Thanks everyone who posted on time this last week. For this next week I have already found an article. Follow the link below and again write you NAME and CLASS PERIOD on your blog comment. I want you to, using two examples from the article, reflect on the article by stating your initial reactions to it. What are your initial reactions about the situation upon reading the article.
http://blogs.chron.com/texaspolitics/archives/2011/02/texas_demograph.html
Thanks everyone for doing this. I really have enjoyed reading your thoughts!
-Ms. Stoller
My initial reaction to this article is surprise that Murdock labelled this news as "a terrible situation that [Texas is] in." I don't think that a growing population of non-anglos is a bad, in fact I found it very weird that Murdock was portraying it in such a negative light.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article his worry was based on the fact that "education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos," and I couldn't help assuming that this was because the current laws in regard to illegal immigrants make it so that it's difficult for them to pursue higher education, and more importantly, pursue jobs in which they can do well.
Hallie Blashfield
Per. 5
I was stunned as I read through the article. I had to read it a few times because I was not sure that a man of such supposed education could say that! I feel offended, I am Hispanic. He is making such an extreme generalization! He says, " The state's future looks bleak assuming the current trend line does not change because education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos, he said." Is it just me or does this sound extremely racist? And I actually wanted to attend this university, (Rice University)
ReplyDeleteThere is no such thing as a race that is pure "white" people are so mixed now a days with so many different races that you can no longer expect to find someone who is only "anglo"
I am against immigration done illegaly, I believe that if you want to immigrate to a country then do so in the proper manner and by the rules, so that you can feel like a true citizen and no longer an alien. Because individuals that feel accepted in their society are much more likely to be involved in their community.
But the people who come to the US are usually in search of a better life and they are hard workers. I also, correct me if I'm wrong, think that every year, more and more people are applying to colleges and universities, that is why it is getting more and more selective. He was saying that Hispanics, or minorities have considerable lower incomes and education so there is really no hope and everything will go to ruins, ""It's a terrible situation that you are in. I am worried," Murdock said.
I don't even know what to say. I just think that he does not sound very intelligent, good, kind or honorable with what he is saying and I believe a lot of people, not just Hispanics and the minorities he was referring to, but all people will see this or read this and feel embarrassed for him.
Arena Morillo
2nd period
Civics
After reading this article, my initial reaction was slightly confused. I don't understand how a man like Murdock can directly say in an article that Texas is "in a terrible situation", and that he "is worried". If I were Murdock, I would be embarrassed and stupid in front of the people reading this article.
ReplyDeleteMurdock also adds that, "The state's future looks bleak assuming the current trend line does not change because education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos". This man is clearly racist, and I don't understand how he is comfortable with saying things like this. Even if hispanics will become the majority of parts of Texas, doesn't mean it's a bad thing as Murdock clearly puts it.
Sophia Levenson
Period 5
Meena Rockney
ReplyDeletePeriod 2
3/1/11
After reading this article, my initial reaction was, "Who does this guy think he is to say that?" I think it's right for a man in Murdock's stuation to say such things about his state. So what if other races, mainly Hispanics, are increasing in population? Who cares? "Anglos," or White people are not the only people on the planet, so I think it's very rude of him to state these claims about Hispanics increasing 213% by the year 2040. I also disagree with his statement, "The state's future looks bleak assuming the current trend line does not change because education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos." This to me, sounds like he's already blaming the state's decline in education and economy on Hispanics. I don't understand how a man can say these things so bluntly and not think about how outspoken he's being. Also, I'm a little confused by the last sentence of the article, when Murdock says, "It's a terrible situation that you are in. I am worried." I don't quite understand the point of what he says because I'm not sure who he is talking to.
Ben Davis Period 2
ReplyDeleteI felt that he grew up in a family that talked about how their grandpa fought in the Alamo and how they'd all bled for their state of Texas. While such loyalty to their state is admirable, it doesn't mean that you can't also understand that being Texan doesn't require you to be white. People need to understand that the Alamo wasn't fought against the Hispanic RACE, it was fought against the Mexican NATION which are two very separate things.
"The average household income will be about $6,500 lower than it was in 2000." By saying this, he is basically saying that emigrating Hispanics can't create new businesses or become high paying jobs. He is stereotyping all Hispanics as low paid labor.
