Paradox Of Assimilation: Children Of Filipino Immigrants In San Diego

Kevin Reyes

Professor Rhodes

February 22, 2018

Linguistics 155 AC

For a Better Life

The Philippines has never been a rich country. Despite its potential and growth in recent years, there are factors in play that hinder the country from making substantial progress. Though conquered by the Spanish “for three centuries” and immediately “taken over by the United States in the early 20th century [after defeating Spain in the Spanish-American War of 1898],” the “true enemy” of the Filipino people is their government (British Broadcasting Corporation). According to Panos Mourdoukoutas, a contributor to the 2017 Forbes article Why Filipinos Remain Poor, “revolutions come and go in the Philippines, but the old villains—corruption and political oppression—remain

This was the case for my father. My father, born in the Philippines in 1962, worked at a US Naval Base in Olongapo City as a civilian employee from 1982 to 1988 before immigrating to the United States in 1990. During this time, job opportunities were scarce in the Philippines, and many left the country. My father did not have a good command of English, so he mostly spoke in Tagalog in a town that was predominantly white. According to the 1990 City of Vallejo Census, 50% of the population was Caucasian (Bay Area Census). Though in the minority, he was never a victim of racism to a high degree. However, there have been times when he felt wronged. He mentioned that gaining employment at a decent job was impossible because “good jobs always went to [Caucasian people] first,” and that “the only jobs that non-Americans could get at the time were at places no one else wanted to work at, and they would often scold us for speaking in another language at these jobs.” Because of his immigrant status, my father was afraid to use his first language anywhere outside of his home, which complicated his life since it was the only language he truly knew. According to an

Whether it be today’s Filipinos or the distant past’s indentured servants and war refugees, they all seem to gravitate towards the United States for the same purpose: financial opportunities and a better life, and in turn the competition that arises due to the influx of new people potentially creates disharmony and resentment towards the immigrants. This often results in institutionalized discrimination, which is when acts or policies disadvantage a group. One can say that the act of immigrating is like entering a psychological battleground. In this battleground, both one’s character and willingness to use their language are tested, and as a result, the desperate or weak-hearted immigrant is forced to become someone they are not. I do not think this will ever end. This cycle that exists now existed even in the distant American past. History will repeat itself in the future, and this battleground will continue to exist