Mainstream immigrant narratives in the U.S. then:; Mainstream immigrant narratives in the U.S. now (not to be confused with actual individual stories, mind you):; We came to this country with nothing and had to start our new lives from scratch. We worked terrible jobs and people treated us like shit wherever we were. But we did whatever we had to do to succeed and give our children better lives, and we’re thankful for having those opportunities in this country. America sucks why is everyone here so racist? I wish we were back in the corrupt, poverty-stricken hellhole we escaped from, sob