"By 2040, Harris County will have about 516,000 fewer Anglos than lived in the Houston area in 2000." It isn't the fault of emigrating Hispanics that white people are leaving Texas. There are jobs and opportunities elsewhere that they are taking. If Mr. Murdock was so concerned, he would focus less on immigration and more on creating jobs that he thinks will keep his precious Anglos in Texas.
When I read this article, one of my first reactions was how interesting it was that only in Texas, there is a great decline in Anglos. It made me wonder if there was an explanation to why there is a decline of Anglos, and at such a fast rate. At first when I started reading this, it didn't appear to be an actual problem. I think that it is a good thing for people to be from different cultures, and is what makes America so original, that fact that it is a "melting pot". I don't think that there is a problem if there are less white people in Texas. I find people that think this is such a bad thing, to be racist, simply because they are upset that there will be less Anglos people in Texas.
ReplyDeleteAlex Swanson
Period 2
I had to reread this article a couple of times in order to verify my belief, but there is no distinct clause or passage in the article that leads me to believe Murdock is racist.
ReplyDeleteFrom his perspective, two distinct facts remain in play. Latin Americans residing in the United States, have on average, lower wages, lower graduation rates, higher rates of crime, and so forth. Then the fact that the Latin American population is increasing in Texas. If you simply add two and two together and the conclusion anyone will come to is: "30 percent of the state's labor force will not have even a high school diploma by 2040, he said. And the average household income will be about $6,500 lower than it was in 2000. That figure is not inflation adjusted so it will be worse than what it sounds." Its simple reasoning.
Although it makes sense on the surface, there are plenty of other variables which affect graduation rates and median income and the ever changing demographic will slowly revise statistics. The change in population will alter the statistics Murdock uses which renders his premise plausibly invalid.
Too many people jump to conclusions too quickly, Murdock in his analysis, and the people who assume he's a bigot. Just because Murdock's premise is that a spike in the Latin population is bad, doesn't mean he particularly detests Latinos. In a similar manner, I believe the a spike in the Asian population will do more harm than good, that doesn't make me a bigot either.
In conclusion, this is just a guy who looked at fact A, then fact B, and made a conclusion. No racism, no intolerance, just shortsightedness.
PS: HISPANIC ONLY APPLIES TO PEOPLE FROM THE IBERIAN PENINSULA!
Spanish & Portuguese = Hispanic
Mexican, Colombian, Argentinian etc... = Latin American, or just Latin FYI
This article was very astonishing. After i read it my initial reaction was shock to the words being placed before my eyes. I couldn't really believe what I was reading. I don't understand why a man like Murdock is so bluntly offensive. His statements about his worry due to the declinlng population of Anglos' in my opnion was ridiculous. The fact that these new races such as Hispanics are starting to increase was such a serious problem to him is pathetic. This is a political man who sees race(ethnicity) as a current issue. He's overlooking more important thngs that are happening in Texas. His concern for the Anglo people is very unecesary to me. This article almost made him seem somewhat belligerent to me.
ReplyDeleteWhen he was talking about how Hispanics were to get less funding educationally and therefore it would be a reprecussion for the Anglos i didnt understad why.... He was prediciting a future for other races in a negatively open way. He made it seem as if the Anglo people were these mighty superior things. Which is definetly not O.K.
I am outraged my Murdock and his statments on the Anglo people and other races. I am offended and disappointed for the amount of ignorance he has. There are other people who will be suffereing from the words he spoke in this article...
When I first read this article, I though I had just read it carelessly and did not understand the message given by the article, but after understanding what a demographer was and what kind of man Murdock was, I got this feeling that Murdock was quite racist against the hispanic race.
ReplyDeleteMy first reaction to this article was "wait what?". When I read that Murdock was a involved and supportive man of education, I thought he was a good man until he started to mention the populations of hispanic people and their future education, I was surprised. If anything it was quite funny. I did not understand how a man could be so contradicting and in a sense hypocritical.
If I was Murdock, I would have formally apologized to the hispanic group at the school and try to save the small amount of dignity that he had left. I feel that Murdock just dug his own grave for his reputations as a education supporter.
Hans Lee
Period 5
3.1.11
At first, it seemed like Murdock was just stating statistics about the growth of Hispanics and the decline of Anglos. However, when I read it more carefully and reread his quotes, I realized he is being racist towards Hispanics. It doesn't really matter that the Hispanic population is increasing, those alone are just statistics, but the way he presents these statistics and his opinions make him come across as a racist. He's basically saying that Hispanics are going to kill the states economy and education system, and that's very wrong to do!
