Has increased ethnic diversity improved the quality of life of Minneapolis/Minnesota? (immigrants, definition)

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by MinnesotaMarvin

86.3% white
4.1% black
3.6% hispanic
3.4% asian
1.1% native american
1.5% mixed race
1.8% other

According to the 2005 racial composition

As you can see white is still the overwhelming majority but other races are are obviously making their presence felt in different ways. Some good some bad.

I agree that the people who are coming are making an impact, good and bad. The thing I see is that the bad impact gets the most attention.

[AnisahD]

Originally Posted by questioner2

The media in Minneapolis is always hyping the expanding ethnic diversity of Minnesota. Maybe without meaning to the also denegrade the previous white Scandinavian and German influenced culture of the Twin Cities Metro Area. I see articles all the time in the newspaper and stories on the TV News telling us that Minnesota is now so ethnically diverse and how wonderful this is in comparison to the old days (15 years ago back) when the average Minnesotan was from Scandinavian or German backgrounds.

Was Minnesota actually that bad just a few years ago when it was 95% white? Has the ethnic diversity actually made things so much better?

(As a ethnic minority myself and a long term Minnesota resident, I have no strong opinion my self but wonder if we could discuss it without any racism or political correctness)

I'm one of those residents in the region of "German" ancestry, but I'm also one of those "Muslims" who has experienced the down side too. As a Muslim I appreciate the diversity we now have, since I travel all over the region & have experienced the hostility & isolation as well as "targeting" of my children by individuals who didn't accept our diversity. The more diverse the population becomes the more willing it seems those who have always lived as the "majority" are to those who are not perceived as "minorities" any longer. The reality is, its easier to pick on a "minority" when you think you have the backing of the larger population. When all of a sudden you know that you are no longer quite such a "majority", the treatment or should I say mistreatment tends to decrease. I'm not talking burning crosses on lawns. I'm talking more subtle things like calling the cops with claims against the neighbor who "seems to be doing weird things" or calling welfare as a tool to have children taken away from the minority (regardless of it being racial or religious harassment). The issue of calling cops is a common way bigots tend to harass minorities up here in the upper midwest. Then there are those "friendly invites" to our children to come to religious activities, but refuses to allow their kids to attend our religious functions. That is also evidence of intolerance too. What's good for the goose is good for the gander in my view. Then we had the teachers at the school who tried informing me that "I may choose to practice this religion, but I don't have the right to force it on my kids" & thus did everything in their power to cause trouble for my children to practice their faith even though it was little things that really shouldn't have interfered with the teacher.

Mind you, my own extended family had a different view regarding diversity in faith & in ethnicity. It was hard for them to even comprehend the ways it was happening, until they experienced a few small bits of it. Like the time a food sampler (you know the gals offering samples in Sam's club) refused to allow me to have a sample, saying it was for a "special group" but then when my dad in his cowboy hat walked up, she quickly offered him samples. My mom was furious but I had to laugh, as minutes before she said I was being "too sensitive" when I had said it was because I was wearing hijab.

So I think if you take a walk down a street or in a mall in Minneapolis wearing a scarf on your head & a long skirt & long sleeved blouse... you will see another side to being in MN or any other part of this country for that matter. I find it quite educational for those who have lived with the "privalege" of being in the "Majority" class. Its not just Muslims, but Hutterites too suffer from it though they are white also. Don't know how the Jewish community is treated, but then I don't know if we really have many in the more conservative Jewish dress styles in the Twin Cities. I've got friends in the African community, as well as African American, South Asian-American, Asian American & Middle Eastern-American communities. All experience forms of racism & it was worse previously when the "minority" numbers were smaller in the city/state.

While there is nothing wrong with celebrating the German Heritage or the Norse heritage (which my husband is from), it is good to also understand that our region is beginning to mirror the diversity of the nation. We also need to realize that in many parts of the country the citizenry is more like my son... who is German-Irish-English-Latino-Apache-Danish (American). He spoke to me recently about his company that he works at & how wonderful it was being known as Patrick & not as "the dark guy" which he is far from being! (he's got light olive skin tone). Yet being up here where few have migrated too & most of the original indigenous people have been clustered in small areas & the African-American community was primarily clustered in a certain part of the Twin-Cities.... life was far different than it is now.

Its one thing to want to celebrate the early immigrants accomplishments, but we can do that while celebrating the current immigrants & transplants accomplishments & contributions to the Twin Cities. One doesn't have to negate the other.

[AnisahD]

Originally Posted by MNNative

My family moved here from Italy in 1980. I am the only one born in the U.S. and I think because of this I have a "soft spot" for those people who come across the world in search of something (in my family's case they came for employment). Yes, I understand that many times people come for "free opportunities" and "hand outs" and I completely agree that is wrong.

