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| This image is an example of the problems that workers all over the country were encountering |
The thing that most recently stood out to me in the book is the camps - both the 'self-made' camps (such as 'Hooverville'), and the government site. I think what surprised me the most was the fact that most of these folks were not thinking about th result of their migration (due to the propaganda used through the flyers they've received); that everyone flocking to the same place to find work meant that there would be less work to go around - only adding to their struggles. Anyways, back to my subject at hand. Not only were the migrants plagued by shady police and contractors, but there were also foreign migrants coming into the area as well. As a result, the 'self-made' camps were a mix of different ethnic groups, so problems of conflict and discrimination were always flared. All of these workers also often suffered from poor health because their living conditions were very unsanitary. The FSA (Farm Society Association) stepped in to try and solve these issues with the first government camp opening in Arvin, California in 1937. Today, there are still government-run laborer camps in operation, but they are very secluded; far away from the public eye. Perhaps the reason being is that because many of the camps are run down to the verge of being condemned. In 1984, a woman by the name of Jana Marcus was assigned to take pictures of the laborer camps of Panjaro Valley in Northern California. She discovered that the living conditions of the workers was far from suitable - much like the residents' predecessors. We have seen similar circumstances in 2008 and after that when people lost their jobs, and were forced out of their homes that they could no longer afford. We saw a rise in folks living in shelters or out of their cars - similar to those folks in the 1930's during the Great Depression. This particular aspect of the story is where I (personally) placed the most value because this is supposed to be America. Many people came to this land to escape their oppresors; not to find new ones via crooked police and employers, or even their living conditions.
Everyone wants the American dream, but in the 1930's, and in 2008, it became more of a nightmare. We were talked about as the land of opportunity, and even our own citizens could not find that. It had to be worse for the farmers who had had their own land, but were then shoved off, and reduced to nothing. Just the same for the people in 2008.
ReplyDeleteIm with you in the fact that they didn't think about their migration, they didn't realize that there where thousands of the handbills printed and passed out and they where going to have to compete to get work.
ReplyDeleteA Land of Opportunity! Wow something to think about.. Great comment and I so agree with both of them...
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the fact that it's kind of a sad country that we live in. People come here because they think it will provide a better life for them and their family, but it is hard for them to get started, especially if they have nothing to begin with. It's seems as though history almost repeated itself with the great depression and the recession that we recently experienced.
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