ReplyDeletePeter Kessinger
Period 2
My first thoughts on this article was that of confusion. I did not have any idea what he was talking about. It wasn't until I saw the word "Hispanic" that I realized he was talking about white and Hispanic people. It soon became apparent that he is a blatant racist. Then it goes on to state statistics that supposedly show a bleak future for Texas. An estimated 213% increase of Hispanics in public schools with a 15% decline of Anglo students seems to project what Murdock calls "a terrible situation". Assuming nothing changes, there is a projected 6500$ lower average wage in 40 years than there is currently today. It seems to me that Murdock is saying that with more Hispanics, Texas overall as a state will slowly degrade in multiple different areas, including academics, wages, and the percentages of Hispanic youth versus aged Anglos.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Jia
Period 5
My initial reaction to this article was that Murdock was simply reporting to the general public the diminishing population of Anglos in Texas. According to the article, thirty years from now the Texan school population will only be about 20% Anglo, and there are over half a million fewer Anglos in Harris County then a decade ago.
ReplyDeleteHowever, after re-reading the article more carefully, I found that Murdock is being flat-out racist towards Hispanic peoples. He says that this trend will kill the state and its economy, since "education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos." Murdock is making several assumptions about Hispanics vs Anglos--that lower education and income are somehow naturally attached to the ethnicity rather than the fact that they're a minority. Not only that, he calls the current population situation there "terrible". I don't see what's so awful about a smaller Anglo population.
I am Josh Gillis, of your fifth period.
Xeng Xiong 2nd period
ReplyDeletemy first reaction was, i never knew how much "non-Anglo" population was in taxes "two to ever three children" so that was a shock to me.
my reaction to the situation is it seem that pretty soon the "non-Anglo" population will over populate the "Anglo" "By 2040, Harris County will have about 516, 000 fewer Anglos than lived in the Houston area in 2000, while the number of Hispanics will increase by 2.5 million during the same period" and with this majority they will be able to change all of taxes due to the power of the people. they will have the ability to change and create new laws within the state of Texas and with majority past them. so if Texas was to be over populated with "non-Anglo" it will never be the same ever again.
Upon reading this article I was shocked by the negative implications behind the article. The quote from Murdock are discriminatory to say the least. He described the growing non-Anglo population as a "terrible situation," whereas I don't think it will make that great of a difference.
ReplyDeleteAnother part that stuck out to me was the statistics that Murdock projected for 2040. Because the non-Anglo population is new, they aren't as well adjusted in the United States as the Anglo population. As the generations have situated into the community, they will gain wealth, and therefore Murdock's projections will be false.
Cara Scalpone
5th Period
My initial reaction to this article was...where in the hell is Murdock getting these numbers from? I first off can safely say that I have never heard of Steve Murdock and the fact that he is making accusations based on Texas for the country as a whole doesn't seem to make me believe that anything he is saying is accurate. It seems to me as if this article was based more on opinion than actual facts. Again where did these numbers come from? How? Someone needs to question him. This article seemed very vague with no reasoning whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteMatthew Collie
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
My initial reaction to this article was surprise and almost anger that this article was even written. I understand that it is a large problem in the south with illegal imagrents coming in from mexico and other countries, getting jobs for much less pay that takes from our work force. However, to describe it as "It's basically over for the Anlgos"? I find this to only prove how racist our country is becoming even though we may be extremely diverse, much of the white population )mostly southern) are extremely fearful of another race growing in numbers. I also feel that as Murdock goes to the point to say "The state's future looks bleak" it shows how extreme he is with this raw data. Plus, he seems to blame all economic problems that are going to occur in the next 30 years on the Hispanic population which is terrible!
My first initial reaction to this article was shocking because this article was written by an ignorant man, Steven Murdock. This article is obviously a commentary of how he feels about the increase of Hispanics in state public schools. “The state's future looks bleak assuming the current trend line does not change because education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos, he said.” I thought that statement from Murdock was unacceptable it just makes him seem like a racist man living in the 21st century. The statement he just made was a stereotypical statement. "It's a terrible situation that you are in. I am worried," Murdock said. Murdock makes it seem like the increase of Hispanics is a horrible situation which it is not. Murdock is looking at the smaller picture not as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI just feel as if this article was inappropriate and there was no point in publishing it. All I learned from this article was there are clearly many ignorant people in the world.
