Responder – First Generation Mexican Immigrants and Racial-Genetic Model

I have to agree with Raia in that the paper Dr. Edna Amparo Viruell-Fuentes wrote about U.S Mexican Immigrants was a really interesting read. It is interesting to see the encounters of immigrants and how the impact of such “othering” encounters can have on someone. I to have had such encounters but I never really knew the toll it can take on someone. I also agree with Raia that the encounters of men with their “othering” experiences would have been a very interesting aspect that was missing in the article; to see how things compare or contrast. Although, there is something I did not agree with, which was the fact the first generation immigrants did not really try to get out of their comfort zone. I think that there are immigrants who have no choice but to get out of their comfort zone because they can have no connections whatsoever in the U.S, but I think most have some family or acquaintance that is there to help them. When a family member you are more likely to be with them and the area they live in the first generation immigrants did not need to get out of their comfort zone, but they proved if they did then they would.

                Based on the readings for this week, I really think that the racial-genetic model is interesting. The fact that someone’s health can be affected by their lineage is a pretty big deal. Although I do not believe that race is the only factor that contributes to this. Other factors such as socioeconomic status, behavior, and stress have to play a big role because it is the current environment the person is living in, and those are the issues that they face every day.  These factors wear down people and it all depends on how big the amount they are dealing with. Just because something may be in your lineage, does not mean it cannot be prevented, health wise. Although, I feel it is important to state that the racial-genetic model does not state that every issue some has is due to lineage. It does cause an issue that there are not many studies done that cn prove it due to the many factors that come into play.