During our history these groups have had their ups and downs. For example during the Irish immigrations they were considered a different "race". After a generation and their getting control of power in some urban cities, attitudes changed and now they were proud to be seen as "Irish-American". A similar thing has happened with Indians. The number of people self-identifying as of Indian decent has risen over the past several decades as their social position has improved (and economic from casinos).
We are seeing a similar situation with Hispanics. Several public figures are now playing up their Hispanic side wheres in the past they didn't make a big deal out of it. Bill Richardson is a good example.
An interesting case has arisen recently due to the large number of Asian children being adopted by non-Asian parents. Some of them have started up groups to help these children learn about their "culture". Given that most of these children arrived as infants and have no knowledge of their home country or of their native language is it the parent's role to impose a foreign culture on them? Are they somehow being branded for life and thus aren't free to become non-hyphenated Americans if they wish?
This problem is not unique to the US. We see the unwillingness of, say, Germans to let Turks lose their cultural identity, even those who have never been to Turkey. In the middle east Jordan regards its "Palestinian" citizens differently even though they have lived in Jordan for decades. Part of the reason for not absorbing the west bank is the fear that the "Palestinians" will become the majority in Jordan and thus it will lose its cultural purity.
It seems that others are unwilling to let people chose their own cultural affiliation. This leads to never-ending conflict. Policies not Politics ---- Daily Landscape
And as has been discussed in earleir diaries, many European countries have long had fairly intense immigration flows, even if there was not any explicit integration policy, and a universalist, values-based integrationist message as in France and the USA.
But the USA are not unique today, and they were not a century ago in that respect. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
It's not the immigration flow that is unique, but the 1) absence, outside of museums and reservations, of a national identity preceding the immigration of vastly different groups and 2) the fact that this nation was founded - settled by immigrants who killed off the natives almost entirely - and founded only a few hundred years ago. So for the most part, being American means being from somewhere else, by definition. Whereas you can be 10th generation French and it means being French but you can be pro-immigration and eat ethnic food but when people ask you "What are you?" you will say "French." An American, when asked that, will say, "Irish, German, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, etc etc." Does that make sense?
We're not the only country of immigrants. We're the only country with basically no native population. Not left in tact, act any rate. "Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
To get all idealistic, I wish people would start thinking of themselves as human rather than as some sub-identity, because all this cultural badgering has been a fantastically successful tool for the elites to manipulate the masses for millenia.
you are the media you consume.
The US believes explicitly - or likes to pretend it does - that immigration is good, probably for the obvious reasons that it's a good source of cheap labour. Even though in practice communities seem to stick together even more than they do in Europe.
This proves how useful it is to have narratives. Even if they're nonsense, they make people behave in reliable and useful ways.
Still today, in countries around Europe you see that dynamic at work, or at least advocated by a sizeable political minority.
I think in the US you're starting to develop some of the same, with the "English Only" movement, and so on. Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
The key difference seems to be that patriotism is still a mainstream value in the US. We're much more suspicious of it in Europe. Aside from the racists, hardly anyone in the UK considers themselves patriotic, except in a negative 'At least we're not European' sense.
I'd guess - based on speculation - that France and Germany are mid-way between the two.
Without patriotism there isn't really anything to be assimilated into.
/ After 9/11, Gerhard Schröder declared "We're all Americans now" and I was like "Huh? I'm having enough trouble with being German, thank you." "If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles." Sun Tzu
b) I also spent a good deal of time discussing the lack of absorption in European states, although I didn't mention the UK or France explicitly. I did mention Germany. My list wasn't meant to be exhaustive, just representative.
c) My main point was about allowing people to chose their own cultural identity which can be hampered by well-meaning parents, or prejudice or other factors.
If Europe wants to join in the list of culturally biased states, don't let me stand in the way... Policies not Politics ---- Daily Landscape