Diane Kim
Period 5
My initial reaction to this article was that it would be racist. Then, as I read further it seemed mostly statistics and not bias. But when I read the last three paragraphs I reverted back to my initial reaction. Murdock said, "The state's future looks bleak assuming the current trend line does not change because education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos." This is an awful thing to say, that an entire state's future looks bleak and blame it on one race. While Hispanics might have lower rates of graduation than Anglos statistically, this does not mean they are dooming Texas to a lower standard of living if the trend continues of an increased Hispanic population. Statistics can change. Maybe the lower percent of Anglos in Texas will free up more higher-paying jobs for Hispanics and the average household income will increase, not "be about $6,500 lower than it was in 2000." Murdock may be just presenting the facts, but the manner in which he says them is bound to offend.
ReplyDeleteI must admit to being surprised by the statistics presented in this article, because I always imagine Texas as predominately white, based on its historical penchant for racism. But it makes sense, because Texas is right on the border of Mexico. Yet, in the article, it says about "About 22 percent of the growth comes from people moving to Texas from other states." I wonder what the draw is to Texas.
Rachel Osmundsen
Period 2
Unlike many of the people who have already posted, my initial reaction to this article wasn’t that he was racist, just ignorant to the source of Texas’s economic and educational status. He stated, “Unless the trend line changes, 30 percent of the state's labor force will not have even a high school diploma by 2040,” this is assuming the current statistics on education would continue as low as they are currently. I think he’s ignorant in thinking this because the ratio count isn’t accounting for people who move into the state from Latin American countries, where education is often much less efficient than in the U.S., in order to receive a better education. Considering these people, the percent of people to earn a high school diploma could actually increase if they truly are moving into the U.S. to receive a better education.
ReplyDeleteHis statement is also ignorant since “about 22 percent of the growth comes from people moving to Texas from other states.” If these people move into Texas from other states, there must be some fluctuation in the other states’ statistics. This statement could also mean that the teachers themselves are inadequate, not the students, especially since the change is only this noticeable in Texas versus the other states.
Rebecca Van Buskirk
Period 2
My initial reaction to this article surprised me. The statements Murdock had said were terrible things to say. I don’t understand why Murdock would think that it is a awful thing that the population of people who are not Anglos is growing. Murdock seems to think that “15 percent decline in Anglo children while Hispanic children will make up a 213 percent increase”, later saying how is is a horrible thing. I don’t understand why he thinks that a decline in Anglos is a problem, and that it’s ruining the state. His statements made me think that Murdock was clearly a racist, and that he had a problem with non-Anglos, which I don’t understand.
ReplyDeleteMurdock also stated, “the average household income will be about $6,500 lower than it was in 2000”. Murdock seems to be saying that the reason for these lower incomes is the non-Anglos. Statistics don’t always turn out what they say they will be, though he’s stating it as if they were facts. He also said that the Anglo school enrollment would be at 20 percent, saying that “It's a terrible situation” and that it will ruin the school system. This is once again a racist and terrible thing to say.
Jeneva Kuhn
Period 2
When I started reading the article, I was almost embarrassed for Steven Murduck for being as ignorant as he was. It's safe to assume he is some what racist, because he's saying how the future looked "bleak" and that Mexicans were going to have more problems learning, lagging behind and such. Some people really need to open their eyes, and stop blaming them. For all we know, the teachers might be really bad in their school system.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, this article reminded me of another article I remember reading in 8th grade about how by the year 2050, most people will be mixed. In this article that was put on the blog, it says, "Between 2000 and 2040, the state's public school enrollment will see a 15 percent decline in Anglo children while Hispanic children will make up a 213 percent increase." However, he later goes on to say how this is a bad thing. I just wish he, and many other people, could look at it from another angle.
Lyndsi Zapata
2nd Period
Civics
My initial reaction was confused. Then I reread the article and realized that it was not a simple statement of fact (the statistics that is), but a very racist commentary. How someone can be so openly racist as to say, "The state's future looks bleak assuming the current trend line does not change because education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos?" Openly assuming that every non Anglo has a brighter future then those that are not, with no facts to back the statement up is shameful.
ReplyDeleteIf anything, I think a greater diversity should be welcomed. Having a mix of people, and opinions opens you up to a variety of opinions and ideologies. In summary, I think it's very offensive to say "It's a terrible situation that you are in. I am worried," when referring to the increase in diversity in schools.
