<p>(The title of this thread sounds racist, but this is a logical concept that was developed my a TEACHER in my school, which is actually extremely truthful in some ways and very interesting. I don't intend to offend anyone by posting this.)</p>
<p>Today in my History class, we had this massive discussion, that I would say is the MOST interesting discussion I've ever had in school.
We were discussing the increasing rate of Mexican immigrants coming into the US, and how they are "making us fat."
We did some research, and we got these facts concluded:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>37% of Fast Food Employees in the U.S. are of Mexican descent. 68% Of Taco Bell employees are Mexican. Taco Bell is the 3rd most popular Fast Food chain in the nation.</p></li>
<li><p>79% of tilers in the U.S. have relatives in Mexico (wikipedia)</p></li>
</ul>
<p>We also concluded that many of the most physical jobs (tiling, landscaping, construction) are saved for the Mexicans. Our entire class agreed that they dominate those work forces.</p>
<p>So.. If the Mexicans WEREN'T here, the fast food industry (which is making us fat) would decrease 37% (Assuming no new employees were hired.)
If they left, more physically challenging jobs would open to Americans, allowing many of us to shed some pounds.</p>
<p>So we got deep, and debated: Are Mexican immigrants partway to blame for America's Obesity problems?</p>
<p>I'm really curious what you guys think about this. Do yo think they are partway to blame?</p>
<p>I think that jobs are filled as a function of demand to a far greater extent than that to which the existence of workers in a particular industry CAUSES demand.</p>
<p>I.e., if there weren't so many Mexicans in the fast food industry, other people would just take their places.</p>
<p>God, some blaming other people and take some responsibility! We are the one that makes those decisions to eat at fast food places even though there are a lot more healthier options. We don't "save" jobs for Mexicans. Since no one else wants to do those jobs the Mexicans do them because all other occupations are dominated by Caucasians. They still need to feed their family that's the easiest way to do it. So, no not really.</p>
<p>That's what I was thinking. It's entirely up to us whether we want to eat at those places, and has nothing to do wit who works there.</p>
<p>But people kept saying, including our teacher, that is we had less mex immigrants, there would be less of those fast food restaurants, and therefore less people resorting to eating at them, meaning less fat people.</p>
<p>I really don't know.</p>
<p>This is such a touchy subject that it's hard to express a true belief. When this came up in class I could have fallen out of my chair in shock.</p>
<p>i think the stat about mexicans working at fast food resturaunts are interesting but not relevant to the question. Because it's not really about the server more than it is about the supplier. I would AT LEAST blame the people who own the fast food resturaunts first before I would point the blame at the servers(I probably wouldn't blame either anyways). I mean like one of the posters before me said, even if the mexicans were all laid off, someone else would come to take their place and do the same thing as long as the owners of these resturaunts are in business. </p>
<p>On the other hand you can't really blame the owners of these fast food resturaunts either because they are simply responding to the demands of consumers in a free market economy. So in the end the consumers are really the ones to blame. If you think about it the server jobs the mexican workers have and that the owners of these resturaunts provide are all in response to the demand of american consumers for fast food. So if there were less demand for fast food, there'd be less server jobs and less fast food resturaunts. It doesn't work the other way around- I'm pretty sure most consumers won't care how many servers there are or if they're mexican or not if they really want to eat fast food.</p>
<p>Yeah in Spanish class we forced to watch a history channel documentary on Mexican immigration and its sort of sad that we have to blame other people for our own faults. I mean they are simple people who simply want a better life for their family.
