America has, since its foundation, been attractive to people who want to improve their lot in life. Some of them have heard the stories from neighbours or have seen relatives leave for America and then come back to visit them as rich as a prince. Filipinos and Indians come from developing countries where good paying jobs are few and far in between. So they view these people who have gone overseas with both envy and respect.
Immigrants know that entering America is not easy. Legal means are expensive and arduous. Illegal means are more expensive but the waiting time is shorter. Both Indians and Filipinos are often victimized by illegal recruiters. Recruiters demand an exorbitant placement fee which the immigrants part with in the hopes of getting to America. A lot of them get swindled by illegal recruiters who leave behind a trail of broken dreams.
When they get to America, they are faced with competition from other immigrant. Finding a job is not easy, even if it is a blue-collar one. It is not unheard of to find a taxi driver who was a lawyer in his home country, or a waitress who was an actress in hers. Their ethnicity is an instant barrier against finding a stable job. People prefer the familiar, and companies are no different.
The difference in their experiences would be that Indians are more likely to bring in their culture and transplant it in toto in America. Filipinos are more likely to assimilate American values earlier on. But in the end, whether Americanized or not, immigrants are on equal footing against each other.
The Dissertation on Native American Indian People One
LC: In The Third Woman, you have written, 'It is my greatest but probably futile hope that someday those of us who are ethnic minorities will not be segregated in the literature of America." Will you elaborate on that ROSE: Well, anywhere in America, if you take a university-level course on American history or American literature, particularly in literature and the arts, it only has the literature ...