Sam Hunter
2nd Period
Civics
My initial reaction to this article was disgust. How can someone even say such things? Steve Murdock said in this article that the future of Texas' education is weak. He explains that this is because there are many more Hispanics in the school system who can't pay as much to the schools as the Anglos. He feels that this would cause a decline in Texas' education system because of such little funding. This is a broad generalization, not all Hispanics have low incomes. It seems to me that Steve Murdock is being a racist. It also appears that he was blaming the lack of money for future education and the low graduation rate on the high Hispanic population. I don't think this is a fair assumption.
ReplyDeleteAlso, at the end of the article Steve Murdock states, "It's a terrible situation that you are in. I am worried." Is he afraid Hispanics are going to take over because their percentage in Texas is increasing? If Hispanics fill the cities that were once empty wouldn't that be helping their economy? Is he referring to the disappearing number of Anglos? Not many people in the United States are pure white any more, so what is he worried about? When my family has visiting exchange students they always enjoy visiting the United States because it is so diverse. We are a melting pot, not a white supremacy.
Mariko Hunter
Period 2
Civics
At first, I thought this article was just going to be facts and statistics about the graduation rate and such of Texas in comparison to other states. But I was shocked towards the end of the article when Murdock says "The state's future looks bleak assuming the current trend line does not change because education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos". This statement is outright racist. You cannot blame a particular race for problems that involve the entire state. That is just unjust. The white population could be falling behind too, for all we know.
ReplyDeleteI was also shocked to read "By 2040, only 20 percent of the state's public school enrollment will be Anglo," and the negative implications Murdock put on this. I don't see why an increase in Hispanics and a decrease in whites would necessarily be a bad thing. In fact, it could be seen as a good thing, as it raises the amount of diversity in this country.
Anu Deodhar
Period 5
Civics
My first reaction to this article was of confusion and questionable racism. I believe that Murdock must be a republican who pushing the agenda of closing the boarders to Mexico. The main questions I have regarding this article have to do with where Murdock got these facts from. “15 percent decline in Anglo children while Hispanic children will make up a 213 percent increase” and “Harris County will have about 516, 000 fewer Anglos… while the number of Hispanics will increase by 2.5 million”. Murdock is making subtle representations throughout the article that illegals are coming into the country and driving out the Anglos. If so, where are these Anglos going? Are they just leaving the state and the Hispanics are filling the void and will soon take over the state of Texas? I feel that these questions are what Murdock was trying to instill in the readers brains as a means to strike fear into the safety of their country. He is trying to scare citizens into believing that if the American people don’t act now, in places like Texas and possibly other states Anglos will be the minority.
ReplyDeleteSpencer Rotenberg
Period 2
My initial reaction to this article was disgust towards Mr. Murdock. He is clearly an educated man who holds some weight in the government and for him to be saying such things is terrible. If the majority of the population is going to be hispanic, then that would hopefully lead to hispanics having more opportunities for jobs and education. It is extremely unfair of Mr. Murdock to assume that the state is going to end up in shambles because there are going to be more hispanics than white (or as he so elegantly put it, anglo) people. The only reason Texas's future could potentially be bleak is if people, like our dear, not racist at all, friend Mr. Murdock have political power and influence.
ReplyDeleteAndi Holmes
Period 5
jordan portlock
ReplyDeleteperiod 2
my first impression? racism. plain and simple. murdock has an obvious bias against non white people living in texas regardless of whether they're legal or not. it is a free country and people have a right to live wherever they please and the only reason somebody, namely murdock, would call an increase in population by a specific ethnic group "a terrible situation" would be because they are afraid of people that are different and do not like them and are, in this case, racist. in a bad way.
as for his grounds for why the situation would become "terrible," murdock claims that as a result of the population shift, "30 percent of the state's labor force will not have even a high school diploma by 2040." who does he think he is to assume that just because of an ethnicity that students are less likely to succeed? what a horrible, horrible assumption to make about people. for all he knows, the students may become more successful because they are in an environment of a greater number of peers with similar backgrounds and feel more comfortable.
this man should be ashamed of himself.
My initial reaction to the article like a lot of people already stated was that it seemed sort of racist. Although some also said that it is mostly facts, there is that slight undertone that Murdock isn't happy with the way things are going and that this article is very bias. He states that "the future looks bleak" and that it ""It's a terrible situation that you are in [and he] is worried." I found this quite suprising because ironically he has no position to be saying such things. Anglos came from Europe...immigrants themselves...and this whole Hispanic population increase is nothing but the same. We (white people) were not the first to inhabit north America nor should we consider ourselves to be the last. This Steve Murdock sounds completey ignorant and uneducated to be honest.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that suprised me about this article was his assumption about how just because the future speculations found the population of hispanics to increase, that the high school diploama rate of the labor force will decrease. Generealizations make an idiot out of anybody and this is just honestly an irritating article for me to read.
