Illegal Immigrant workers vs. U.S. Citizen workers

[AngelofJesus]

This is not about bashing anyone. It's merely an observation that there are a lot of media coverage about how illegal immigrants are taking jobs that U.S. citizens don't want and an illegal immigrant is preferable in menial jobs because they work harder. And some even claim that U.S. citizens are spoiled and lazy. I am a U.S. citizen, while I don't consider myself spoiled and lazy, I have to admit that when I worked menial jobs, the undocumented workers worked harder and tirelessly. I speculate that they are used to doing hard menial jobs in their own country, too. That is why they can work like that or is their mentality different than ours?

I dont wish to have a racial thread. Just a factual/speculative discussion of whether the difference between the two workers are psychological, physical or envrionmental. Share your opinion and examples or study on why you think that way.

Edited April 8, 2006 by AngelofJesus

[jasJis]

I've employed hundreds, maybe thousands of construction workers over the last 20 years, plus worked alongside thousands more. I have very strong opinions.
1- Get off the stereo types. Lazy and poor work ethick comes in every color, nationality, and work ethic.
2- Consider what type of people from each general group (American vs. immigrant) are looking for jobs. This is observation, not stereotypes.
3- America has a very low rate of employment. If you have a good work ethic and aren't lazy, only a small percentage of Americans would not have a job.
4- Americans have greater access to a wider variaty of jobs since they are legal and easily speak the language and have little to no motivation to take the worst jobs.
5- The American chronically unemployed (not all the unemployed) are lazy and not worth a cwap. This is just a fact of the odds and the unemployement rate.
6- Construction has a TERRIBLE time hiring people.
7- Immigrants are mostly illegal and are desperate for a job. The large quantity just provides a larger quantity of worker. The average immigrant needs and wants a job more than the American unemployed getting Gov. assistance.
8- Illegal workers are easily exploited and work for less. Legally competing companies have to lower their wage rates to compete and sell their services.
9- Requireing and transitioning the current illegal workforce to a legal status is good for America, good for the immigrants, and the moral thing to do.

[Era Might]

My father is an immigrant, although he's now a citizen and has been here for like 25 years. He's a house painter. He speaks English ok, enough to get around, but sometimes his bosses take him for an idiot, and they try to jerk him around. They assume he's just a stupid immigrant, and won't do anything. But because he has so much experience, he doesn't stand for that. There's always work around the corner somewhere. He's highly qualified to have his own painting business, but it could never work. He just doesn't have the language range and technical savvy and what not, and people don't like that. Frankly, they want rich, white businessmen to deal with. My father makes a good labor mule, and that's it.

Now if somone is here illegally, and not established like my father, how much more are they going to be taken advantage of? Those rich, white businessmen know they'll shut up and endure whatever, because they need to work. And if they don't, they can be reported, or the boss will just hire another dumb mule. What does he care? It's messed up.

Psychologically, I think a lot of the immigrants just accept their lot in life and get to work. Life is what it is. Americans have the "American dream" to fall back on, and the sense of entitlement, so they aren't as realistic. I got a really menial job once, and I couldn't take it for more than 3 days. I quit. I had to do something with my life that is at least mildly interesting and engaging. But if you're an immigrant, especially if you're illegal, you don't have that kind of dream. You're just trying to live and provide for your family. That's all you see ahead of you. Although I'm sure a lot of immigrants see America as a land they want to come to, a lot probably just see it as a land with jobs, and no matter what they have to endure, they need to get one of those jobs.

Edited April 8, 2006 by Era Might

[indescribable]

on NPR i heard that latin americans are doing better than americans in the job market, due to their commitment to do any kind of work. i don't think that we should not allow others to come to our coutry to carry out their american dream. if we had stopped that 100 years ago, our country would be a whole lot worse off.