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Comments about "You're Not Special: America is for Americans"
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47 Comments on this article:
This column ought to ruffle a few P.C. feathers. I totally agree with it!
It seems there's a trendy tendency to want to put down our own culture, or to want to devalue (or, in some cases, deny the existence of) shared American cultural traits and values.
The author sure has guts for writing with such bluntness.
Please tell me this is satire. It's hard to tell -- it's written in such a serious tone, but the content is just right at the border between "outrageously offensive and ignorant" and "A Modest Proposal." Particularly the bit about giving people human rights. You do know, don't you, that one doesn't *give* human rights to others.
I agree. This is a very confusing piece -who would say such things? Is this for real? This has to be a joke. Respect knows nothing about the PC debate.
Uh, I wish someone had said this years ago. Maybe they did and i missed it. I am suprised this isn't taken more serious. I have always wondered why it isn't allowed for americans to have a little nationalism about their country. it's like everyone who comes here gets to tout their herritage like that's the real america. While i would never say that other cultures aren't vital to the nations growth; there is a culture about the america i live in, actually there are several depending on where you are in the 50+ states we cherish. Why can't americans say, no English is our language, we do business in english, and everyone throughout the country speaks it in one dielect or another. it's not really even about speaking english for the sake of english, it just makes more sense that you can travel to any state and communicate. look at europe, you have to know 6 languages to travel around and not find someone who can translate and interperet.
more than that, i think that the influx of the hispanic population needs to draw some real criticism. i always hear how our forefathers were all immigrants and that's what america is about. I agree with that, but they all had to cross an ocean and then wait to get proccessed into the country then take classes, swear on the costitution and get nationalized. So i don't have allot of sympathy when i see a bunch of illegal immigrants,(no matter what their country of origin, it's just usually hispanic), protesting for a free pass into the counrty they have been breaking the law in for years. Maybe I was lucky to be born here... my parents still had to work and get taxed every inch of the way to justify my citizenship. where is that happening when you come here unregistered, don't pay anything but sales tax and then send all of your under the counter dollars back to your family so they can come here and do it all over again. If i went to another country no matter which one, most likely you will never be allowed to be a citizen, second of all you are going to pay for everything, and if you break a law you will be prosecuted and no one is going to hold a rally for you to proclaim your right to be a citizen. noone else lets anyone just come on in and devalue the economy. yet that is exactly what has happened in america. and it's not the immigrants fault. business has been pushing for years now to go out of the counrty to get 3rd world nations to do all or the work that used to be a good paying job for someone in america who needs that work. screw you is basically the response of corporations for the last 40 years as they outsource jobs and hire people with no citizenship to work for a cash, less-than minimum wage salaries. We have deserved what we got, however the people who caused all the drama are not the ones who are or will be paying for it, thanks george for doing your part....
I would like to point out the people who have made the biggest compromises to immigrant cultures- Native American/American Indian tribes, and some of the things that have been compromised here in California - hundreds of thousands of lives taken in cold blood, hundreds of languages no longer spoken since forced assimilation, numerous sacred sites, and countless religious/spiritual practices.
What has been given in turn - poverty, the poorest health statistics (my generation isn't expected to outlive our parent's), and mega-gaming to a select few tribes in populous areas, mainly Southern California.
"Tolerance is a sham." I agree. It is completely thrown out the window when there is a profit to be made otherwise. The government would rather we didn't exist, since we have and continue to stand in the way of "progress", "civilization" and "development", a.k.a. the draining of rivers, the mining of mountains, pollution, the development of tribal homelands, the privatization of land, and consequently, the disappearance of entire species of flora and fauna. In short, complete destruction of that which we hold sacred in our tribal cultures.
For that reason, we hold on. In the words of a tribal spiritual leader since passed a couple of years ago, who fought for personal (her life), cultural (her right to hold anything but man and his creations sacred) and political (her tribe's sovereign status) existence - "We can't all be dumb and die."
I say, we can't all assimilate, and be the better for it. We can't all forget our roots for short-term benefit, profit, ease, or comfort, especially when those benefits are really meant for another.
If anyone would like to discuss my viewpoints further, I am open to discussion.