Connor Hutchens
pd. 2
When I first read this article I was suprised, for someone to say "It's a terrible situation that you are in. I am worried," simlpy because a certain race's population is growing seemed a bit extreme and unfair. From this article I got the idea that Steve was talking ilke a racist, but as I thought about it, it was evident that he only wanted to show some ugly facts.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that made me think was the quote "... because education and income levels for the Hispanics lag considerably below Anglos." I thought this was a bit extreme, this is because if most of the population is Hispanic, then lots of things are have going to changed by the time this does end up happening. So I don't think it will be nearly as grim as Steve predicts.
Spencer Burt
Period 2
When I first starting reading I was a little confused by the purpose of the article. I didn't understand why there was such a large concern that "two of every three Texas children are now non-Anglo". When I got to the end of the article I saw that the concern was for statistics and immigration.
ReplyDeleteThe tone of the article seems to be a little condescending towards "Hispanics", which I frankly thought was stupid. I understand that immigration into Texas is an issue but that is one I still feel unclear about. I think that if they consider these people that "lag considerably below Anglos" as a part of the population, then the Texan state government should take responsibility for educating those people. If the real concern is statistics, there are ways to make those statistics better. And I think it's best that they are earned rather than achieved through elimination of the weak.
Judging by the tone of the article, it seems that the concern is not just statistics but also immigration which involves so many other issues like racism and employment, among others.
Natalie Ancona
Period 5
When I first read this article it definitely seemed like it was racist, especially because of the last line, "It's a terrible situation you are in. I'm worried." That sentence seems to imply that it is a bad thing that there will be more Hispanic people. In addition, his logic did not seem to add up. He said that "Education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos." He is using this idea to support his claim that it is bad that there are more Hispanic people in Texas. However, just because the Hispanic population is currently behind the Anglo population in income and education, it doesn't have to be that way, and it won't necessarily. If anything, it means that the government is having issues with education.
ReplyDeleteFrancie Smith-Korn
period 2
Before getting to the end of this article my initial reaction was that this would be an article talking about how the number of Anglos in the state of Texas were declining. "Between 2000 and 2040, the state's public school enrollment will see a 15 percent decline in Anglo children while Hispanic children will make up a 213 percent increase, he said." This is interesting information.
ReplyDeleteThen, towards the end of the article Murdock makes some pretty bold statements that really change the article. It rapidly changed from an informational article to an extremely opinionated one. He says, "The state's future looks bleak assuming the current trend line does not change because education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos." Did he really just say that? I cannot believe that he can make such a broad generalization. It is definitely not fair to say that all hispanics are like this.
McKenna Jones
Period 2
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy initial reaction to reading this article was surprise that Murdock had such a negative view of Hispanics. At first, it seems like he was just talking about the large number of Hispanics entering Texas by providing statistics. However, his commentaries later such "[t]he state's future looks bleak," and that "[i]t's a terrible situation that you are in." brings out his racism. He states that the future looks bleak because of low education and income levels of Hispanics. If we offered proper education and gave fair wages, this would not be an issue.
ReplyDeleteSpike Madden
Period 5
After reading this article i feel appalled and confused. How could he say such rude and offensive things and make it seem as though having an increase of hispanic people could be "a terrible situation"? And he's "worried"? What for? It shouldn't have to matter if there is a increase in Hipanic people and a decline in Anglos people. It's only a fact. And i can't believe he said that things are lookin bleak because "education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos". Everyone can have similar education as long as people give them the chance to get that education. To be frank, he made himself seem like a complete moron and i am embarrassed for him.
ReplyDeleteAfter I read this article i was surprised how how he could say so many rude and offensive things about hispanic people. Like hoe he said hispanic people could be "a terrible situation". Then also how he said "worried." I just can't understand why he would be worried, because it doesn't really matter if there are more hispanics and fewer Anglos people. What they said was only a fact. "incomes levels and education for hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos." I am in shock that he would say something like this. Everyone in the world has the right to get a great education if inly they could get the chance to have one. He has totally made himself look like a dork in this article to the whole world.
