JE #4

The extreme injustices that occurred as a result of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Mexican Revolution, and the Bath Riots have definitely contributed to El Paso's identity crisis. The huge divide between Anglos, Mexicans, and other racial groups stemmed from the notion that Anglos were, and still continue to be, the preferred and the purest racial group. Not only was El Paso literally the border between the U.S. and Mexico, but the people living there were dealing with their own personal borders and identity crises. The Mexicans and the Chinese, for example, had to deal with being dehumanized and getting separated from their families. In his book, David Romo speaks in detail about the Bath Riots and provides several images that contain a high shock value. It is one thing to read about these types of tragedies but putting a picture to it is a whole different story. The first picture that I noticed was one that showed the steam dryer that sterilized the clothing of the immigrants (pg. 224). The image is set in some sort of warehouse-looking place and there are big machines and racks of tons of clothing. This is disturbing because it shows the Anglo perspective on what they think of these 'dirty' Mexicans. Not only do the Anglos feel the need to bathe them but also to take their clothes away to get rid of any diseases or bacteria they might have on them. The measures that were taken to clean the immigrants was extreme and I think that this image is a good representation of that.

Another image that took me by surprise was the one of all the Braceros standing in line naked waiting to be inspected by the doctors (pg. 238-239). These men all have what seems to be a piece of paper to cover their pubic area. This image perfectly displays the dehumanization that they went through because they are essentially being treated like animals, especially when they are all standing next to a fully-clothed person. Not only is it humiliating for them, but it is slightly ironic that the Anglo men would think that giving them a small piece of paper to cover themselves would make them feel better or less abused. I feel like a lot of this contributes to cultural schizophrenia because immigrants are essentially brainwashed into thinking that they are not good enough, not pure enough to be part of the American society.