--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [My father] came over as an immigrant and…" description: "\"[My father] came over as an immigrant and didn't know any English. He went to work at a sweat shop in Baltimore. He told me later that this guy was com..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/noam-chomsky-42_baltimore_my-father-came-over-as-an-immigrant-and_1206995.jpg" --- # \[My father\] came over as an immigrant and didn't know any… ![“[My father] came over as an immigrant and didn't know any English. He went to work at a sweat shop in Baltimore. He told me later that this guy was coming around, and the guy seemed to be for the workers, so he signed up. It turned out that guy was an IWW organizer . My father didn't regret…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/noam-chomsky-42_baltimore_my-father-came-over-as-an-immigrant-and_1206995.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/noam-chomsky-42_baltimore_my-father-came-over-as-an-immigrant-and_1206995.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/noam-chomsky-42_baltimore_my-father-came-over-as-an-immigrant-and_1206995.jpg) > “\[My father\] came over as an immigrant and didn't know any English. He went to work at a sweat shop in Baltimore. He told me later that this guy was coming around, and the guy seemed to be for the workers, so he signed up. It turned out that guy was an IWW organizer . My father didn't regret signing up; he just really didn't know what was going on.” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An immigrant father worked in harsh conditions, unknowingly joined a labor union, reflecting limited awareness of activism. **In simple terms:** Father joined union without understanding its purpose. Key Takeaway Recognize the impact of hidden influences. Themes labor immigration activism family history Mood reflective somber Type historical personal When to use this quote - sweatshop work - union recruitment - family storytelling - historical reflection Key Concepts union organizing worker rights social awareness Questions to Reflect On - How does ignorance shape our choices? - What responsibilities do we have to inform others? A Different Perspective Limited knowledge can lead to unintended political alignment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baltimore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baltimore/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Immigrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrant/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Signing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signing-up/) [Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workers/) ## Related quotes > [“IWW organizer Joseph Ettor said: If the workers of the world want to win, all they have to do is recognize their own solidarity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/iww-organizer-joseph-ettor-said-if-the-workers-of-the-world-want-to/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [As for my role models... you know, I'm an immigrant, so we didn't grow up with too much TV. My parents were like, 'You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-orji/as-for-my-role-models-you-know-i-m-an-immigrant-so-we-didn-t-grow-up/) [Yvonne Orji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-orji/) > [I have a very hyper-sensitive sister, and when she saw in the papers the next day that I had proclaimed myself the daughter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-case-harriman/i-have-a-very-hyper-sensitive-sister-and-when-she-saw-in-the-papers/) [Margaret Case Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-case-harriman/) > [For me, as an immigrant who didn't speak the language, when I would have struggles as a kid, my dad would say, 'Once you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilhan-omar/for-me-as-an-immigrant-who-didn-t-speak-the-language-when-i-would/) [Ilhan Omar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilhan-omar/) > [“It was the exaggerated gratitude that came with immigrant insecurity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/it-was-the-exaggerated-gratitude-that-came-with-immigrant-insecurity/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [I came here as an immigrant. We were poor. We went to flea markets to sell gifts to make ends meet. Just the mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/i-came-here-as-an-immigrant-we-were-poor-we-went-to-flea-markets-to/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [As you know, I'm an immigrant. 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Now that's kind of interesting about \[Barack\] Obama, because Obama was supposedly a community organizer in Chicago… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-community-itself-didn-t-support-the-union-now-that-s-kind-of/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [We should certainly not be perpetuating further harm to others or to the environment. Suppose that workers at ExxonMobil are trying to unionize. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/we-should-certainly-not-be-perpetuating-further-harm-to-others-or-to/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ When \[Bill\] Clinton came along, it sort of moderated a little bit, but Clinton had a different device for breaking unions called NAFTA \[North… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/when-bill-clinton-came-along-it-sort-of-moderated-a-little-bit-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I had no idea what I was signing up for. I auditioned for some random character. I knew the sides were fake, but what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caity-lotz/i-had-no-idea-what-i-was-signing-up-for-i-auditioned-for-some-random/) [Caity Lotz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caity-lotz/) > [I believe that that's why you see all these Pew studies that come out that a lot of people are walking away from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-franklin/i-believe-that-that-s-why-you-see-all-these-pew-studies-that-come-out/) [Kirk Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-franklin/) > [Producing major change in an organization is not just about signing up one charismatic leader. You need a group - a team - to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-kotter/producing-major-change-in-an-organization-is-not-just-about-signing/) [John P. Kotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-p-kotter/) ## More by Noam Chomsky > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. 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Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. 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You deny it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-merrill/i-was-devastated-i-m-still-devastated-to-this-day-when-talent-like/) Helen Merrill > [People are proud to be from Baltimore. In any industry you work in, you need support to survive. And this city has that support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-waters/people-are-proud-to-be-from-baltimore-in-any-industry-you-work-in-you/) [Derek Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-waters/) > [It's easy to whip up resentment against anything that smacks with authority. Nobody ever organizes over pan handlers. So even if a cop is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/it-s-easy-to-whip-up-resentment-against-anything-that-smacks-with/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [By the 1970s, pornography had caught up with The Block, where performers were totally in the nude. 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