On anti-immigration
by heehorse on April 26th, 2002
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This is a reposting of a weblog entry I wrote a while back.
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For various reasons, I haven't posted in a long time. (This will change soon, promise). However, I recently recieved a forward that aparently is spreading around the internet. The content of the message disturbed me greatly, and I felt compelled to respond. Here it is (The original message is on top, and my rebuttal is on the bottom):
> THIS DOES SAY IT ALL!!! After hearing that the state of Florida changed its
> opinion and let a Muslim woman have her picture on her drivers license with
> her face covered, I believe this is even more appropriate. Read on, please!
> This is an Editorial written by an American citizen, published in a Tampa
> Newspaper. He did quite a job; didn't he?
>
> IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS, MUST ADAPT.
> I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some
> individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we
> have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans.
> However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically
> correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism
> was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge
> against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America. Our
> population is almost entirely comprised of descendants of immigrants.
> However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our
> country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of
> America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our
> sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans, we have our own
> culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This
> culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and
> victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. We speak
> ENGLISH, not Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other
> language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the
> language! "In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some
> Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because
> Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and
> this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the
> walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider
> another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our
> culture. If Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then
> you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are
> happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't
> care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, our land,
> and our lifestyle. Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to
> express his opinion and we will allow you every opportunity to do so. But,
> once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag, our
> pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, highly encourage you to take
> advantage of one other great American freedoms, THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.
>
> Please pass this along if you agree.
>
I disagree with many parts of this editorial:
> This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to
> dilute our sovereignty and our national identity.
America has always been a multicultural community. The Arabs, Indians, and SE Asians today are what the Irish, Italian, and Eastern Europeans were in America at different points in our recent history. For example, early last century, there were Italian enclaves in Chicago, Boston, New York, and other major American cities which were seen very much like today's ethnic enclaves - only associating with each other, only speaking their own language, and being, in general, un-American (1). However, today most of their descendents are seen as American as apple pie.
The process of transforming whole immigrant groups from inward looking enclaves into culturally assimilated peoples active in political and civic life, in less than two generations, is repeated over and over. This only acts to reinforce and demonstrate the strength of our sovereignty (2).
Regarding national identity, as explained above, immigration has been a continuous aspect of the American landscape. Our national culture is constantly changing - an aggregate of the various cultures that have been assimilated over time. For example, the Christmas traditions we celebrate here in America is a mix of Roman, English, French, and German culture, among others (3). What brings Americans together in a cohesive national identity is our common belief and practice of those principals embodied in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights - Freedom, Democracy, and the rule of law. This basis of national identity is separate and independent of culture, heritage, ethnicity, or language.
> We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or
> any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our
> society, learn the language!
As a country, we have, up to this point, consistently and actively debated about and rejected the notion of a "national language" (4). English is not a requirement for citizenship, and it is definitely not a requirement for participation in our society. Indeed, in some areas of the country, you might be considered an outsider if you speak English instead of Spanish.
> "In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some
> Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because
> Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and
> this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the
> walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider
> another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our
> culture.
This is an easy one. This country was founded on the principal of "Freedom of Religion" and, more controversially, the principal of "Separation of Church and State" (5). Not only does this go down to the very roots of our founding - the first Americans were fleeing from religious persecution - but this is heavily supported by the Constitution, Bill of Rights, among other documents and writings by our founding fathers. While our founding ancestors were indeed Christian men and women, the country they founded was, by their principals, decidedly _not_ a Christian nation - it was a religiously un-affiliated nation where the choice and practice of religion was a freedom enjoyed by all. In any case, since Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike believe in only one true God, this argument must be directed at Hindis, Buddhists, and even Native Americans (how ironic). Regarding the statement "God is part of our culture", refer to my discussion on multiculturalism above.
OVERALL:
This editorial seems like very right-wing fiery rhetoric. However, I can see it striking a chord with many Americans today, taking advantage of the shock and vulnerability felt by many Americans in the wake of 9/11. It scares me, because it threatens to stoke a backlash against the principals upon which our nation is built, thrives, and grows strong. It is well known that the men behind 9/11 were attempting to catalyze a "War of Worlds" - a global conflict of philosophies and ideologies - a battle between Christianity West and Islamic East. Support of the ideas embodied in this essay promotes such a scenario - rejection of such ideas resists it.
(1) reference: http://www.needham.mec.edu/High_School/cur/kane98/kane_p3_immig/Italian/italian.htm
(2) definition of sovereignty: http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=sovereignty%20
(3) Traditions of Christmas: http://www.ridgenet.org/Szaflik/history.htm
(4) The National Language Policy http://www.ncte.org/positions/national.html
(4) Atlantic Monthly article http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97apr/english.htm
(5) Two sites supporting, and opposing separation of church and state. Supporting wins by a mile, imho.
http://www.noapathy.org/tracts/mythofseparation.html http://members.tripod.com/~candst/tnppage/tnpidx.htm