I also want to point out that American culture is not sustainable. It constantly has to grow, has to convince other cultures to assimilate to "civilization", "democracy", "capitalism", a certain religion... whatever the buzzword is that convinces us our actions are just, so that we can continue to take other culture's landbases and resources, just so we can continue to function. When that doesn't work, we take by force and occupation. For this reason, in the past and the present, it was/is the lives of people from other cultures that were/are sacrificed for resources, for American society to function. Now its come to our own future generation's wellbeing. I think that American culture is going to have to change, and will have to learn from other cultures that are more sustainable, if it is to continue being. Also, that we have been slow to the start in this realization.
This is a ridiculous and poorly argued article.
It is indeed very possible to be proud of being American (as I definitely am) and still respect other cultural traditions. As you point out, we are a nation of immigrants. That is what makes up any "American" culture there is. While largely based in Anglo traditions, over the years American society has shifted and enlarged to embrace a variety of cultures. Any refusal to accept or adapt to our greater diversity doesn't make you smarter or more American. I have roots in America as far back as the Mayflower, but that does not mean I should ignore or refuse to educate myself about the cultural norms of others.
As you point out, large groups of immigrants have been ostracized in the past. But they did not drop their entire identity to become a part of America. In fact, many of their traditions became "American."
I believe our culture can and should be added to and revitalized by cultural diversity. Any "discomfort" established Americans feel should be embraced as an opportunity for learning and growth. You might not enjoy stepping out of your comfort zone, but you don't need to belittle the attempts of others who try.
None of this matters. Globalization is going to take care of all of our cultural differences anyway...The second law of Thermodynamics applies to peoples as well, it seems.
First, CDizzle's comment reads like South Park's "THEY TOOK OUR JORRRRBS!!!" satire on immigration. One of the main reason s the American economy has grown so strongly over the past 40 years is outsourcing. That's why your laptop cost $1500 instead of $6000, for one.
Second, to the author of the article, I find it amazing how you can disconnect the new immigrants from your parents so easily. Don't you realize that you are a product of the very immigration you are attacking? I am, too, by the way. And that's America for you. New people come in, there are conflicts, and those new people have children who are just like you and me, who then get to pretend they own the place.
Immigration has its pros and its cons of course, but I'm surprised that you, having traveled elsewhere, don't see it as one of our major strengths. Seriously, whining about how uncomfortable immigrants make you feel just won't justify scrapping the policy altogether, nor should it qualify any anti immigration sentiment along these lines.
The world would be a better place if laptops cost 6000 instead of 1500. Think about it.
Paul Gowder - you are really wondering if this piece is satire or not? What is this, 1994? I'm sad that Rahul had to be the one to drag you kicking and screaming into the postmodern world, but welcome! You're here. Nothing is sacred anymore - Rahul's piece is neither a joke nor a honest rant: it is both.
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-7 Questions everyone should ask themselves before responding to this article-
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1. Why does the fact that people reject tolerance offend more people from its appearance in the Stanford daily than its constant existence in the real world?
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2. Why bother with racial consciousness in the first place? Does becoming a CSRE major and studying these topics change anything more than make these phenomena more visible?
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3. Is it re-contextualization when a phd candidate waits tables? Sure. But is she still waiting tables? Is it re-contextualization when a brown person comes off as racist?
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4. Who is to blame? The whites? The death of our morals? Yourself?
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5. How has 9/11 influenced this column? Is it racist, or just a reaction to the culture of "OmG! 9/11! NeVuRR FuRGeT!"?
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6. Is this even surprising? Daily columns are the worst thing ever. Dear everyone except Rahul: stop trying to be Darren Franich. You are killing my boner.
This is poorly argued. If he's trying to make a case for intolerance, it sure falls flat.
@Paul Gowder: Actually, one does *give* human rights to others. Have you read Foucault? Obviously not. You should, it might expand your sheltered, comfortably liberal view of the world. That, or take an Anthropology class on how human rights are CONSTRUCTED. There's nothing inherent about them.
Rahul, I agree with you 100% of the way. I am a naturalized American citizen originally from India, like you. I feel that legal immigrants and native-born Americans have made way too much of a sacrifice to allow people to come here illegally and leech off our tax dollars and welfare state.
It's good to see that I'm not the only brown guy out there who loves America and doesn't want to see this great nation turned into a giant Tijuana, which is a cesspool of drugs, crime, and prostitution.