ReplyDeleteMichelle Gann
Period 5
After reading this article, my first reaction was confusion, which soon turned into astonishment. When I read the article a couple times through, it was clear to me that Mr. Murdock is racist against Hispanics. It was hard to believe that someone representing a state could be so blatant as to say “the state's future looks bleak assuming the current trend line does not change because education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos.” Mr. Murdock is making a racist generalization that all Hispanics don’t do well in school, and secure worse jobs than Anglos. He even goes as far to say that the states future looks bleak because of the race of the people living in it.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, Mr. Murdock said “Unless the trend line changes, 30 percent of the state's labor force will not have even a high school diploma by 2040, he said. And the average household income will be about $6,500 lower than it was in 2000. That figure is not inflation adjusted so it will be worse than what it sounds.” As Murdock has implied throughout the article that a decrease in the amount of white children in Texas is “a terrible situation”, he seems to think that there will be a decrease in the incomes because of the race of the people as well. I am astonished that Mr. Murdock would make these implications being in the position that he is, because it might encourage people within Texas to follow his example, and become racist themselves.
Isabella McVey
Period 5
This is a national issue.
ReplyDeleteIf we're such a "colorblind" society, what is wrong with the browning of Texas? Texas, and California used to be a part of MEXICO.There have always been Mexicans living there. If they really want to bring back the "Anglo" in Texas, they can get rid of NAFTA so Mexicans can make a living in their own country, and make sure people stop buying so many guns and drugs which fuels the underground drug cartel economy. the US has a responsibility to take care of the people who are suffering because of us, and Murdock fails to see that. It's people like Murdock that discourages immigrants from wanting to learn English and leave their own communities.
The reason why there is a large increase in Hispanic children is because the US has no interest in pushing for more Hispanic students to graduate and go to college. So many don't. In turn, that leaves Hispanics uneducated, living in the streets or ghettos, without any means of political power to help improve their living condition, with next to no way to obtain citizenship, or a working visa to make a living. Nonetheless, many have unprotected sex, and no means of getting an abortion which creates oversized families living in poverty. Hence why Hispanic children make up a third of Texas' population. This is what happens when you decide to "punish" "illegal" immigrants--not only do they suffer for being Mexican instead of American, the US economy suffers. Just as the article says, "The state's future looks bleak" because a disproportionate amount of Hispanics are uneducated and low-income, compared to the white citizen.The solution? Give them back the opportunity for an American Dream; there's plenty to go around.
Dina Yazdani
Period 5
After reading blog posts from other student's in our class, I feel terrible that I didn't initially view Murdock's opinion as racist. My initial reaction was that Texas should be ready to face a cultural shock.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the article, I only saw Murdock as stating legitimate facts. As he stated, "Two of every three Texas children are now non-Anglo and the trend line will become even more pronounced in the future". I didn't see anything wrong with him simply educating the state of Texas for what is to come. Even after finishing the article, I didn't feel the article was controversial.
It was only after I re-read the article that I found his last comment to be racist, stating "Unless the trend line changes, 30 percent of the state's labor force will not have even a high school diploma by 2040, he said. And the average household income will be about $6,500 lower than it was in 2000". In this comment, I believe that Murdock's prediction is discriminatory, not to mention a broad generalization of Hispanics.
Lauren Caffee
Period 5
When I first read this article, I was slightly confused. At first I thought I was misinterpreting the article, but then I reread it and realized that I was not mistaken. This person, Steve Murdock, is an extremely racist person. I absolutely could not believe that a seemingly high educated man could make such statements and come to such conclusions. Though the statistics did show that “By 2040, Harris County will have about 516, 000 fewer Anglos than lived in the Houston area in 2000, while the number of Hispanics will increase by 2.5 million during the same period”. It also stated that the projection assumed a net migration rate that is one-half of 1990 to 2000’s migration rates.
ReplyDeleteThese facts may be true; however, they still do not give Murdock the right to be so racist against Hispanic people. I still find it astonishing the degree in which he took this survey to a personal opinionated level.
I find this article completely embarrassing for Murdock. I was really surprised that Murdock just came straight out and said the Texas was in a terrible situation. His view on the subject, in my opinion, was also very racist. Just because Hispanics may become the majority does not at all mean it is a bad thing. Overall, this article is a total embarrassment for Murdock.
