Entertainment aaaand Education - What A Concept

I think that the FX reality series, “30 Days,” does a good job working against the common complaint that “reality shows are lame with contrived narratives populated by characters the producers exploit by perpetuating worn out stereotypes.” Generally speaking, I agree with this statement, even though I continue to watch crappy reality shows now and then simply for the entertainment factor. Morgan Spurlock’s episode of “30 Days,” titled “Immigration,” does more than entertain… it attempts to educate.

This episode is trying to create awareness about the issues of illegal immigration and minutemen among the American population. In this episode, Frank George, a minuteman and legal immigrant who came to America from Cuba when he was 7, moves in with the Gonzales family, a family of illegal aliens residing in Los Angeles, CA. Parents Patty and Rigoberto crossed the Mexico border with their 3 oldest children 12 years ago. Their 2 youngest children are citizens of the Unites States.

Frank states that he is a minuteman because he “can’t see thousands of people coming over the border everyday and not do anything about it.” Frank moves in with the Gonzales family for 30 days, under three conditions:
1. He must leave any ID behind
2. He must move in with the whole family and sleep in their house
3. He will be put to work as a day laborer

The situation was pretty awkward when Frank first arrived at the house. He said, “I could tell there was uneasiness among all of us.” Obviously. I can’t imagine this situation being comfortable for most people.

The Gonzales’ daughter, Armida, was one of the most outspoken and developed a relationship with Frank. Armida eventually takes Frank to a rally to support a new bill that would allow illegal aliens to achieve citizenship. Frank refused to light a candle in support of the bill and Armida made a very good point by saying, “He has to see it and come up with his own conclusion.” It’s very difficult to completely change someone’s opinion. It is much easier to reinforce an existing belief, but Frank’s opinion of illegal immigrants was so engrained that he will have to decide for himself based on his experiences.

I think that the “30 Days: Immigration” episode is really interesting and did a good job explaining the illegal alien situation in the United States. Then again, I’m a sucker for Spanish culture, so this may be just my opinion. According to the episode there are over 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States. That is an insanely large number. I think Morgan Spurlock was trying to demonstrate the level of poverty in the Mexico and explain why so many Mexicans come to the U.S. illegally (I'm not saying that it's right).

However, I think Spurlock messed up with one thing. The Gonzales family was very poor, and yet Armida was shown playing golf and wearing nice polo shirts. It seemed a little odd to me that they couldn’t afford money for Christmas presents, but she could afford her own golf clubs. I also question how Armida was even applying for college when she doesn’t have a birth certificate or social security number. I would think that you need to prove your citizenship before being accepted into a higher institution of learning. Am I wrong?

Overall, the experience seemed to somewhat alter Frank’s perspective about illegal aliens. According to Walter Lippmann’s Public Opinion, “If what we are looking at corresponds successfully with what we anticipated, the stereotype is reinforced for the future.” The Gonzales family was NOT what Frank had anticipated. They contradicted his stereotype, or at least broadened his view that not everyone is the same. He learned that illegal aliens are just as human as he is, have families, and must work to survive in this country.