being sent to alternative school (separate school for troubled kids) before they even reached 9th grade.
The same can be said for my own community. There’s an emphasis on sports and that’s about it. Parents don’t care about the academics of their kids and kids don’t care about academics as they see it as “acting white.” Even in an a technological world where one could get a high school diploma and college degree online. It’s all about “being cool, tough, getting money through illegal means, having multiple kids by different mothers to later abandon, and commiting acts of violence while blaming the system.” Even if a person makes it to the NFL, the average stint is only 3-5 years and they’re horrible at managing money.
Anyways, we live in a country where demographics such as Jews, Asian, and African immigrants have already provided the blueprint to success but we refuse to follow it.
Hispanic and black Americans will no longer have an excuse to not climb the social ladder while Asian Americans are doing it before our very eyes.
I'm not going to look it up but a huge portion of US billionaires are from a Jewish background. I hate to generalize but Jewish people in America are a huge success story when it comes to education, wealth, accomplishments, etc. I think we should ask them to teach us what they're doing so well to get such great results (I already am aware of a few things).
I'm not going to look it up but a huge portion of US billionaires are from a Jewish background. I hate to generalize but Jewish people in America are a huge success story when it comes to education, wealth, accomplishments, etc. I think we should ask them to teach us what they're doing so well to get such great results (I already am aware of a few things).
The answers are throughout this thread, if you would but read it. It boils down to intelligence, a value system in the culture - and DRIVE. The willingness to work hard and to persist in working hard - every day. This success is not due to sloth or casualness - but goal-setting, competitiveness, and a focused determination to reach and then surpass the goal, and then to set a new goal. The striving never ends. And a clear-eyed view of reality. These people don't deal in wishful thinking or fantasies. A spade is always a spade - unless, of course, they can think of a way to improve upon that spade.
Two parent families PLUS the Jewish tradition of valuing academic prowess and practicing self-discipline. And the Chinese, Japanese and Korean families have similar cultural goals for their children.
All of my Hispanic co-workers with children are in two parent situations, but their children aren't interested in pursuing STEM careers and their parents just don't care if their kids aren't 4.0 students. So despite having two parents, their kids will never succeed in life like a Jewish or Asian child will. Some will, but most just aren't interested in a life in a high powered career. But on the other hand, they place a higher priority on having time off from work and fun times. It's just the nature of being from a macho culture where the menfolk are more concerned about being a player and the women want to be sexy and attractive to all men.
No matter what group one is from children from two parent families have a much better chance at success. They will be more educated, make more money, and have a much lower rate of criminality. It's a noticeable difference.
Jewish families have a much higher rate of 2 parent families than hispanics.
A few things stand out to me, but primarily are the focus on education (formal and informal), planning, and giving back.
Even rooted in our way of experiencing our faith, critical thinking, questioning our texts and religious leaders, and discussion is a core of most of our religious experience and seems very distinct from that core experience of others. I remember being shocked when I visited churches as a kid growing up in the deep South because I was curious and no one could/would answer my questions. Why was I at the church if I wasn't even interested in being saved? To my family, it was natural! How could I know I was Jewish if I didn't research the other options? I think those strong foundations in our culture expand into other facets of our lives. Even members of my family who didn't pursue further education (much to the sadness of my grandparents) still demonstrate curiosity and an endless reading list.
There's also a strong cultural expectation for education not only for professional reasons but as a personal endeavor. There was never a question if I'd get a college degree or even a master's degree, the only question was if I'd get a PhD! But it's not limited to formal education. Had I shown strength in music, I would have been encouraged in my musical abilities. If it was theater, we would have sacrificed for that. As a child, I showed skill in writing so while most kids were running around outside playing, my parents got me a really base level computer with a word processor and an endless pile of books. When both my brother and I showed interest in politics, CSPAN came on at dinner every night and we were expected to read the paper cover to cover on Sunday mornings so we could discuss with my parents (playing devil's advocates) at dinner. I was about 6 when that started, and my friends' parents were horrified when I asked them their opinion on abortion or gay rights (which was salient because I was a child in Atlanta during the Eric Rudolph bombings).
On planning, I truly think we are culturally driven by a sort of existential anxiety. We prepare for the worst. That can be rooted back to the fear of being kicked out of our country (something that even as a 30 year old living in America is always in the back of my mind - especially now), but is so helpful in setting up a successful life. When you're saving for future emergencies and carry with you the idea that you may only have your skills, education, and flexibility to carry you through, you are more financially and mentally prepared for challenge. That mindset played a HUGE role in my life and in the life of my family.
For instance, I started preparing for college in middle school. I knew which colleges I would apply to by 9th grade and knew how to get there with the maximum scholarship potential. I was mentally prepared to go to the school that gave me the best scholarship even if it wasn't the best school I could get in to (though, luckily for me, I got a full tuition scholarship to my dream school). I give tours/interviews to 13 and 14 year olds from my synagogue and other Jewish orgs I'm a part of about my alma mater on a regular basis. That kind of planning is not uncommon among Jewish communities, but I had no friends who were not Jewish who really started thinking about college before junior year.
At one point during the recession, I asked my grandfather what he thought about me training in the trades. I had a whole business plan as a woman-owned, woman-operated plumbing company that other women would feel comfortable hiring when home alone. My grandfather praised the entrepreneurship but then asked the key questions: where will you get insurance? What happens if you get injured? How will you pivot when you're 50 and would rather have an office job? Always planning for the worst.
Jewish people are disproportionately represented in helping occupations: teaching, social workers, nonprofit workers. These aren't getting anyone rich or powerful, but are important for a functioning society. I'm active in charity work because it matters to me - and also because I've been a recipient as a young adult cancer survivor - and even in the non-religiously affiliated charity work I've either done or received, it seems like most of the leaders and many people involved have been Jewish. My grandfather was an entrepreneur who grew a trucking empire, but the proudest he was of anything in his life was his charity work. That's not something extra or fluff - it's a core of our identity. I can't imagine *not* giving hours a week to causes that matter to me, and I think that helps my overall success.
Jewish people aren't all wealthy or powerful. Lord knows, I've struggled horribly for the past decade. I have Jewish family members who are, for lack of a better word, failures despite having opportunities. Nothing is a cure-all. But I do think that so many commonalities amongst the Jewish community helps prepare us with the mindset and skills to be successful in whatever we do.
For all my struggles, I credit my Jewish mindset for coming out on top. At 23, I was tens of thousands of dollars in debt thanks to an unexpected stage IV cancer diagnosis and was medically barred from the career I trained for. Now at 30, I've steadily grown in my career, hold leadership roles in nonprofits I got involved with as a response to my cancer experience, have a master's degree and am out of debt. While friends were going on vacation, moving in with partners, or spending 50% of their incomes on housing, I was living with roommates, picking up side gigs, and bettering myself in hopes of having a better future. Do non-Jewish people do that? ABSOLUTELY! And I would never say that it's unique. However, that kind of cultural resilience helped me pivot and come out on top.
Some ethnic groups are the result of centuries of good, selective breeding.
Ashkenazi Jews are an example of this.
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