Multiculturalism: One American woman's story (married, immigrants, poll, christmas)
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"We face growing millions of Mexican illegals waving their green, white and red flags while speaking their native language. They demand amnesty and full voting rights. They force their language and culture upon our nation at breakneck speed. We face millions of displaced, jobless American blacks suffering 50 percent high school drop out rates, 50 percent fatherless children and 50 percent without jobs. We face two to three million Muslim Americans, most born outside our country-- with their own kind of anger toward America as we bomb their Muslim brothers in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Thank you for that I checked out the site JDubs and you gave, he does seem to have a distorted view.
As cultures rub, it is hard to define it as only nationality based. Rich vs. poor comes to mind. Doesn't matter. The long history of culture clash has been as much about economic culture as well as racial/nationality culture. Even within cultures, as part of the group moves up, they look down on those they may have been left behind. Doesn't matter if it is the founding fathers or more recent immigrants who have made it. There may be 20 folks living in the house next door, but during the big immigrant periods of the U.S., wasn't this pretty common among all immigrants, even the European ones? So it is a repeat cycle of any group getting its' toehold in the US. It is not distinctive of any particular group but part of the pattern of the history. Every generation has it NIMBY moments with immigrants. I remember it was post-Vietnam War Vietnamese/Cambodian/Laotian immigration back in my younger years.
I am not some bleeding heart liberal nor conservative. I do know the immigrant experience, being one myself and first generation in the US. I've even been accused of not being "immigrant" enough because I hadn't "suffered" enough to be a "real" first generation immigrant. So, there is my point...there will always be some sort of rub against someone within immigrant lines, even between immigrants themselves. Because I didn't have the "history" of suffering through all of the throes of immigration, I am not even a real immigrant by someone's definition.
I am not some bleeding heart liberal nor conservative. I do know the immigrant experience, being one myself and first generation in the US. I've even been accused of not being "immigrant" enough because I hadn't "suffered" enough to be a "real" first generation immigrant. So, there is my point...there will always be some sort of rub against someone within immigrant lines, even between immigrants themselves. Because I didn't have the "history" of suffering through all of the throes of immigration, I am not even a real immigrant by someone's definition.
So there you go. That's exactly the dynamic that's at play, in many cases. If you haven't been "beaten down" sufficiently,(The 'ethnic community' says) you're not "really one of us". If you've succeeded in 'assimilating', you've 'rejected your roots'. And if you finally reach the point that you lose your accent, 'fit in', and cease to be an 'outsider', you're no longer 'colorful' or 'exotic', nor do you need 'help'..at which point, the "immigrant community" rejects you because you're 'no longer a member'.....and the bleeding-heart liberal Americans reject you, because you're no longer 'interesting or colorful', and don't need anyone's 'help'.
There's just no way to 'win' in such a scenario...We liberal Americans like our immigrants "different. exotic, colorful, and needy"....it makes us 'feel good' to help such 'benighted' folks, 'show them around', and teach them our 'ways'. Lose THOSE qualities, though, and you become just another "cultureless, bland, white-bread American"...and who in his right mind would find THOSE people interesting? They don't even have an ACCENT !!......
Reading that woman's story reminds me so much of my own story. I had a similar experience to hers...as I too was run out of my home state by arrogant, racist, Mexican illegal immigrants.
Until you have lived and experienced it, you cannot possibly know what it's like to live within a large community of Hispanic illegal immigrants...it's astounding how they can transform a a middle-class American community into a 3rd-world Mexican slum.
A "slum" with above average incomes and lower unemployment rate than the rest of the US...
This pictured above is located in one of California's nicest regions. It's surrounded by other very very livable suburbs. The schools in this region are top notch. The crime is low and the streets clean.
However, in Diamond Bar, CA...the signs are in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. Multiculturalism is not the end of the world. The immigrants here retain their culture, but acknowledge that they are in America.
This pictured above is located in one of California's nicest regions. It's surrounded by other very very livable suburbs. The schools in this region are top notch. The crime is low and the streets clean.
However, in Diamond Bar, CA...the signs are in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. Multiculturalism is not the end of the world. The immigrants here retain their culture, but acknowledge that they are in America.
What's wrong with places like Diamond Bar, CA?
Nor is Walnut, there is nothing wrong with keeping your old culture so long as you can communicate as an entity and not suck off of everyone for your existence.
This pictured above is located in one of California's nicest regions. It's surrounded by other very very livable suburbs. The schools in this region are top notch. The crime is low and the streets clean.
However, in Diamond Bar, CA...the signs are in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. Multiculturalism is not the end of the world. The immigrants here retain their culture, but acknowledge that they are in America.
What's wrong with places like Diamond Bar, CA?
Multiculturalism is NOT the end of the world....and signs in various languages are not 'multiculturalism,', either. Multiculturalism is a mix of good, bad, and indifferent lifestyles, not row after row of "master planned" housing. In some cultures, the crime is NOT low, and the streets are NOT clean....thus the "rules" imposed in Diamond Bar.
This isn't multiculturalism, it's a bunch of people who've agreed among themselves to submit to common rules...(VERY restrictive rules, in the case of a planned community). If THIS was an example typical of multiculturalism, no one would object. Nobody objects to Disneyland, either...and there, the cultures not only get ALONG, they sing and dance together.
