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Wow.....so I guess those of the wrong color will never fit in,according to you.
You misunderstood., possibly because I was not as clear as I should have been. When I said that people should try to fit with with the majority (race, culture) of the community, I meant of WHATEVER culture was most dominant in the community. That means, for example, if whites move into a community that is predominantly Latino (to turn the argument around), they should expect to hear Spanish and make some effort to speak and understand it.
Of course, to say that people should dye their skin (taking your point to the ultimate bizarre conclusion) in order to fit in is just silly, and I am embarrassed for you that you would even hint that I was saying any such thing.
LOL! Viva la causa, viva la raza, y viva la unidad Translation: We are all of the same race. The outdated provincialism of the race-dividers must end.
Lol, you are very funny. I care not one bit about race or color. I care for the CULTURE. I am a third generation Hungarian on one side and 4th to 20th generation nearly everything else. I LOVE immigrants who want to join our culture, that is what MY PEOPLE CAME TO THE USA FOR. Not to bring their country with them. My Hungarian Grandparents were born in Hungary, but taught their 6 children ONLY ENGLISH because they were AMERICANS.
LOL! Like expat retirees, most immigrants to the US already have families somewhere. Your desperation here suggests much about what your actual intentions and motivations might be. And of course the simple fact remains that when it comes to "assimilation," Americans abroad do not behave in a manner significantly different from the foreign-born who end up here.
Again you ignore the difference between temporary workers, people who move somewhere to die, and immigrants. What city outside of the USA has 50,000 actual US immigrants? 20,000? 10,000? How about 5,000? The answer is going to be vanishingly close to zero. An American on a two year assignment in Tokyo is no more an immigrant than an Indian from Mumbai on a two year assignment in Detroit. Neither are military families of personnel on duty internationally. Nor are people who own a vacation home in another country.
Immigrants work toward, and usually achieve citizenship in their intended country, and intend for their families to grow and prosper there. Immigration is a commitment.
Do Americans resident in the Caribbean assimilate? I think not! This is why they aren't liked in the USVI. Not only do they not assimilate, but they often behave like a colonizing force.
Maybe I misunderstand. What does the US in USVI stand for? Who is the president of their nation? Which armed forces do its citizens serve in?
It's because Europe doesn't assimilate at all, it asks its immigration, maybe rightfully, to fully embrace the language, the history and the values of the country they choose as their residence, should they want to become a citizen. So no melting pot, but a unique framework.
In a way, it's understandable.
However, it's not always working out, e.g. the demonstrations in UK or in France, and surely in some other European countries.
I think your definitions of assimilation and integration are a little mixed up. Those two terms while often wrongly used interchangeably have different, specific meanings. Being integrated means speaking the host country language, having a job, know the local customs, basically being part of the society but retaining its original identity.
Being assimilated means identifying completely with the host country's culture and cutting affiliation to one's country of origin.
In that sense many Europeans countries want to assimilate their immigrants making them citizens no different than natives. The US while being superficially more flexible with languages due to not having an official language, does too demand a lot from naturalized citizens and in a much deeper way despite what many might say.
Each citizenship applicant is required to take the oath of allegiance "...I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen.."
The speed with which someone assimilates will depend on how eager he is to assume the culture of the place to which he has immigrated. In years gone by, Europeans who arrived here eager to learn English work hard tended to assimilate reasonably quickly. Nowadays, some people from a certain monotheistic religion come here with absolutely no desire or intention to learn the language or abandon the ways of the Third World sewers from which they sprang. The mystery is not that they don't assimilate well (or at all), but that we keep letting them in. But that's a discussion for another thread.
To answer the question posed by the thread title, I would say that at the present time, East Asians are the quickest to assimilate, as many of them come here with a hardy work ethic and an appreciation for the opportunities available to them in America, as well as (in many cases) already possessing some English ability.
learning the language is one thing but if the want to keep their culture and dress by their faith or lack of one it is a right in this country if they want to enjoy a holiday from their country cool. we are a mix of cultures and traditions. i love going to a festival, that celibates another peoples ways and to try the foods of their home land. but then again i like to learn.
That means, for example, if whites move into a community that is predominantly Latino (to turn the argument around), they should expect to hear Spanish and make some effort to speak and understand it.
Would that not apply also in the event that a Latino community arose within what had been a predominantly Anglo community? Would it not be the case that the more Spanish you hear in your world, the more need you have of learning it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by whocares811
Of course, to say that people should dye their skin (taking your point to the ultimate bizarre conclusion) in order to fit in is just silly, and I am embarrassed for you that you would even hint that I was saying any such thing.
Have you ever read "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin? Tales of a white man turned black in the Deep South of 1959. Well worth the read.
Again you ignore the difference between temporary workers, people who move somewhere to die, and immigrants.
LOL! You invent distinctions to imply differences that do not in fact exist. Americans -- whatever their numbers and purposes -- DO NOT behave in a manner significantly different from immigrants here when they are plopped into a different culture. They glom together into insular enclaves, emerging only to find American-style food, American-style education and entertainment, and American-style medical care.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rugrats2001
Immigrants work toward, and usually achieve citizenship in their intended country, and intend for their families to grow and prosper there. Immigration is a commitment.
LOL. Immigrants are the foreign-born by definition. Nothing much else matters. These are a much. much larger group than the only one you want to talk about. Some immigrants do come here out of desperation and to start new lives with no intent of ever leaving again. Many more come and go depending on the paths of their fortunes and opportunities here.
Maybe I misunderstand. What does the US in USVI stand for? Who is the president of their nation? Which armed forces do its citizens serve in?
De jure over de facto. There was a population in the USVI before the Americans bought their islands. Colonialism is supposed to be dead, you know.
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