Those who come here illegaly use America for nothing more than a paycheck and take jobs and present an undue burden on American society; not to mention the increased Balkanization of American society where no one speaks English or knows that GW really didn't chop down that cherry tree.
In closing; I am, like you a loyal American. I know the liberal elitists in Palo Alto won't like to read this article, as the comments above suggest. But someone has to speak the truth.
God bless.
Rahul, I agree with you 100% of the way. I am a naturalized American citizen originally from India, like you. I feel that legal immigrants and native-born Americans have made way too much of a sacrifice to allow people to come here illegally and leech off our tax dollars and welfare state.
It's good to see that I'm not the only brown guy out there who loves America and doesn't want to see this great nation turned into a giant Tijuana, which is a cesspool of drugs, crime, and prostitution.
Those who come here illegaly use America for nothing more than a paycheck and take jobs and present an undue burden on American society; not to mention the increased Balkanization of American society where no one speaks English or knows that GW really didn't chop down that cherry tree.
In closing; I am, like you a loyal American. I know the liberal elitists in Palo Alto won't like to read this article, as the comments above suggest. But someone has to speak the truth.
God bless.
Rahul, I agree with you 100% of the way. I am a naturalized American citizen originally from India, like you. I feel that legal immigrants and native-born Americans have made way too much of a sacrifice to allow people to come here illegally and leech off our tax dollars and welfare state.
It's good to see that I'm not the only brown guy out there who loves America and doesn't want to see this great nation turned into a giant Tijuana, which is a cesspool of drugs, crime, and prostitution.
Those who come here illegaly use America for nothing more than a paycheck and take jobs and present an undue burden on American society; not to mention the increased Balkanization of American society where no one speaks English or knows that GW really didn't chop down that cherry tree.
In closing; I am, like you a loyal American. I know the liberal elitists in Palo Alto won't like to read this article, as the comments above suggest. But someone has to speak the truth.
God bless.
I find it interesting that Stanford people will kick up a huge show about being tolerant, open, accepting, multiculturalist, etc...but when it comes to living on their own campus, I find most Stanford students to be insufferably self-absorbed, self-exceptionalized, immature, spotty, close-minded and conformist.
As Bill Clinton taught us, sometimes an idea "depends on what the meaning of 'is' is." "Tolerance is a sham" is an example. What does this phrase mean?
America is a child of the Enlightenment, and its ideals respect individual rights and liberties. Thus, "tolerance" in America used to denote respect for individuals with different beliefs or opinion -- e.g. prohibitions on "establishment of religion" or "abridging freedom of speech" --- and guarantees of "equal protection of laws" despite these differences.
Today's "progressive" views are a gross perversion of these American ideals. In lieu of *individual* rights, the "politically correct" assert *group* rights -- e.g. on behalf of favored races, age groups, economic classes, immigration statuses, etc. Hence, instead of "tolerance" meaning respect for the beliefs, opinions and rights of others even if different, it now means accusations of exploitation by others and demands for compensation because of alleged wrongdoing. In other words, political correctness has changed the meaning of "tolerance" to a mad scramble in essentially a zero-sum game for additional preferences and reparations based on competing claims of victimization.
In the multicultural arena, we even have the spectacle of those in this country illegally, who have no interest in learning to speak English or to learn about American customs or values, and who have little respect for their American hosts, forming yet another special interest group to make more demands on American goodwill and generosity. However, if these or not forthcoming, then charges of "intolerance" are quickly unleashed, so as to shake down their American neighbors for free education, free healthcare, and even free "stimulus" checks from the U.S. Government.
Those who espouse this sort of "tolerance" devalue individual rights in favor of group identities. An individual's intelligence, ambitions, talents, skills, interests, experiences, etc. are ignored in favor of a single group identity -- race, gender, class, etc. -- towards which I am supposed to show "tolerance" by discriminating in favor of this group despite the competing demands of other groups.
This politically correct "tolerance" is no more than a "sham" and, in my humble opinion, is the refuge of scoundrels and shysters.
CORRECTION: "However, if these ARE not forthcoming ..."
Being an immigrant myself, I have the a lot of appreciation and respect for the US. I do believe that everyone coming here must learn English. People should expect immigration to be difficult - yes, you'll have to learn and work. In my opinion, preserving your native culture and language is a big plus, but since we do live in US we owe it to the country that let us in to learn its language and follow its laws. You are here by choice, so show some respect and maybe (!) consider giving something back to the country and community.
