Assimilating

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mykcob4's picture
Assimilating

We in the good old USA assume a great many things. We assume things like, we have a national language, that everyone is and should be protestant christian. Things like patriotism is based on a faith in a god. That god and country are one. We assume things like a melting pot describes that white protestant christians sometimes eat spaghetti or burritos and that is the full extent of it. All of these assumptions are wrong. However, there is a far different problem with a multi-culture society. The failure to assimilate.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/assimilating
When immigrants come to our shores they tend to not assimilate. That doesn't mean that they have to change religions or speak American English or accept football as a part of their lives, but it does mean that they need to embrace the community. Equally the community needs to embraces are new neighbors for who they are. This simply doesn't happen or rarely happens in America. We have separate neighborhoods that have a singular culture. Sure they all go off to work where they are forced into a multi-cultural situation, but after they clock out they return to their homes and ignore the wider culture altogether.
The problem with this is that whole groups of peoples are suspicious and fearful of other groups. They don't understand each other. They don't even try.
For example, if someone in YOUR neighborhood was systematically harassed by the police, were profiled and spied upon 24/7, were unduly fined beyond their financial means by the courts and set up to fail so that they would be arrested and incarcerated, you'd be concerned.
This is the situation of most minorities in this nation. The persecution is based purely on the fact that these people are poor, and are different, have different cultures, have different languages, have different pigment. It is a two-way street of fault and responsibility. It boils down to assimilation, of not joining in and embracing, and of not accepting people of difference.
I have Pakistani friends. I am their only "white" friend. I tell them that they need to interact with people other than just pakistanis, but they are afraid to do so. At their jobs, they are continuously harassed as if they are terrorist.
We as a nation and the immigrants that come here need to assimilate TOGETHER. It cannot be a one-sided affair. We must try to accept new peoples for who they are, and THEY must reach out and meet us half way and embrace their new community.
For too long the USA has been a group of isolationist, gated communities real and metaphorical. This has only brought about extreme racism and hatred, institutional and communal.

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SecularSonOfABiscuitEater's picture
Great post Myk.

Great post Myk.

algebe's picture
@mykcob: "The failure to

@mykcob: "The failure to assimilate."

Yes. It's a tough one. I've been an immigrant in three countries. Immigrants tend to cluster for mutual support and to share knowledge. Many are homesick and scared. It can also be very stressful, especially if you look different. You can become paranoid, thinking that everyone is watching you. Americans aren't immune to this. I've seen plenty of American expats insulating themselves in little Americas in Japan.

New Zealand and Australia are immigrant countries, like the U.S., but the locals tend to forget that. I've seen people with Dutch and Irish names arguing that we should keep immigrants out. New Zealand for New Zealanders.

I've also seen that immigrant communities are a rich source of prey for missionary religions like the Mormons.

mykcob4's picture
I often marvel at the

I often marvel at the stupidity of rednecks that mock ethnic black speaking and when doing so completely mispronounce the English language. They're fucking hypocrites.

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