The short film “Becoming American” is about immigrants that come to America. They tend to be healthier than native-born citizens of the United States. The main point of the film is that the more time these immigrants spend in America, the unhealthier they become. Why is that? Well, we do have to look at a bigger picture here. As Freudenberg observes: “As cities change, so too the health of its citizens.” (Freudenberg, 2006, p. 20) Indeed, the high level of immigration in the United States brings about adverse consequences, mostly related to worsening life conditions. According to the textbook “Cities and the Health of the Public,” the sharp increase in immigration to the United States is the cause of jobs scarcity, high taxes, inadequate housing, and limited health care coverage (Freudenberg, 2006). In this way, understanding why immigrants’ health drops is about understanding the problems within the United States that lead to the deterioration of health.
In the movie, we meet Amador Bernarl. He is an immigrant that came to the United States 25 years ago. He has supported his family that recently moved from Mexico to Kennett, Pennsylvania. Kennett, Pennsylvania is about 40 miles from South Philadelphia. Amador works at a mushroom farm for seven days a week. He gets as little as 9 dollars per hour. However, he carries on working at the farm, especially as Amador and his family have a strong family bond.
In the film it is hypothesized that strong family bonds are the main reason why immigrants don’t develop mental and psychological illnesses in the first years in the United States. Scholars support this view: “Immigrants bring lifestyles and support system that protect them against some of the adverse outcomes that other low-income urban residents experience, such as poor birth outcomes and diabetes” (Freudenberg, 2006, p. 21).
We also learn from the film that the community where Bernarl’s family live supports immigrants and makes them fell protected in some way. One example of that would be medical care provided on the premises of the mushroom farm for workers. Another example could be the community center where Amador’s kids go to do their homework and to meet new people.
Some neighborhoods are better than others, just as we see in “Place Matters.” From this film, one can learn that people’s zip code may predict how long a person may live. Good and expensive neighborhoods will have better housing, more stores, good schools and will be safer than poorer areas. Only wealthy people can afford to live in better neighborhoods in the U.S. People who live in more affluent neighborhoods also have a higher quality of life because they usually know how to fight for better living conditions. It is one of the reasons why their neighborhoods have higher life expectancy. Still another reason is the quality of urban planning and design, which allows them to lead healthier lifestyles. What we saw in “Place Matters” is confirmed by the findings of contemporary scholars.
In the article “How the Built Environment Affects Physical Activity” it is argued that urban planning is significant for promoting the physical health of the inhabitants. The easiest and the least healthy way to travel is by automobile. The use of the developments of urban design can change the lifestyle habits of the inhabitants by promoting walking and bicycling. In particular, the new effective planning will attract people to want to walk in their neighborhood owing to street connectivity, carefully designed public spaces, and planning with the focus on the pedestrian and transit just as on cars.
From the movie “In Sickness and in Wealth,” we have learned that it does matter how much money one gets. It plays a huge role in one’s life if a person is wealthy because it determines if he or she can afford to live in a better neighborhood as well as have less stress. It is important because chronic stress can lead to many diseases, such as heart attacks, or even cause early death.
In conclusion, I have learned from the movie “Becoming American” that becoming American is not only about getting wealthier but also about experiencing health deterioration once the connection with one’s cultural roots grows weaker. This observation has led me to the conclusion that wealth is not the most important thing in our lives. Even though wealthy neighborhoods, better urban planning, and other improved life conditions can lead to better health, such inexpensive things as family and community support and feeling connected to your cultural background can do even greater wonders. That’s why, we should focus on non-material things above all if w e want to be healthy in the United States. It is the lesson we can learn from poor immigrants.