CDizzle is a retard.
///I am suprised this isn't taken more serious. Why can't americans say, no English is our language, we do business in english, and everyone throughout the country speaks it in one dielect or another.///
I think you need to learn English. How did you get into Stanford?
Also, the writer of this article has the ugliest face I've ever seen in my life.
Your lame, juvenile ad hominem attacks (calling someone a "retard" and insulting someone's appearance) reveal your weakness and desperation.
Anyway, maybe Kanakia could have articulated his argument a little better, but his points are clear enough and well taken. Thankfully, the commenter "Skeptical" wonderfully expands on some of Kanakia's important points.
This is an honest and bold article, and I believe Kanakia deserves praise for resisting the sometimes stifling politically correct pressure on campus.
Wow. Commenter Skeptical really has his/her head screwed on straight. Way to go!
in reply to resident, you do realize however, that immigrants DO pay taxes. my parents came here illegally, and are now citizens, and the ENTIRE time that they have been here they have been paying taxes. These are things that aren't really known, but immigrants DO pay taxes. I know this might not be true for every single immigrant in the US, but they do pay taxes, so get your facts straight. Also, you do realize that immigrants cannot get welfare without a social security number! i was born here, and i LOVE and am PROUD of my MEXICAN culture, and yet i am still at Stanford, and i did not have to drop my "cultural baggage" in order to get here. It is one thing if you want to be close-minded and not acknowledge and appreciate the diversity of other people. Another thing, Mexicans have been here longer than Anglos, and the only reason that this is now part of the US, is because they robbed Mexico with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. so really, if anyone should be assimilating into a certain culture, it should be people assimilating into our or the native americans' culture.
and also, immigrants definitely DO NOT take away jobs from people, why???? because no one wants the jobs, if there were people that wanted the jobs, then they would have gotten them, then there wouldn't be a need for undocumented workers at all. if undocumented people are so unwanted, then the US needs to come together and start doing these things themselves, instead of crawling south of the border to get people to do the work. for example, during WWII, Bracero program, US obviously needed laborers they went to Mexico. in order to reconstruct after Katrina, where did the US go? Mexico!
oh yeah, by the way, our forefathers did not have to take a test that consists of questions that most American citizens do not even know.
i guess i should be laughing this article off as no importance, but it is sad what IGNORANCE will do to you. it is also very sad how many people dislike undocumented workers and immigrants, but yet, they are the very first ones called in times of need.
if you even want to go to the extreme, then stop eating the chinese food, the mexican food, the italian food, and all other food that is not american. in that case we might as well take out all other options from the dining halls, and fill it up with hot dogs and hamburgers!
To the dude who criticized me, if you reread my comment you won't find any value judgments as to the goodness or badness of laptop pricing. Way to assume what I think, though, instead of reading what I wrote. Also, go back and read CDizzle's comment and decide whether you agree with it or not, which is what my comment was about anyway.
///Your lame, juvenile ad hominem attacks (calling someone a "retard" and insulting someone's appearance) reveal your weakness and desperation. ///
lol
@Alum
I think that your point about "learning from other cultures" is a good one and this article could have made a better distinction between learning from other cultures and using cultural identification as a sort of priviledge. My grievance with many of the hyphenated loyalties is that it all too often manifests itself in the form of identity politics -- student centers, housing preferences, fraternities, cliques etc. which center around a particular race or nationality. Yes, lets share culture, but also realize that we're American ar our core. If our goal is really to learn from eachother then we should be against the post-modern multiculturalism which dictates that black students should have their own dorm. The result of this sort of multiculturalism, which I believe is what the author is getting at, is that we end up being less conversive and more divisive.
You american centric view would only work in a world dominated by American power.
That is slowly but surely will not be the case by the time u reach maturity. Do some travelling and let's see how your American arrogant will benefit you.
Hello Dear Sir/Madam St Valentine,
If you call me snotty, I might just go "Harrumph" and turn my snotty little (or huge, depending on your perspective) nose away.
But spotty I am certainly not! I have great pride for my smooth, spotless, pale, yellow skin that has not seen the light of day since I spend most my days sleeping and nights coding.