I find that many times if you're an immigrant or a race different than the "thinker" then that's the first thought that crosses people's minds, even if it's "unintentional" it silently creeps by before anything else. (Blacks have opinions about whites, whites of black, etc etc) I know that despite how open minded I want to be and feel I am, I've been guilty of locking my doors at the first sight of a group of black guys in Mpls. It's what I've been subconsciously taught, through the media, other people's perceptions, etc. Of course immediately after doing that my husband shot me a disappointed look and I immediately became aware of what I'd done...it's programming. (I honestly do not harbor offense towards any race...I have a Somali family as neighbors, a Russian family next door, Asians a few down...my apt complex hallway is a melting pot and we all get along great! And for the record, they all have jobs and work hard and have the same issues that home-grown MN seem to have.)

Anyhow, my point is my family came here for something more and everyone has adapted and struggled and I get so offended for them when I get a call from my mom and she tells me she was crying at work because some customer made her feel horrible. There are times people complain to management because they don't like the woman with the accent. (She still has a rich Italian accent.) But we're lucky because as far as I can remember most comments from people are that I have a fantastic mom and she's such a great person. So luckily the "bad apples" are few and far between. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. She has had the hardest time of my family members fully integrating...she hangs an American flag on her living room wall, it's not that she doesn't want to be American, it's just that like Aquamini331 says, the reason the older people have the most trouble is because they've had longer learning their old ways...younger people adapt faster because it soon becomes all they know. She didn't have an extensive education in Italy (at least not one that would translate to much here in America) so her employment options were limited. I wonder if that isn't the case for many people.

Crime tends to follow diversity because it follows poverty and that is probably a result of not being allowed the same opportunities as others. (Don't get me wrong, Indians and Chinese and Japanese are HIGHLY educated...take note that those ethnicities tend to do well here in America because of that...) I'd advise you all not to be quick to assume that people, no matter how different or where they have come from, are all out to rob, cheat and take advantage of this great state (and country for that matter).

Well SAID! I feel sad for your mom too! What ever happened to being respectful to one's elders? My farm family always taught us that & yet this very basic AMERICAN value seems to have left far too many Americans! Sorta like the thing about "all men are created equal" or the saying on the statue of liberty which reads something about bringing your tired & poor. Didn't say give me your RICH & Well educated!!! Yet those who hate anyone different from themselves, who ALSO came from immigrants may I add... see to always complain about "immigrants" not being educated enough for contributing enough. The only ones who have the right to make that complaint are the Native Americans of our region. I'm sure they wish better Immigration laws were in place about 200 years ago!

[AnisahD]

Another thing that bothers me with this issue of "blacks coming to MN for welfare" is the whole problem with the statistical data. No one asks how it was collected. Did the data collectors question why Whites came to MN? Did it question why Hispanics came? Where did they collect their data? At the welfare office? That would only provide you with information about those on welfare, not those NOT on it!

I think about how people make wild assumptions about any ethnic group based on the "results" of stats. For example if you think Blacks are more violent than whites solely because Blacks make up a higher percentage of the prison population in this country, you would be wrong. But few people clutch their hand bags when they see a group of young white men strolling toward them!

I think also of the story my son had told to him by a young man who justified his racism toward hispanics by pointing to the robbery of his mother, by "two hispanic men". My son pointed out that if the men had been white , would the young WHITE man hate Whites? Of course not, but somehow hating Hispanics was justified immediately.

Lets get real people... we are all one RACE... its called HUMAN. Our cultural diversity or ethnic diversity is just like different clothing being worn over the that HUMAN form we all have in common. Its time to appreciate the wardrobes & celebrate the wonderful survival skills HUMANs have had in diverse & sometimes HARSH environments!

[JenLee]

Originally Posted by AnisahD

Lets get real people... we are all one RACE... its called HUMAN. Our cultural diversity or ethnic diversity is just like different clothing being worn over the that HUMAN form we all have in common. Its time to appreciate the wardrobes & celebrate the wonderful survival skills HUMANs have had in diverse & sometimes HARSH environments!

And we all have the exact same blood types underneath it all too!

[MNNative]

Originally Posted by AnisahD

Yet those who hate anyone different from themselves, who ALSO came from immigrants may I add... see to always complain about "immigrants" not being educated enough for contributing enough. The only ones who have the right to make that complaint are the Native Americans of our region. I'm sure they wish better Immigration laws were in place about 200 years ago!

Now I admit, History was one of my least favorite subjects in school (BORING ) so I won't feel too offended if anyone corrects me. But AnisahD's comment got me thinking about how early on there were Native Americans who called this land their home. In ships from across the sea came IMMIGRANTS, people who were looking for a new land to inhabit as an escape from oppression in their home land. Native Americans may have been hesitant to welcome these outsiders, but if I remember correctly they embraced them by teaching them useful skills. In the end they were betrayed really, and the IMMIGRANTS began taking advantage of their land and adopting it as their own. Now we know that Native Americans (as AnisahD so eloquently put) probably wish there were tougher Immigration laws!