Basically we are just trying to allocate blame to as many places possible besides ourselves. I mean honestly have gotten that low that we have to blame the people that simply give us the food on a tray? Instead we should be blaming the suppliers who give them this food. DO we really think that by firing Mexicans we are going to stop eating fast food? No. They'll hire others and we'll keep eating.</p>
<p>
[quote]
On the other hand you can't really blame the owners of these fast food resturaunts either because they are simply responding to the demands of consumers in a free market economy. So in the end the consumers are really the ones to blame. If you think about it the server jobs the mexican workers have and that the owners of these resturaunts provide are all in response to the demand of american consumers for fast food. So if there were less demand for fast food, there'd be less server jobs and less fast food resturaunts. It doesn't work the other way around- I'm pretty sure most consumers won't care how many servers there are or if they're mexican or not if they really want to eat fast food.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yeah we are actually talking about this point in Chem class. Only we can change our habits. As long as we stay the way we are fast food companies will continue making money off us until we choose to stop this ourselves.</p>
<p>Lol, because, you know, all-american food is far healthier!</p>
<p>And what poseur said. They're not creating the demand, they're responding too it. Consumers create demand (although it would be a **brilliant **strategy for marketing execs -- sales down? Hire more mexicans! Yay!).</p>
<p>You should have told the teacher that his tone of voice was ever so depressing that it makes you consider suicide, and that he should be expecting a lawsuit + criminal charges in the near future when you eventually do off yourself -- he, after all, is partly to blame. ;P ;D</p>
<p>Yeah, Poseur has it spot down. The Mexican immigrant are just supplanting the positions of US workers. I know you are assuming that no new workers would be hired, but the assumption is far from plausible. In reality, the companies would just fill their positions with other workers. The demand is created by Americans, and simply removing 37% percent of the workers has no effect on the psychology of a consumer base (in terms of their desires). They would still want fast food, and the corporations would hire others to fill the now repatriated Mexicans' positions.</p>
<p>I bet they're preventing us from running and getting some decent exercise too. Next up, we'll blame the Saudis for possessing vast amounts of oil, which caused us to become addicted, which is responsible to the current state of our economy.</p>
<p>How can you possibly blame anyone besides yourself for being fat.</p>
<p>Grow a spine and start taking responsibility for yourself.</p>
<p>Uhm, I'm pretty sure that if YOU eat at McDonald's, you shouldn't blame the people who serve you the food. It's wrong to assume that if it weren't Mexicans working then nobody would be working.</p>
<p>They do the physical jobs because they do it for cheaper, and to be honest many Americans don't want to do manual labor jobs.</p>
<p>This actually makes sense. Employers don't pay the same salary to Mexican immigrants compared to deep-rooted Americans. More Mexican immigrants equal more money(for expansion and stuff) and less liabilities. The abundance of restaurants means more convenience for consumers.</p>
<p>I just brought this up.. I NEVER stated that I agree with it.</p>
<p>I think that if we decreased the mexican population, therefore decreasing their labor in our fast food industry, as well as the tiling/ physical job industry, they would quickly be replaced by lower income citizens who were unemployed prior to the "decrease" in the Mex Population, and the fast food industry would remain as large as it always has been.</p>
<p>Not on here, but in class, it seems as if most people believe that the ONLY reason that we have fast food restaurants in America is to provide a place for mexicans to work. I know this is not true... I'm not an idiot.</p>
<p>But yeah, don't harp on me for saying that they're to blame, because I never said that, and I think the complete opposite.</p>
<p>Oh... God. No wonder. You live in Minnesota. </p>
<p>The only way I know of that state is that it was in the movie Juno. </p>
<p>First of all... Supply is created by DEMAND. Not the people that work there. A dying fishheadman with opposable thumbs could work there and people would still buy Mexican style fast food. So, Taco Bell is the 3rd most popular fast food restaurant in the country... then I'm sure the 1st and 2nd... and 4th, 5th, 6th... have nothing to do with the problem. </p>
<p>Physical labor jobs will, and always will be shifted to the group willing to work it at the lowest compensation levels. That has not changed in 1900 nor is it different in 2008. I don't see how the redistribution of blue collar jobs has much to do with the average obesity of Americans, in jobs they wouldn't take up anyway. </p>
<p>
[quote]
If the Mexicans WEREN'T here, the fast food industry (which is making us fat) would decrease 37% (Assuming no new employees were hired.)
[/quote]
That's such BS, skewed data it's not even worth debating. How would demand drop? (Aside from the decreased Mexican American population) And how the hell would no new employees be hired???!!???</p>
<p>First of all, I hate the wording of your entire post. "jobs would open to Americans"... "most physical jobs are saved for Mexicans" etc. Second of all, I can't see how this is even remotely logical. Finally, how many Mexicans do you see every day up there in Minnesota? Perhaps 40 percent of my school is of Mexican descent. You couldn't really know them well and actually be believing this. </p>
<p>Here's what I think: No, they are not making us fat. The same way that the Jews weren't screwing up the German economy in the 30's.</p>
<p>@ Cs12345: I think all manual labor organizations such as Taco Bell and Mc Donald's are required to pay all employers, regardless of race, the same wage. I'm not sure if seniority comes into play or not, but I'd think that is such a corporation, Mexicans would have as many rights to seniority as other people.
So I don't think they are being payed less. That system would be pure, mean racism.</p>
<p>And Gryffon, Minneapolis has the greatest Mexican populations in the Midwest with the exception of Chicago. There are actually a lot of those folks up here.. maybe 15% of my school.</p>