Assignment Post 3

The immigration movement is one that is filled with many emotions which help to fuel the movement. I believe that this social movement is strong due to the constant emotions that undermine it. For example here in Arizona we have various movements that are sparked by the actions of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. These actions will draw the attention and cause anger and disappointment within the Latino community and its supporters. Events that happen throughout the country are constant reminders that definitely appeal to the emotions of the members of the immigration movement. Some examples of these events are the raids at factories and places of work where immigrants are believed to be working. This leads to the separation of families because of the deportations of these people who have been arrested in their place of work. Children are being left without a father or a mother in some cases children are left without their whole family.
Other major events that have occurred throughout this time have been hate crimes. One happened in Pennsylvania where a couple of white teens beat a Mexican immigrant to death while shouting racial slurs. The teen that was responsible was just recently acquitted and only charged with simple assault. All of these events are sure to cause various mixed emotions within members of the immigration movement. I feel that these are all important to the movement because it shows that there are some changes that need to be accomplished. This is where the movements and the protests come into play because they are the main advocates of change.
If we compare this movement to the civil rights movement we can see some similarities of how emotion played a big part of the movement. In the civil rights movement African Americans were fighting for their rights and for equality likewise, the immigration movement consists of fighting for civil rights for immigrants. During the civil rights movement events that took place such as segregation of schools and public places caused outrage and a mixture of emotions. The Murders of many black families were also major events that fueled the movement as well.
I believe that every movement is deeply motivated by emotion some more than others. Emotion is what drives people to join a movement or to create one. In the book Jasper mentioned that some believe that emotions may lead people to act irrationally because they may be outraged, jealous, or surprised etc. some may argue that when someone is acting out of emotion it may lead to mistakes and irrational actions. “But people make cognitive mistakes as easily as emotional ones, and more strategic battles have been lost, in all likelihood, by mistaken cognitions than by mistaken emotions. Mistakes, furthermore, are not necessarily irrational, just mistaken.” (Goodwin & Jasper, 176) I agree that being emotional does not necessarily mean that a group is likely to act irrationally. There have been instances where some violence may have broken out during some protests. One example is the march that went on in Tucson when a man burned the Mexican flag many were outraged and some altercations ensued. In a Los Angeles rally local police officers who were there to ensure a peaceful protest started beating people who were participating in the protest including women and children.
I believe that all of the emotions that have led to the immigration movement have been critical in the development of the tactics that have been used. Demonstrations throughout the state of Arizona in response to the sheriff’s actions have been very prominent. For example the protests that have been going on in front of Wells Fargo bank have been planned carefully. They have been mobilizing people and announcing the times and days of the rallies. Those who were customers of the bank have switched banks to show support for their movement. The boycott in 2006 was also a tactic in response to the laws that were being proposed against immigrants and their families not to mention the massive protests that were also going simultaneously in response to such laws.
I do not think that the face the organization puts on the public differs much from the face it puts for its members or potential recruits. I believe that the same goals and tactics that are discussed within its group members and recruits are publicly shared with everyone else. I believe that the strategic identities that have been created throughout the immigration movement have been important in order to be able to establish recognition, respect and an identity for immigrants. All of these people share the same goals to stop being marginalized and become citizens in order to become a part of the larger social structure.