But real life isn't Disneyland. Many people would say real life isn't Diamond Bar, either. BOTH places put SEVERE restrictions upon how one lives, and expresses onesself. If your idea of 'getting along' is to live in a master-planned setting, then so be it. EVERYONE in a planned community 'gets along'...if they don't, a lien will be put on their property.
Try multiculturalism in a more "natural" setting, and you may find folks begin to 'grate on' each other. A "Planned Community" is no more illustrative of 'real life' than a weekend in Las Vegas means one has "lived in the desert".
Again, if THIS is what you define as being 'multicultural'...(a few signs in various languages....a variety of restaurants...) then obviously no one would object to that.
Multiculturalism is NOT the end of the world....and signs in various languages are not 'multiculturalism,', either. Multiculturalism is a mix of good, bad, and indifferent lifestyles, not row after row of "master planned" housing. In some cultures, the crime is NOT low, and the streets are NOT clean....thus the "rules" imposed in Diamond Bar.
This isn't multiculturalism, it's a bunch of people who've agreed among themselves to submit to common rules...(VERY restrictive rules, in the case of a planned community). If THIS was an example typical of multiculturalism, no one would object. Nobody objects to Disneyland, either...and there, the cultures not only get ALONG, they sing and dance together.
But real life isn't Disneyland. Many people would say real life isn't Diamond Bar, either. BOTH places put SEVERE restrictions upon how one lives, and expresses onesself. If your idea of 'getting along' is to live in a master-planned setting, then so be it. EVERYONE in a planned community 'gets along'...if they don't, a lien will be put on their property.
Try multiculturalism in a more "natural" setting, and you may find folks begin to 'grate on' each other. A "Planned Community" is no more illustrative of 'real life' than a weekend in Las Vegas means one has "lived in the desert".
Again, if THIS is what you define as being 'multicultural'...(a few signs in various languages....a variety of restaurants...) then obviously no one would object to that.
The reality of the situation is that this is a VERY typical example of "multiculturalism". I don't know what you expect, other cultures to be so backwards that they have to have negatives to bring to the table?
You can live in the suburbs and be multicultural...the two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, my mom's friend has a shop in a middle of a true master planned community that caters to West Africans.
True multiculturalism is the ability to choose what you want to do with your immigrant culture (continue, reject, or incorporate it with American culture). The thing is that if you want to speak in your native tongue with your friends and family as well as eat your native food, listen to your native music, and worship whatever you want...you can. Obviously there are legal limits. But we shouldn't force people to always speak English.
This whole notion that you automatically bring in nasty elements is misleading and is not multiculturalism.
There is also a difference between culture and countries. In no culture are the streets not clean or dirty. Streets are a product of nations, subjected to economic forces, not culture. Crime is high is other countries due to high poverty rates... not because of the culture. Countries vs. culture.
Oh and BTW...there are masterplanned communities all over the world...so really that's not a great point. If it were unique to just America, maybe? But that would show how other cultures meld and create a newer version of itself, so either way, it has no bearing to the convo.
The reality of the situation is that this is a VERY typical example of "multiculturalism". I don't know what you expect, other cultures to be so backwards that they have to have negatives to bring to the table?
You can live in the suburbs and be multicultural...the two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, my mom's friend has a shop in a middle of a true master planned community that caters to West Africans.
True multiculturalism is the ability to choose what you want to do with your immigrant culture (continue, reject, or incorporate it with American culture). The thing is that if you want to speak in your native tongue with your friends and family as well as eat your native food, listen to your native music, and worship whatever you want...you can. Obviously there are legal limits. But we shouldn't force people to always speak English.
This whole notion that you automatically bring in nasty elements is misleading and is not multiculturalism.
There is also a difference between culture and countries. In no culture are the streets not clean or dirty. Streets are a product of nations, subjected to economic forces, not culture. Crime is high is other countries due to high poverty rates... not because of the culture. Countries vs. culture.
OK, again, I give up. You can bring in anyone you want, from any culture you want....I don't care..the choice is yours. I'll select a planned community for them to live in. They'll be told what color to paint their homes; what sort of fence thay may have; how many cars they may have, and where they may be parked. They'll be told what color of screen door they may have, how large their flower pots may be, what type of shrubbery they MUST plant, and what variety of grass they must plant, and must keep cut. They'll be told whether they can leave a bike outside (no), whether they may have a clothesline (no), whether they may plant vegetables in their front yard (no), or whether they must keep their garage door closed (yes)....and they'll be told whether they can install solar film on the inside of their windows (no), and whether they may allow their pets to run freely (no) or defecate on the lawn (only briefly). They'll be told how many guests they may have in their home, and for how long; and they'll be told whether they may add on to their home (maybe...maybe not). They'll be told whether their kids can play in the street (no) or set up a basketball hoop (only if it's portable).
When your new 'arrivals' show up, and when they move into the community I've selected, then as far as I'm concerned, they can be as 'multicultural' as they want.
Of course, as you say, they'll have the option of 'continuing' with parts of their culture...'rejecting' others....or 'incorporating' their culture with the 'culture' of America...all while deciding to 'obey' or 'disobey' local laws.
You may call this 'keeping their culture'....but I don't. I call it 'fitting in'. And if 'multiculturalism' is 'fitting in', then isn't that what we ALL do? Can you give me an example of a community in America which ISN'T multicultural? Can you suggest ways to remedy that failing? Where in America do we "force people to always speak English"? Where are people told they may not "eat their native foods"?
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