Reporter Josue Melgar gives voice to a rarely discussed problem regarding immigrants: the tension between the ones who have assimilated and those who haven’t. By looking at the situation in his high school, Melgar provides a sense of how it feels to be truly on the outs, beyond the regular feelings of simply being a teenager. The assimilated kids feel superior and pick on the new ones. As a student Carlos says with pride, “it’s tradition,” and Carlos has only been in the U.S. for 4 years. Jincho is the derogatory name given to a student who can’t speak or read English. Painful as it is for them to experience, these young people understand the ascendancy of language and how it shapes identity. I appreciate the sound of their accented voices, fighting to be heard above the surety of those who feel comfortable. This is commentary adults should hear.
Summary: When Josue arrived in the US he was surprised to find that some of the Latino students in his school weren't as welcoming as he thought they'd be.
Review of Jincho
Yolette Garcia
Posted on October 03, 2005 at 08:33 PM
Reporter Josue Melgar gives voice to a rarely discussed problem regarding immigrants: the tension between the ones who have assimilated and those who haven’t. By looking at the situation in his high school, Melgar provides a sense of how it feels to be truly on the outs, beyond the regular feelings of simply being a teenager. The assimilated kids feel superior and pick on the new ones. As a student Carlos says with pride, “it’s tradition,” and Carlos has only been in the U.S. for 4 years. Jincho is the derogatory name given to a student who can’t speak or read English. Painful as it is for them to experience, these young people understand the ascendancy of language and how it shapes identity. I appreciate the sound of their accented voices, fighting to be heard above the surety of those who feel comfortable. This is commentary adults should hear.