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I'm asking because the face of the USA is changing.
The immigrants who came to the USA in the 1700's - 1800's and early 1900's assimilated into American culture.
Yet today, when people come here they find niches in this country and carry forth the culture they had where they came from and don't attempt to assimilate into American culture. One excuse I have heard many give is that America doesn't have a culture.
Our nation allows people to come to this country from every nation on the planet to live "the American Dream". When many of these people come here they carry on the same cultural standards where they came from. They don't attempt to integrate into American society.
I do understand that the first generation of immigrants usually cling to the culture where they came from but there are people who have lived here for 50 years who do not speak English or attempt to assimilate and continue to see Americans as foreigners when a person out of their culture ventures into their comfortable segregated city block.
I don't think we should necessarily be striving towards being 'just Americans'.
I think, for the most part, America is a dynamic country. Its makeup changes continually.
We shouldn't be trying to eliminate the differences, but instead embracing and appreciating the differences.
And I'm not saying this as some ultra-left-wing-politically-correct-We-are-the-world nut.
I truly believe that America's diversity is one of its strongest assets. America's diversity is virtually unparalleled. I think we should not be asking how we can 'assimilate' outsiders to the "American Way" but we should be asking and reaching towards a point where our diversity becomes an asset instead of a liability.
This of course, comes with some limitations. I am in no way advocating that America should be some type of cultural/social free for all. But maintaining cultural identity is not a bad thing when it can be appreciated and respected by all.
People really need to read the news, and open your eyes to see what is really going on here.
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Wrongo. People need to STOP reading the news, which is nothing but a profit-driven hysteria machine. Read public affairs magazines and history books, and talk to immigrants to see what you can learn from them.
You know what's really wrong with the news? It's fair and balanced. The side that is wrong, misinformed, or mean spirited does not deserve equal time, but they get it. I'm talking about the News, not the talk shows, which just preach to the choir.
People also need to grow up and stop basing their entire worldliness on Reverend Weems versions of history. Most people's views of history are the equivalent to basing their religious faith on the Golden Book of Bible Stories in the doctor's waiting room.
The immigrants who came to the USA in the 1700's - 1800's and early 1900's assimilated into American culture.
Yet today, when people come here they find niches in this country and carry forth the culture they had where they came from and don't attempt to assimilate into American culture.
I know what you mean, and I think that your question can be answered this way: wait until the second, or possibly in some cases the third, generation. They'll have become assimilated. (I say this as a second-generation American. All four of my grandparents came here as immigrants, which is how I came to develop this thesis).
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