- Thread starter korejdk
- Start date
Dominican women in US challenge 'machismo' culture
oh boy ?
she was raised to be quiet and let men talk first ????
lies.
The one thing DR women are not is quiet and most certainly let their men talk first.
- psuedo feminist nonsense - imported from the good ol USA no doubt
This is a pretty typical immigration pattern/story, I think. It seems to me like the biggest challenge Dominican, women or men, face when they immigrate to the US (I suppose it would be true in Europe, as well) is that the educational standards in the US versus the DR are much different. Dominicans from humble Dominican origins, who emigrate to the US will be destined to work low wage, unskilled jobs, unless they hit the books in a major way.
Something that I am wondering about, which is related to this story is whether it is possible to maintain Dominican-ness while living in American culture? I do not consider Washington Heights in NYC to be American culture, WH is just a little, cold, Santo Domingo. What I am calling American culture is found in established American areas, suburbs and such, with middle class folk, where people work an honest 40-50 hours, dot the i's and cross the t's.
I guess really what I am wondering about is work ethic. Americans work alot and for the most part, that is why the US is a rich country. Is that aspect of American culture compatible with Dominican-ness? I am not implying Dominicans are lazy, I am just acknowledging a certain level of relaxed-ness in the culture. Thoughts?
Something that I am wondering about, which is related to this story is whether it is possible to maintain Dominican-ness while living in American culture? I do not consider Washington Heights in NYC to be American culture, WH is just a little, cold, Santo Domingo. What I am calling American culture is found in established American areas, suburbs and such, with middle class folk, where people work an honest 40-50 hours, dot the i's and cross the t's.
I guess really what I am wondering about is work ethic. Americans work alot and for the most part, that is why the US is a rich country. Is that aspect of American culture compatible with Dominican-ness? I am not implying Dominicans are lazy, I am just acknowledging a certain level of relaxed-ness in the culture. Thoughts?
oh, well, let's face it. Immigrants from poor countries don't get high paying jobs, even if they are professionals. There are exemptions, as usual, but few and far between. It's not an education level thing, it's a social thing. Second generation immigrants are a different story, though. Usually immigrants are the hardest workers in any country.
Immigrants that are professionals in the US are paid well. Much better than in their home countries.
Well articulated ! The U.S is not a cake walk. If you want to "get by" is one thing. If you want to excel and break into the U.M.C (upper middle class) , education and or highly skilled labor is a must.
I know many Chinese, Indian, African and European immigrants in the US who are engineers, who make a lot of money. Look at the graduate degree programs in math and science, they are loaded with foreigners. Why America needs foreign students | News Blogs - CNET News
It's the factory workers who are suffering in this economy, not engineers and scientists.
But these foreign students are not from the barrio, back home. They come from the upper echelons of their societies. They are from the 2% of their societies. These people are smart, know how to study and they know how to work hard. In other words, they fit right in, in American corporate culture.
But that description does not match with the average Dominican immigrant to the states or the EU, who, in my opinion, is woefully unprepared to join the middle class.
I see a tension between the cultural norms of your "average American" and those of your "Average Dominican." But I am wondering if that's just a prejudice I have, or if others see it differently.
It's the factory workers who are suffering in this economy, not engineers and scientists.
But these foreign students are not from the barrio, back home. They come from the upper echelons of their societies. They are from the 2% of their societies. These people are smart, know how to study and they know how to work hard. In other words, they fit right in, in American corporate culture.
But that description does not match with the average Dominican immigrant to the states or the EU, who, in my opinion, is woefully unprepared to join the middle class.
I see a tension between the cultural norms of your "average American" and those of your "Average Dominican." But I am wondering if that's just a prejudice I have, or if others see it differently.
Pollito, do you know how many immigrant engineers, doctors, architects drive cabs or wait on tables in the US? I've seen tons of them...Heck, I have dominicans friends and former coworkers with college degrees that make a living painting houses and cleaning offices in the US, don't you know any?
English - good English - is the key. And having a job in their field before they move.
Two of Mr. AE's brothers are professionals in SD, neither can speak English, and neither would ever consider moving to the US. Their lifestyle in SD is way beyond what they would experience outside the DR. Both of them had US resident visas [green cards] and both of them turned them in to the US Embassy in exchange for 10 year visas.
On the other hand, Mr. AE's niece, an engineer with excellent English, was working in the free zone, not making a whole lot of money by US standards. The American company who she was working for offered her an engineering job in Oklahoma. Paid relocation, gave her a car, paid apartment for a year, amazing salary, etc., etc.
Math skills again. Good Education + Opportunity = Success.
The machismo thing does not last when you are introduced to a new culture that offers better opportunities. I have met too many Dominicans who have lived in America for decades but they either refuse or are afraid to learn English, so they choose to stay in Washington Heights, Lawrence, or Newark where they feel more comfortable because change is not necessary in their closed environment. But, their children, on the other hand ,refuse to accept the status quo and that is when real change begins.
The machismo thing does not last when you are introduced to a new culture that offers better opportunities. I have met too many Dominicans who have lived in America for decades but they either refuse or are afraid to learn English, so they choose to stay in Washington Heights, Lawrence, or Newark where they feel more comfortable because change is not necessary in their closed environment. But, their children, on the other hand ,refuse to accept the status quo and that is when real change begins.
well ,i came to Canada with empty hands and some education knowledge in my head and i decided to go back to school to get my degree ,it was tough at the time though but as FRANK SINATRA said I DID IT MY WAY ,its mean all depend on each person determination to be someone in the society or just surviving in the land of opportunity.