Do you think history is repeating itself? That really it never stopped. That because of that "incident" early on, it was the beginning of the "programming". From then on we're "justified" in expecting that anyone coming from afar will ultimately screw us over so we're negative and racist and such because we are "preparing" ourselves. No one likes to hear "I told you so". Am I making any sense? <~I repeat, History is not my strong suit.

(For the record, when I say "we" I just mean as a society.)

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by MNNative

Now I admit, History was one of my least favorite subjects in school (BORING ) so I won't feel too offended if anyone corrects me. But AnisahD's comment got me thinking about how early on there were Native Americans who called this land their home. In ships from across the sea came IMMIGRANTS, people who were looking for a new land to inhabit as an escape from oppression in their home land. Native Americans may have been hesitant to welcome these outsiders, but if I remember correctly they embraced them by teaching them useful skills. In the end they were betrayed really, and the IMMIGRANTS began taking advantage of their land and adopting it as their own. Now we know that Native Americans (as AnisahD so eloquently put) probably wish there were tougher Immigration laws!

Do you think history is repeating itself? That really it never stopped. That because of that "incident" early on, it was the beginning of the "programming". From then on we're "justified" in expecting that anyone coming from afar will ultimately screw us over so we're negative and racist and such because we are "preparing" ourselves. No one likes to hear "I told you so". Am I making any sense? <~I repeat, History is not my strong suit.

(For the record, when I say "we" I just mean as a society.)

Interesting.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by MNNative

Now I admit, History was one of my least favorite subjects in school (BORING ) so I won't feel too offended if anyone corrects me. But AnisahD's comment got me thinking about how early on there were Native Americans who called this land their home. In ships from across the sea came IMMIGRANTS, people who were looking for a new land to inhabit as an escape from oppression in their home land. Native Americans may have been hesitant to welcome these outsiders, but if I remember correctly they embraced them by teaching them useful skills. In the end they were betrayed really, and the IMMIGRANTS began taking advantage of their land and adopting it as their own. Now we know that Native Americans (as AnisahD so eloquently put) probably wish there were tougher Immigration laws!

Do you think history is repeating itself? That really it never stopped. That because of that "incident" early on, it was the beginning of the "programming". From then on we're "justified" in expecting that anyone coming from afar will ultimately screw us over so we're negative and racist and such because we are "preparing" ourselves. No one likes to hear "I told you so". Am I making any sense? <~I repeat, History is not my strong suit.

(For the record, when I say "we" I just mean as a society.)

This is a pretty simplistic view of what happened and pretty romanticized as well. Yes, some Indian tribes were helpful but most were not. For the most part the Indians and the Pilgrims did not mix or socialize. This was also a few HUNDRED years ago and times have changed. There was a time in history that if another country wanted your land they took it by force, do we want to go back to that as well.

Racism has nothing to do with the pilgrims and Indians. It is human nature to fear the unknown and that translates to a fear of new cultures. Racism is as old at man, it is not exclusive to the United States.

No, we are not programmed to let anyone coming from afar take over, infact more recent history suggests otherwise. In the early 1900's there were signs everywhere that said "Irish need not apply" . The Irish or Scandinavians, or English or Germans certainly didn't 'screw anyone over'. The assimilated into the society and now no one gives a second thought that.

[MNNative]

Originally Posted by golfgal

This is a pretty simplistic view of what happened and pretty romanticized as well. Yes, some Indian tribes were helpful but most were not. For the most part the Indians and the Pilgrims did not mix or socialize. This was also a few HUNDRED years ago and times have changed. There was a time in history that if another country wanted your land they took it by force, do we want to go back to that as well.

Racism has nothing to do with the pilgrims and Indians. It is human nature to fear the unknown and that translates to a fear of new cultures. Racism is as old at man, it is not exclusive to the United States.

No, we are not programmed to let anyone coming from afar take over, infact more recent history suggests otherwise. In the early 1900's there were signs everywhere that said "Irish need not apply" . The Irish or Scandinavians, or English or Germans certainly didn't 'screw anyone over'. The assimilated into the society and now no one gives a second thought that.

I think I made it pretty clear that I was speculating and that I could be totally off in using that example to illustrate the "history repeats itself"/"shame on me shame on you" philosophy, and so thank you, Golfgal for clearing that up.

[Tiger500]

Originally Posted by nick is rulz

probably because they pay $5 an hour and as a person with limited english, its about all you are qualified for.

Personally it doesnt bother me. Ive gone to fast food restaurants in small towns and the employees are usually acne ridden burnout idiot teenagers with a chip on their shoulder who have no excuse to mess your order up but still somehow manage to do so. Most immigrants are very respectful and decent to deal with, even if the language barrier is frustrating at times.

Are these immigrants you are talking about recent Naturalized Citizens. How do you know they are immigrants?