Hypertext Essay 2.

The brainstorm topic that stood out to me the most last class period was “I feel so bad for you.” After the following week I realized that the low-wage job that I would like to expose involves the hardship and treatment of Mexican-American workers. After doing some research, the part that affects me the most about this particular group of low wage workers is how much America needs them, yet how badly we will pay them. The majority of Mexican-American workers are day workers with jobs ranging from field work, street vendors, maids, and other under-the-table jobs. There have been several studies recently about the Mexican immigrant population in Benfield, close to us in the Santa Clara Valley.
Ehrenreich touches on the views of being an immigrant worker in her book. The part that stood out the most for me through her experience was the fact that immigrant workers cannot defend themselves against abusive management. They often live in fear of being discovered and will work shifts last at night. She also writes about life working multiple jobs and how one handles issues with health, safety, and lack of training. Shipler’s chapter devoted to Third World countries emphasizes the idea that these kinds of low wage jobs done by immigrants pay little, have no benefits, and lead nowhere. This shatters the conventional idea of moving up in America.
For my hypertext, I would like to talk about the culture of the Mexican family. Are Mexican workers coming here alone and sending money to their families? Are their families coming with them? I will discuss the most common jobs of Mexican day workers and how they are treated by those that hire them. The Silicon Valley has experienced such an economic boom that we need more workers to aid in the growth of the Valley. I would like to explore how this affects the number of immigrants living here and what type of work they will be doing. I plan to explore ‘a day in the life’ and discover what costs families encounter when working minimum wage.
I think that as I research my topic will not appear to be so broad. Right now I need some help deciding which direction I want this to go or which job(s) I would be focusing on.