Title

Mexifornia : a state of becoming

Description

Discusses the historical, political, and personal aspects regarding immigration policies for Mexico and how these policies are effecting Mexican immigrants, illegal aliens, and Californians.

Identifier

1116271

1893554732

Creator

Hanson, Victor Davis

Format

1st ed.

Source

Brian Lamb Booknotes Collection

Gift of Brian Lamb, 2011.

Catalog record

Language

eng

Date

2003

Program air date: September 28, 2003

Publisher

Encounter Books

George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives

Text

Transcription of Annotations
Front endpapers contain notes providing statistical information on California's Hispanic population, the state's low ranking in education, and the high percentage of prison inmates of Mexican descent; others refer to the proliferation of Chicano Studies courses at Californian universities, an anthology of essays with the title 'Latinos: remaking America', and a series of local newspaper stories. Also noted is the decline of Civic education, the fact that students are taught that Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth are more important than John Adams and Alexander Hamilton. A reference to four incidents which the author experienced in his home town is also included. Big government and big corporations are identified as the greatest villains. The notes contain these questions and statements: "Why don't Americans do farm work?" -- "What is Mexico like?" -- "What is [the] ethnic chauvinism that is preached by elites?" -- "Who was Santiago Lora?" -- "Don't need to study the West." -- "Elites don't understand that consensual government is rare in the history of civilization." -- "Authority of family, religion, government [is] waning." -- Annotations by Brian Lamb in the margins and underlining of pertinent phrases throughout the book. -- Examples: p. 34: "Mexican authorities: gangsters; they export to us their national confusion." -- p. 59: "Illegal alien business [is a] hazardous odyssey." -- p. 72: "How strange that we give minority children billions of dollars in extra aid and education that brings them almost no real scholarly preparation, but a lot of resentment among those taxpayers who subsidize it." -- p. 73: "African-Americans, of course, resent the Mexican immigrants' development of such a sense of entitlement, and make a good case that the wages of their own youths' entry-level jobs are permanently depressed because of cheap alien labor." -- p. 132: "Our liberal professors and journalists at home might enjoy the nuance and minutes-long still shots of French film, but young whites from Montana and Chicanos from Los Angeles, if they watch foreign movies at all, alike prefer Jackie Chan." -- p. 141: "Youth culture - our only salvation."

Subject

"Hanson, Victor Davis."

"Mexican Americans--California--Social conditions."

"Mexican Americans--Government policy--California."

"Immigrants--Government policy--California."

"Popular culture--California."

Relation

Original Booknotes interview

Rights

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