Jose Antonio Vargas "Actions are Illegal, Never People" TED Talk
This Ted Talk highlights the issue of immigration. The speaker, Jose Antonio Vargas, argues that immigrants without papers (illegal immigrants) should not be referred to as “illegals” and should be treated like regular people. He gives a new insight on immigrants without papers and their lives and suggests that we change our viewpoints on them.
Because he is an immigrant without papers himself, Vargas has much understanding about this topic. His grandfather immigrated legally, but he gave Vargas an invalid card to get to America (in which Vargas did not find out about until he tried to get his license at sixteen). Despite this, he has found relative success in his life, working for multiple different companies as a journalist. He kept his illegal immigration a secret for years, but he eventually wrote about himself as an illegal immigrant. He now advocates for people to see immigrants as normal people. Vargas makes several compelling points on why immigrants should be treated better. He relies on both pathos and logos to argue his point. One compelling argument he makes is that immigrants are people too and need to live their lives as well. He talks about a time in which he talked to a man who questioned why he felt he could break the law, and Vargas used this argument, which gave the man a new insight. Vargas also appeals to emotions, as he says that he does not like the idea of illegal immigrants sitting in a classroom and being taught about illegal immigrants and internalizing that they are illegal. In addition, Vargas argues that people themselves should not be referred to as “illegal”, as even the title says, actions are illegal, never people. Overall, Vargas makes a compelling case arguing for the fair treatment of immigrants. This topic is relevant to the American Dream. Many immigrants come to America in search of better lives, such as Obama’s father (Obama). After all, according to Tobak, many people use a definition in the 1931 book The Epic of America by James Truslow Adams, which says “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement” (this was not the only definition presented by the Adams, but it is the most widely used). Immigrants are likely set back when people label them as “illegal”. Also, the Declaration of Independence says that “all men are created equal”. Clearly, labeling one as “illegal” essentially is putting them in an inferior group, thereby invalidating this statement in the Declaration of Independence. While illegal immigration is still a crime, it does not make a person “illegal”. While this does not directly apply to me, I do not like illegal immigrants being referred to as "illegals". it is a derogatory term that essentially puts them in an inferior category. I believe that illegal immigrants should be granted more opportunities to become citizens. |