A Day Without a Mexican Film: Sociological View

Table of Contents

Introduction
Economic Impact
Authorities
Identity
Conclusion
Work Cited

Introduction

Mexican immigrants living in the US are an important part of American society, economy, and culture. Mexican Americans are valuable for US agriculture and low-skill job sector, and the education system. Despite the apparent positive impact of Mexican immigrants, there are many people in the US ignorant of this fact. Many US citizens believe that Hispanic immigrants are the reason for unemployment, increased crime rates, and illegal drug traffic. While this may be true, Hispanics remain an underappreciated group in the United States. A Day Without a Mexican demonstrates how the US society, especially in California, are dependent on this cultural group. The film aims at emphasizing the importance of people from Mexico for the US by depicting their cultural behavior, identity, and economic impact.

Economic Impact

The most apparent impact of Mexicans is economical since the group has become a considerable part of the US workforce. According to the movie, 90% of crops in the United States are picked by undocumented workers from Mexico (A Day Without a Mexican). Without chip workforce from across the border, US is unable to provide enough food for its citizens. The prices of food will go up if all the workers in agriculture are appropriately documented and paid. The absence of affordable agricultural products may lead to increased imports, and therefore the total collapse of the US agriculture leading to an economic crisis. In short, modern agriculture in the United States is highly dependable on illegal immigration from Mexico.

Mexican immigrants take the majority of underpaid low-skilled jobs. The movie demonstrates that most of the hospitals, schools, and restaurants in California are highly dependent on workers from Mexico (A Day Without a Mexican). It would be impossible to get service in a cafe, park a car, or have a room cleaned without the cheap workforce from across the border. Moreover, the majority of construction jobs are taken by Hispanics, both legal and illegal. The movie demonstrates that it would be challenging to build a house or renovate a room without them. The problem is that Americans are not willing to take low-paying jobs and do the dirty work. Therefore, the movie represents Hispanics as a crucial part of the US economy due to their high level of workforce participation.

Authorities

The movie hints at the reason why Mexicans are underappreciated by US society. The problem lies in the position of the authorities that gratify the ignorance of the American citizens in this question. Since anti-immigrant policies are becoming increasingly popular, it has become an easy way to get electoral votes during the election race. In A Day Without a Mexican, the senator of the state of California seems one of such politicians that is forced to change his views about the matter seeing all the destruction caused by the absence of a considerable part of the workforce. Police and border patrols in the movie also seem to have a negative opinion about Hispanics. The representatives of the police force care for their duties and illegal immigrants make their job more difficult. The authorities translate their idea to the rest of the population, making Mexicans hated around the US. However, during the movie, the position of the authorities changes, and everyone starts to appreciate Hispanics.

Identity

The movie shows that Mexican culture has become an integral part of American culture. Many Hispanics have become loving fathers, caring mothers, thoughtful teachers, and competent doctors. The movie emphasizes the importance of Mexican food, holidays, and fashion for all the Americans, since tacos, Día de Muertos, piñatas, and sombreros are known by everyone in the country. In the movie, Hispanics are individuals encouraged not to be ashamed of their identity. For instance, Lila Rod, a Latina newscaster, is inspired by her manager to use her original last name, Rodriguez. She becomes valued for her accent and her knowledge of Hispanic culture, which is vital for US media. Moreover, Joe Velasquez Diaz, the caster of The Buenos Diaz Report, is pictured as an energetic Mexican immigrant who is admired by the public in California. In short, the film emphasizes the importance of Mexican Americans for US society by positively describing their cultural identity.

Conclusion

Mexicans are an underappreciated group in American society due to poor awareness about their positive impact on the US economy, community, and culture. Immigrants are a cheap workforce that helps to keep low prices on agricultural products, car washing, room cleaning, restaurant business, parking services, and construction. Hispanic traditions, food, and language have become an integral part of American culture. A day Without a Mexican uses various methods to deliver the message that Latinos are vital for all the aspects of US society. The movie demonstrates that modern US society without Mexicans would be confused and scared. The film shows that they would suffer from a lack of food and service, love and affection, loyalty, and friendship. Therefore, Mexicans are to be valued and treated with proper respect.