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OP comparing immigrants assimilation with expats assimilation? Majority of immigrants moved to US for better living opportunities because they have to escape political, religious, etc persecution from their home government. So their first objective is to survive and feed their family.
Most expats probably are either retired with established wealth, or looking for a change in culture or pace. I highly doubt they are escaping , hence they probably have more time to learn whatever country language.
OP comparing immigrants assimilation with expats assimilation? Majority of immigrants moved to US for better living opportunities because they have to escape political, religious, etc persecution from their home government. So their first objective is to survive and feed their family.
Most expats probably are either retired with established wealth, or looking for a change in culture or pace. I highly doubt they are escaping , hence they probably have more time to learn whatever country language.
The majority coming here from Central America are escaping economic poverty.
That is the reason most poor people leave third world countries and move to first world countries...the welfare benefits for the poor because there are none in their home countries.
Whether I am for it or against it means nothing because I have no say in the matter. The only thing the government cares about me is that I send in that tax check every year.
What poor central American wouldn't come here knowing the border is open and they can get economic aid in the US ?
OP comparing immigrants assimilation with expats assimilation? Majority of immigrants moved to US for better living opportunities because they have to escape political, religious, etc persecution from their home government. So their first objective is to survive and feed their family.
Most expats probably are either retired with established wealth, or looking for a change in culture or pace. I highly doubt they are escaping , hence they probably have more time to learn whatever country language.
Most illegal aliens are escaping no such things. Statistically 80% of them are making bogus claims. Most are coming here for economic opportunity on the backs of the American taxpayer/worker. No one has a right to a better life by breaking laws and taking from others what doesn't belong to them.
It's true, at least for me. My father is from England and so, I speak English and to a much lesser degree, halting Spanish, neither of which is a native language in the land now known as the United States. And the same goes for my degree of assimilation.
I think it we are going to have open borders then we need to end all welfare programs.
We cannot contain the influx of so many poor.
We should end open borders with or without welfare. Welfare should only be available to the truly needy American citizen whom through no fault of their own found themselves in that position. Far too many Americans are scamming the system to.
Being mistaken for an earlier immigrant is not an option for all who move here, particularly ethnic minorities. It also is certainly odd to complain of the Hispanics on the west coast when they were there first.
Look, we had the same conversations going on in the 1920's when the immigration laws were amended to lower the number of Italians moving here and to favor northern Europeans.
I really don't have a problem with people looking, acting and speaking differently. Around here, there was an entire mall where the lingua franca was Polish! Not many folks realize that Chicago has more Poles than Krakow.
So in addition to Cinco de Mayo, Polish Constitution Day, Indian Day, Pakistanit Day and Pulaski Day (all with their own parades) there is also the tradition of paczski which are Polish pastries eaten before Lent. They are so popular that a person has to make reservations beforehand to be assured of getting any.
I forgot to order in advance so I bought paczski this year from an Irish named bakery in Chinatown making Polish pastries. Love that diverse ethnic experience!
I grew up in the St. Louis area, and I *loved* going to the Hill (Sicilian-Italian neighborhood) when I was little. One of my great-uncles was Italian and would take us kids with him to get things from there, and I always felt like I'd walked into a different world every time. Sometimes I wonder if that's where I got my desire to travel--to see the *real* places people came from up close and personal. I've gone back to the Hill as an adult, and it doesn't feel the same somehow--now it just feels like just another neighborhood. It's sort of depressing to think that.
ETA that I suddenly remembered a little old lady in that neighborhood who worked at one of the shops, who, every time she saw me, would smile and put her fingertips in my dimples and would say (in Italian, my great-uncle translated for me) how precious my dimples were. Now I'm missing that fiercely.
Last edited by Indigo Cardinal; 04-02-2022 at 07:05 AM..
Doesn't matter who was here first. We adopted English as our national de facto language and formed an identifying culture of our own. Not only that but the claim is that the Amerindians were here first and they weren't Spanish speakers to what's the point of saying that Hispanics were here first? My complaints about many Hispanics as that they refuse to assimilate into our society and many of them are here illegally and the former support them because of ethnic ties. It's a tribal mentality.
There is no other group that large today that compares to the above and the past is the past.
Has anyone else noticed that there are many immigrant groups who don't seem to be integrating very well?
I sometimes shop at a Mexican and Thai/Vietnamese market and almost all of the customers who shop in there are Mexican, Thai, or Vietnamese. I see what they buy and it's always food from their home country. The employees rarely speak English.
I've had the pleasure of living in a few countries in my lifetime and one with a lot of American and Canadian expats is Mexico. Most of the expats learn Spanish, shop at local Mexican markets, and cook Mexican food. They don't go to Walmart and live off of Kraft mac & cheese and burgers.
Why move to a different country if you aren't willing to integrate? It would be like an American moving to France and only speaking English, only buying American food products, and only associating with other English speakers.
I'm glad that the US is such a diverse country because it means I get to shop at some unique places and try some great food, but perhaps we are a bit too accommodating of people who refuse to integrate. Fortunately, the children seem to integrate well because they attend schools with other American children.
And don't think this is a race/cultural related issue because it happens with white immigrants too. There is a large Russian community in Brooklyn and they also shop primarily at Russian businesses.
Why do they have to assimilate? Why does it matter?
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