The Economic Use of Immigrants
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A common phenomenon we have seen in class is how migrant narratives often center on dreams of economic mobility and how a person's financial situation plays a significant role in their decision to move abroad, whether permanent or temporary. In Blood Brothers, Nimo and Swap illustrate the contrasting views of America from an immigrant perspective. Nimo has the typical deeply rooted perception of the American dream, viewing the US as a promised land where he can achieve generational wealth, saying, "I'm going to America and I'm gonna be a millionaire." While this optimistic view of America is typical, the lyrics also show the limited perception of India, saying, "There's nothing here in India." This juxtaposition between the two countries Echoes long-standing narratives regarding migration to the West and how non-Western countries lack opportunities. Nimo and his aspirations within America developed to align with the model minority. This is an immigrant who assimilates well while contributing economically, leaving behind heritage and culture and, in this case, his family ties. As the lyrics go further, you can see an increase in disconnectedness between the brothers and how Nimo's pursuit of wealth is a detriment to his connections. However, towards the end of the song, when talking to his brother, Nimo says, "No, I would never let you go what I've gone through," which is a significant change that reveals a moment of reflection on the different types of wealth that they've accumulated. While Nimo has been focusing on his financial well-being, Swap focuses on building a family and emotional well-being. Nimo deterring his brother from coming shows that despite the vast amount of success that is potentially available in America (though not for the vast majority of immigrants), achieving it at the expense of losing your culture and family is not a sacrifice worth making and not something that he would want his brother to go through.
Thobani's work on immigration policy continues this theme of economic growth. From an economic perspective, there was a significant change in economic theory after World War II, and growth became the primary driver behind every country's economy. As the economy expanded, there was an increase in labour shortages. This expansion allowed for the welcoming of non-white immigrants in a very artificial manner as the economic contribution aspect of the model minority was there; however, they were just there to sustain national growth. There is a lot of writing within economics regarding how only a crisis can bring change to economic theory. World War II was that crisis, and immigrants were the drivers of that change. Thobani goes on to highlight how these immigrants were considered " intolerant and parochial," which was used as a mechanism for the state and white people to refuse any responsibility for the faults of this economic thought. Having an "other" so deeply rooted in the economic system gave Canada, as well as the rest of the Western world, a scapegoat and target for exclusionary practices and policies when they no longer favoured the West.