Globalization of Puerto Rico

In the film, “West Side Story,” there is a scene where Anita and Bernardo sing about the pros and cons of being an American as opposed to a Puerto Rican. In this argument Anita sings of all the pros to being an American and all the new opportunities available here that wasn’t available back in Puerto Rico. She sings of all the new technology, job opportunities and freedom she has as a woman that she wouldn’t otherwise have in Puerto Rico. Bernardo on the other hand, was a bit more critical. He sings that there are limits to these new freedoms and opportunities. For example, he sings about how job opportunities are limited to positions as waiters or shoe polishers for Puerto Ricans. He also sings about how most things that are available in America are also available in Puerto Rico. The only difference is that these same items cost more in America.

In the Briggs reading, it proposes the same debate of whether or not globalization is a good thing, particularly in Puerto Rico. Linda Chavez argues in her book, Out of the Barrio that America’s colonization of Puerto Rico actually does more harm than good. In the 1950s and 1960s, many garment industry and other manufacturing jobs were held by Puerto Rican women in northeastern cities where they mostly settled. These people chose to stay and ended up on welfare. She recalls an AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) program that was meant to aid the people on the island. Chavez claims the people left behind their traditions and were changed for the worse when they moved to mainland U.S. and ended up living off of welfare.