The Irony of it All

I have been delaying my writing about my experiences as a Psychologist, well immersed in the Hispanic culture here in the US, because it’s just frankly overwhelming.  It’s hard to know where to start, what might be relevant material.  As I said in my last post, anticipating this one and those that will surely follow this, I will do my best to merely report what I am seeing and hearing, knowing full well, as do you, that there is really no such thing.  What I see is immediately contaminated with my perspectives and prejudices – nutrality just simply does not exist.

Disclaimer #1 –  I am a psychologist.  The people that come to me are struggling with something and these are the things about which they speak.  I don’t get a very balanced view of the people I see and more kleenix is dispensed in my office than yours I’ll bet, unless of course you are a psychologist as well.

What I see are people who come here to make a better life for themselves and for their families.  They want to escape the lack of opportunity, the poverity, the violence, the crime of their former homeland and satiate their profound hunger and thirst for the ‘sky’ which they’ve heard is the only ‘limit’ they will find here.

But living in the shadows has it’s down side.  Jobs are low on pay and long on hours and if you don’t want it someone else does so shut up and work.  Kids need you?  Tired?  Sick?  Maybe we should get someone in there that doesn’t have kids or doesn’t get tired or sick. 

Abused by your spouse?  Well, you could call the police, but then your spouse says the police will find out that your ”papers” are a little suspect and ship you back to where you came from, without the kids, so maybe the daily rapes and other forms of physical and emotional and verbal abuse aren’t so bad after all.

Kids running amuck?  I guess it would help if you learned English so they weren’t able to use their biligual ability to their advantage and against yours, but with working 7 days a week and trying to survive an abusive relationship there’s hardly time for sleep,  much less parenting, much less language classes.

You risked life and limb to get here, to escape the poverty, the lack of opportunity, the violence, the disallusionment, to get your kids that better education and keep them away from gangs and aimlessness.  Wow.                      -Joan

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