Latino Communities and Social Mobility

Latino Communities and Social Mobility

According to Lipsitz (2001) Chicano/Chicana youths did not always form political opinions and practices that stemmed from their own identity; rather, young Latino and Latina young adults learned to create an identity for themselves contingent on the population that surrounded them and the political forces governing those populations. As changes in the economy occur and affect the Latino community and the conditions under which many live, there are many key concepts one must understand and identify with. These concepts include the idea that personality is something that can be learned, resulting from a conditional response to one's environment. Thus, a Latino youth growing up in a politically charged or aggressive atmosphere might demonstrate some of these conditions by acting out in class, or by joining gangs.

Social mobility for the current generation will depend on the willingness of youths to view life from multiple perspectives. As the world continues to grow and more and more global or universal concepts are shared, politically and non-politically, this generation and those following must learn how to establish their personality intrinsically. They must also learn to identify and empathize with others, without sacrificing their identity.

This will prove challenging, as historically people have identified strongly with their culture or political environment. Thus, many living under the current conditions will have to learn new methods for integrating their personality with that of the community without giving up an strong moral, cultural or religious beliefs they have. Social mobility most often occurs when one individual or many decide to think "outside" the box, and begin to interact with others and express their own inner strengths or devotions without threatening others. Learning to communicate and network with others in a non-threatening way has been and will continue to be historically, vital to the success of communities and their chances for social mobility.

It takes one great person with courage and charisma to inspire many to adopt new ways of thinking. A good example of this is Martin Luther King, who, while jeopardizing his own life, decided not to conform to values he did not believe in. Further, he encouraged other people to do the same. He encouraged the minority to capture their own sense of self, and encouraged people to respect and accept who they are and what their role and mission was personally, or individually, before buying into the notion or idea of a "collective" political agenda.

The concepts of developing one's self, nurturing one's soul, and following one's bliss is one that in modern times is popular and effective. As a community, the Latino/Latina collective will face many challenges in the form of opposition to the ideals of democracy and freedom. Like so many people throughout history, including Martin Luther King, they may place their lives at stake if the political environment they interact with or live in is volatile.

Conclusions

The ideals and concepts presented in this paper reflect the views of the author. I chose the ideas of a collective consciousness and the idea of developing personality first, outside the realm of politics, before any one person or group commits to a "cause" they may or may not know anything about. Far too often in modern society youths are tempted to engage in activities and acts that defy their culture, integrity and nature. Through collective reasoning however, and discovery of ones skills, students can grow into adults that are diverse, adults that recognize change as positive, and adults that are less likely to engage in combat to make a point. There is an old saying that people have an obligation to care for themselves before they care for others. This statement is very evident from the ideas represented above. One may not "stand" for a political cause or realize their sense of power or ability until they first recognize internally the ideals, morals and beliefs that create their own unique personality.

Conclusions

For some time Latino (a) youths have identified with politics; however, human beings weren't created to represent a political cause; rather, it is the role of young adults to first realize who they are through other avenues including self-exploration. These are important for creating one's personality. This is essential in today's diverse market, where people of many different political beliefs may interact with each other. Once a person develops their sense of self and forms a personality that incorporates their beliefs and practices, based on their wants, needs, and desires, only then can they extract politics and distinguish politics as something separate from their identity.