BP#8

Silko:

“The great human migration within the Americas cannot be stopped; human beings are natural forces of the Earth, just as rivers and winds are natural forces…The Indian people of southern Mexico, of Guatemala and those left in El Salvador, too, are still fighting for their lies and for their land against the ‘calvary’ patrols sent by the governments of those lands.”

I can agree that people are a natural force as we share and impact the Earth good and bad. Immigration is spoken about in the essay as a natural occurrence, considering the history of America, I believe Silko expressed an inevitability in her essay that the people indigenous to the land prior to European arrival are driven by a spiritual energy to “come home.” That it isn’t only about economic hardship but more so the land “calling” for its people. Human migration can be driven by many things as people will always look for ways to better their lives along with their families, I believe they should be free to do so as we all share the Earth, and it doesn’t belong to one race or one governing body. I understand that the U.S government has implemented policies to decrease the number of undocumented immigrants entering the country however, I feel that whether documented or undocumented they still have human rights and shouldn’t be dehumanized at the border stops, where some people have experienced racism and violence. I believe there should be an overhaul on how the U.S government approaches this issue because most of what has been implemented does not necessarily work. Instead, immigration has become a hot topic among politicians and has been exploited for business on both sides of the border. I think that there needs to be a serious review and improvement on the U.S immigration application process, where people can feel confident in the process instead of breaching the borders, this isn’t an issue that will simply go away but will instead continue for years to come, there needs to be another way to address this.

De Leon:

“Despite the evidence that the border wall is no match for catapults, car jacks, and other forms of human ingenuity, the United States can’t seem to shake the fixation that building more of it will somehow solve many of our country’s economic and social problems. Politicians are well aware of this fixation and routinely use it to their advantage” (156).

The significance of this quote is that American politicians are utilizing this “hot topic” to manipulate the masses for their personal gain. This is an issue that impacts many people whether a U.S citizen or an undocumented immigrant, the idea that they know that the policies they have implemented or that the border wall is insufficient but continue to advertise these solutions is a true display of capitalism. As this issue have become another form of big business, it is disheartening to know that the emotions and safety of people are being used as a tool to line the pockets of those involved and as a tactic for reelections. This to me was a powerful quote because it showed me that this is an issue that may never have a real solution. This is an issue that will continue because it is beneficial to those involved besides the immigrants who risk their lives looking for a better life. By using the immigration issue, the people in this country will remain in a perpetual victimhood because there will not be an effective solution considering it brings in money and keeps people in their political positions. That to me needs to change because people are dying, families are being separated and unaccounted for, and morally it is corrupt.

Question for Ulmer:

Is electracy an apparatus meant to challenge self-actualization and return society to a collective/community form, similar to when orality was the main form of communication?

I ask this because while reading the book, I noticed that there is a concern that technology changes our perception, is based in algorithms, and changes our general critical analysis of the world we live in. Because technology is a part of electracy and can be used to manipulate using algorithms, is electracy a reset meant to rid us of self-actualization and instead bring us inward as a community guided or managed by being told what is and isn’t rather than thinking and doing for ourselves.