ReplyDeleteJack Edwards
Period 5
When reading this article I was astonished by the amount of hispanics in the public school system, and also the amount of undocumented students that are enrolled there. I agree with Jack that it is very disrespectful for Murdock to openly say that Texas was in a terrible situation. I also find that Murdock is racsist becuase of his wording and actions.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this article I was astonished by the amount of hispanics in the public school system, and also the amount of undocumented students that are enrolled there. I agree with Jack that it is very disrespectful for Murdock to openly say that Texas was in a terrible situation. I also find that Murdock is racsist becuase of his wording and actions.
ReplyDeleteEddy Wang Chang
period 2
I was very surprised about Murdock. It doesn't seem characteristic of him to just flat out say that texas is in a terrible situation. He also is extremely racist. His hatred towards hispanics sickened me. Hispanic people deserve an equal right to education and especially if they had no choice but to come here (for instance, brought over as a baby).
ReplyDeleteCorey Friedman
Period 5
Civics
After reading this article i was so surprised that Murdock could state how negativley he felt about the growing population of non-anglos in texas especially when he said "its a terrible situation that you're in." I would think that even if he felt that it wasn't good that the non-anglo population is decreasing he would at least keep that feeling to a minimum while writing this article so that other people can't see his prejiduce so clearly. Another point when his prejiduce was shown very clearly is when he said "the future looks bleak for Texas." He is saying that because the anglo population is decreasing and the hispanic population is increasing the state of Texas is going down the drain, which i find very offensive and think it is incredible that he would acctually say something like this in a published article.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa Crooke
Period 5
Civics
(sorry im late)
After i read this i am wondering why the number of anglos is decreasing in texas and for what cause. I feel like what Murdock said was extremely offensive. He is saying that sense there is a higher rate of hispanic people that the state is going down the drain i am shocked that they published this article and what he is saying is not right.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, my initial reaction was I thought that this guy was speaking so out of place. I don’t think it’s okay for a man with Murdock's power to say such things about his state. Why does it matter if other races, mainly Hispanics, are increasing in population? I don’t see how this would effect him. He is obviouisly an older person with a deep-rooted racism. I believe that if anything, texas should not be divided by the races like he said: “Today's Texas population can be divided into two groups, he said. One is an old and aging Anglo and the other is young and minority.”
ReplyDeleteI believe that instead of this breakdown, it should be divided into racist kooks like him, and then everyone else. White people are not the only people on the planet, so I think it's very rude of him to present these disappointed claims of his about Hispanics increasing 213% by the year 2040. I also disagree with his statement, "The state's future looks bleak assuming the current trend line does not change because education and income levels for Hispanics lag considerably behind Anglos." This to me, sounds like he's already blaming the state's decline in education and economy on Hispanics. All in all, I am perplexed that this man had the nerve to say all of these bluntly racist things. I believe that if he is truly concerned with the way things are going, he should concentrate on potentially beneficial aspects such as increasing education or current issue’s awareness.
I find it disappointing that racism like this still goes on in this point of time, and people actually let it happen. Steve Murdock was truly out of place. but i wonder why the Hispanic rate is going up while Anglos's are going down. People like Steve Murdock are the people that are making America such a horrible place for other races to succeed.
ReplyDeleteJed Anotta
Period 5
(Sorry that is late)
In this article Murdock argues that the growing Hispanic population in texas is a totally bad thing as they are not getting educated properly and seems like he is in turn trying to hide his discrimination to the Hispanic populaion. Although many people of Hispanic decent are moving to Texas this does not mean it needs to stop like Murdock claims. What should be happening is trying to come up with ways to help better educate the people moving up to America from Mexico. Overall the Angelo population is going down while the Hispanic population rises and there is not much one can do to stop it. Therefore instead they should work on getting better education for those coming to America.
ReplyDeleteJesse Ellison
Period 5
When I first read this article I was a bit confused about the point they were trying to get acrossed. Then I read it again and felt that Steve Murdick was racist towards hispanic people. He thinks that the education will go down and the income level will be way lower due to the fact that more hispanics are moving to Texas. Maybe it's the school that is causing the Hispanics to seem uneducated and not their race. Steve Murdock needs to realize that you can't stop Hispanic people from moving to Texas and you can't stop the Anglo population from going down.
ReplyDeleteMy first reaction to this article was that it was racist and made the growing number of non anglo people sound like a bad thing. I dont think there being less anglos is a bad thing but the article made it sound like it was bad
ReplyDeleteAlex Hinchliff
Period 2
Murdock is clearly racist toward hispanics. there really isn't much to comment on this article. he points out that texas is in a bad situation. because of the income and the education, and this all is happening because the hispanics.
ReplyDeletejed anotta
period 5