You-Me Park is a hero!

So, this semester, as some of you may know, I am taking a class with You-Me Park titled "Labor, Globalization, and Sexuality." I knew that the class would be interesting because all three topics are interesting, but I had no idea that I would really learn so much and make so many connections between feminism and labor.

Let me start by saying that before this class I knew very little (I mean VERY little) about labor and globalization. I mean, I knew what out-sourcing was, and I knew about the sex-slave trade :(, but I really didn't comprehend how much economics powers the movement of people across international borders. Basically, this is one of the only times where I wish I had taken econ or been in the SFS. (Well, of course aside from my lack of econ knowledge making it hard for me to understand exactly what's going on with all of these bailouts and the stimulus package. I'm reading so much and feeling like passing AP Calculus did not prepare me for real life when it comes to math issues.) But understanding how a globalized market dominated by a lot of douchebaggery from our country leads to starvation in the third world is a pretty important and powerful piece of information to have in my back pocket.

Being able to connect the dots and to understand how the global economy affects me and a girl my age in, say, India is interesting. It's also difficult, because reading about how and why illegal workers come to this country (forced often by economic downturn in their own country caused by US policies) and how they are treated here is heart-breaking. I mean, I knew about factory raids and occasional raids on restaurants, hotels, and (rarely) wal-mart that end in deportation, families being ripped apart, etc. Miriam at Feministing has had some great posts about how immigration raids hurt women and families. I think where it gets personal for me is in my hometown and with my relatives who are pro-immigration by Europeans (we have a strong Bulgarian friend-set and my dad spends time there every year), but very anti-immigrants from Mexico and Central or South America. The racist comments spewed by my family members really get to me, because they perpetuate the "us v. them" "othered" stereotype that dehumanizes people who don't fit into the middle-class, hetero-, suburban, white, apple pie eating, American life.

And it's hard for me to talk about this at all, because I know that I come from a place of privelege as a middle-class, suburban, white girl. So, I don't have personal experience with being dehumanized for not fitting the limiting "American citizen" guidelines put out by anti-immigrant activists. But, as a caring human being, I have a hard time even reading through the hateful words and ideas posited by anti-immigrant activists. It's hard for me to comprehend how people can be so full of prejudice and hatred, and how anyone can regard him/herself as "more human" or "more worthy" than another person. Because that's what a lot of these things come down to. A lot of anti-immigrant legislation relies on limiting access to care and benefits for immigrant workers and their families, because anti-immigrant/anti-immigration activists like to say that immigrants use up all of the public service money. And of course, according to anti-immigrant activists, only "citizens" are "worthy" of using resources and immigrants are "not worthy" of such things. Legislation includes limiting access to healthcare and education. But, happily, President Obama signed the Children's Health Initiative into law earlier this month, which included an act to cut out the 5 year waiting period on access to healthcare for immigrant children and pregnant women. Woo. Now we just need to cut out that waiting period for all immigrants. And cut out all of the other ridiculous legislation that limits immigrant rights in our country. And stop the cycle of powerlessness for undocumented workers or workers on "nanny visas." Oh my, there's a lot to do. But Professor Park is always reminding us that even though as scholars we attack these things in a theoretical way, we have to get in there as activists and do what we can to work now at reaching our overall theoretical goals in the future.

I'm just so energized and ready for activism after doing readings for this class, that I felt like it was a good time to share. So, I'm looking at some Social Justice Internships for this summer. :) Please leave comments if you have any questions (I know this post is mostly stream-of-consciousness, which might be confusing) or if you have thoughts on labor, sexuality, and/or globalization.

Also, interesting reading material that deals with immigrant workers in the US:
Disposable Domestics by Grace Chang