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Hi everyone, this post has left me worried. We are about to move to VA and I am a foreigner. I am wondering if this 'negative' felling towards foreigners is common in northern VA or just in certain areas. I have been in the US for almost 10 years, I am well educated with an MA (paid for it myself ok), married to an American and if it wasn't for my accent, you would probably think I am American. Since arriving here I have tried my best to absorb US culture and traditions, I think it is only fair to change yourself in order to live in a different country.
That is not to say I have forgotten my own country, we do celebrate some of my customs and my daughter speaks a foreign language, however I don't expect anyone outside of my house to speak my home language or to make special accommodations for me just because I am a foreigner.
Now, since reading this thread, I am worried I will be judge as being inferior or somewhat of a 'problem' when we move to VA. What I want to know is if this feeling towards foreigners is a generalized thing or it only applies to certain races, areas or situations. Don't get me wrong, I love diversity and this is one of the reasons we choose VA, however I don't want to feel like I am inferior every time I open my mouth.
Please let me know your thoughts,
Thank you, Fab.
Sorry if we scared you fab, my comments were not intended to give the impression that the immigrant situation in NOVA was out of hand or that there was any kind of "problem". I was surprised at the extent of the hispanic influx to the area in the form of lesser educated, lower payscale job holders. I was already aware of the high percentage of professional and governmental industry related "foreign" (both citizen and non-citizen) employees.
While there is some venting done by individuals expressing resentment of the immigration scenario in the US, my posts were nothing of the kind. I had a great time working in the DC suburb towns. It was almost like being able to visit many of those countries through the dining opportunities presented there that are not available elsewhere in the country. At least, no in the more authentic forms available in NOVA.
Please relax and get over yourself. Amidst all this affluence you cannot possibly compare the area to a 3rd world nation. I wouldn't live anywhere else specifically because I can meet people and be exposed to food, music, etc. from all over the world,all without leaving my home turf.
Also, instead of walking around uncomprehending, learn a few words in other languages...it won't hurt you and you might even enjoy it. English is a b*stard language anyway which draws its words from many linguistic sources.
And where have all the white people gone??? In particular with regard to the service sector, I suspect that they are no longer willing to dirty their hands with the kinds of jobs the service sector offers, so they've moved on.
Immigration is not a threat, its been the backbone of this country since it's inception. Just because your boat got here a few years (or a few hundred years) before someone else's shouldn't cause you to feel discomfort around newcomers. Again, RELAX!
America of yesterday was a young developing country. Many people were needed to build the infrastructure. Legal immigrants filled that need. Back then the US had many factory jobs -- enough for anyone who wanted one. But things changed as greedy corporations moved jobs overseas and the population grew bigger.
Today the infrastructure has been built. The industrial age is over. The factory jobs are gone. The country is overcrowded. Americans are struggling to put food on the table and to get basic health care. There is no need for more immigrants.
I am a lurker on city-data and thought it was the greatest website for interesting discussion ever but for some reason I never posted before. But this thread I thought was great and seemed to bring out some raw emotions and debate. So here is my idea on the topic:I understand exactly what dingler was talking about being a long time resident of Fairfax County VA. I remember back in the 1960s when most of the county was farms and woods and it was so southern and friendly. I knew all my neighbors and most people were relaxed and shared a southern mindset. Now the area is more like being in New Jersey and New York City. It seems like the regular type folks from long ago are long gone. They have been replaced by foreigners and people who want to turn the world on fire. I rarely see many people anymore like me. The population is much younger and into materialism and multiculturalism. I hear languages other than English more often in public than English. It seems like most people in Fairfax County is Asian and maybe next somewhere in the Middle East. Yes, change can be good but for people who have lived here for years the change came to quickly and drastically. Many of the regular folks I grew up with have have moved on to more relaxed places like Norfolk, Raleigh and Charlotte.Thanks for bringing up an interesting topic.
Perhaps I'd need to read some of the original poster's comments to understand why everyone thinks his/her comments are racist, but I don't understand the backlash on the use of term "third world" - other than the fact that it is a bygone Cold War era term that has generally been replaced by the term "developing nation." There are only thirty-some "developed countries" and only one of those is in Asia (Japan) and only two are in the Middle East (Israel and Morocco), one in Africa (South Africa), and none in Latine America. If you go to a mall in most of the developed countries, you would probably find as many English speakers as you do speakers of the host country.
As far as malls in the developing world - I've been to 30-some countries and I don't believe any of them didn't have malls. Some of the nicest malls that I have ever been to were in places like Pakistan, Peru, and the UAE. Even places like Namibia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua have great malls.
I live in DC and work in NoVa - I would never compare a mall here to on ein the third country, but that is just because I haven't been to anyplace in the area where most people didn't speak English and/or look American. I think the people that get upset hearing something referred to as third-world are just ignorant to what the "third-world really is.
Please relax and get over yourself. Amidst all this affluence you cannot possibly compare the area to a 3rd world nation. I wouldn't live anywhere else specifically because I can meet people and be exposed to food, music, etc. from all over the world,all without leaving my home turf.
Also, instead of walking around uncomprehending, learn a few words in other languages...it won't hurt you and you might even enjoy it. English is a b*stard language anyway which draws its words from many linguistic sources.
And where have all the white people gone??? In particular with regard to the service sector, I suspect that they are no longer willing to dirty their hands with the kinds of jobs the service sector offers, so they've moved on.
Immigration is not a threat, its been the backbone of this country since it's inception. Just because your boat got here a few years (or a few hundred years) before someone else's shouldn't cause you to feel discomfort around newcomers. Again, RELAX!
Everything you say is wrong, and insulting.
Some neighborhoods in the U.S. have been RUINED by illegals. They apparently (and I don't know why) don't like being neat, clean, and quiet for some reason. Look at the tons of garbage they leave on our border.
Get real. There is no benefit in having illegals in this country - NONE.
America's infrastructure has already been built. We're not even industrial based nation anymore as much of our manufacturing is now overseas. So there's absolutely no need for immigrants.
The environmentalist should understand this. For every new immigrant to the US, that means more cars on the world, more pollution and more water waste and destruction of habitats for wildlife.
Funny thing is, you don't hear the enviros chirping about how 20 million illegals and their fast-growing population will put more cars on the road and destroy the environment.
The fact is, vast foreign immigration in particular from third world nations has 1 goal and that goal is to splinter the United States of America. We all know there's always been groups, in particular in the US who crave the day when the US is marxist, or old relic. They can't raise an army. They can't quite do it completely via politics or economics so the next best thing is to replace the current population. Think about it. Most third world people come from what? Nations that are marxist, or dictatorships. Those people are used to be pushed around by the government.
I have lived in Northern VA for over 15 years now and feel like everyone like me (White/Black) has moved out. I feel like I am in a THIRD WORLD NATION. I go into Malls and other Public Places and I rarely hear English anymore. Most people inside the Beltway are non white.
I try to picture where people are from and I am confused because they just look Foreign and speak a Language that I do not understand. I go to a grocery store and the clerk does not know much English. In the places that cut hair most people are Asian. Most service and retail staff are from somewhere else. It is all very interesting but I wonder what happened to the White people who use to live here.
Is it racist to feel out of touch when nearly everyone around you is from a foreign country?
That's the way our native americans felt after the Spaniards, and then, the
pilgrims invaded this land, but don't worry these people are not here to commit genocide against us, they are here to work and help us make this land better.
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ROFL
I signed up for City Data just for this post