=)
Snotty (without the P) Stanford Student
Well, you'd have to be an economics major to come up with cultural commentary of this calibre. Just brilliant. In fact, I sometimes wonder why we have other disciplines like sociology, cultural studies, and anthropology, when we could just have the economists give us their gleaming assessments on the state of race relations. "Huddled masses," ah, I love it. Adam Smith and Milton Friedman would be proud.
I am a foreigner as well. On the contrary, I think that a lot of countries have their own nationalistic view. America, a superpower, is unique because it has allowed the freedom of speech (and thought) to such a degree that it is willing to look outside (by it, I mean the enlightened students and professors ) and appreciate other people's culture. I think the author is arguing that, sometimes, it doesn't hurt to have some national pride.
“in reply to resident, you do realize however, that immigrants DO pay taxes.”
-Of course immigrants pay taxes. Legal immigrants get social security numbers and pay taxes the legal way. Illegal immigrants get fake social security numbers, and commit a crimes more commonly called “tax fraud” and “identity theft”
“my parents came here illegally, and are now citizens, and the ENTIRE time that they have been here they have been paying taxes”
-Your parents are criminals. They should be deported. So what if they paid taxes? If I went out and stabbed someone in the chest, should I be excused because I put the toilet seat down after I use the bathroom? One good doesn’t always cancel out the bad.
“ These are things that aren't really known, but immigrants DO pay taxes. I know this might not be true for every single immigrant in the US, but they do pay taxes, so get your facts straight.”
-You keep forgetting to put the “illegal” in front of immigrant. I’m an immigrant and in no way, shape, form, or fashion do you speak for me.
“ Also, you do realize that immigrants cannot get welfare without a social security number! “
-As an immigrant myself I know what you can and can’t get. Since your parents (and many others) came here illegally, they shouldn’t get anything except a one way ticket out of here.
“i was born here, and i LOVE and am PROUD of my MEXICAN culture, and yet i am still at Stanford, and i did not have to drop my "cultural baggage" in order to get here.”
-Are you a Mexican or an American? Just by being born here doesn’t mean you’re an American. If Mexico is so great, then why don’t you go live there? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
“It is one thing if you want to be close-minded and not acknowledge and appreciate the diversity of other people. “
-I’m willing to celebrate diversity as long as it doesn’t come at the expense of higher taxes, higher crime, and a general lowering of the standards and values of American society.
“Another thing, Mexicans have been here longer than Anglos, and the only reason that this is now part of the US, is because they robbed Mexico with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo”
-America paid Mexico $15 million dollars after delivering an EPIC beatdown to the Mexican army. There’s a good reason why the Marine Hymn starts with “from the halls of Montezuma”. And in case you didn’t know, the WINNERS of wars usually get to write the peace treaties. Stop living in the past, California is part of America and none of your MECHA/Aztlan wishful thinking will change that.
“so really, if anyone should be assimilating into a certain culture, it should be people assimilating into our or the native americans' culture. “
-Umm.No.
“and also, immigrants definitely DO NOT take away jobs from people, why???? because no one wants the jobs, if there were people that wanted the jobs, then they would have gotten them, then there wouldn't be a need for undocumented workers at all.”
-This is a load of absolute nonsense. Illegals DO take away jobs because they’ll work for next to nothing. Why pay an American citizen a fair wage when an illegal will do the work for half or even less? And stop using euphemisms like “undocumented workers”. They’re illegal immigrants, and they’re criminals. All of them.
“ if undocumented people are so unwanted, then the US needs to come together and start doing these things themselves, instead of crawling south of the border to get people to do the work. for example, during WWII, Bracero program, US obviously needed laborers they went to Mexico. in order to reconstruct after Katrina, where did the US go? Mexico! “
-Illegals are unwanted. By Americans like myself who want to see America for Americans. Americans have been doing “these jobs” for the past 230+ years and we were doing just fine before your parents jumped over the border and took an honest American citizen’s livelihood from him.
“oh yeah, by the way, our forefathers did not have to take a test that consists of questions that most American citizens do not even know. “
-Yeah they did. My parents passed the citizenship test just fine. It’s not that hard, you know.
“i guess i should be laughing this article off as no importance, but it is sad what IGNORANCE will do to you. it is also very sad how many people dislike undocumented workers and immigrants, but yet, they are the very first ones called in times of need.”
-Again, you keep forgetting to insert “illegal” in front of immigrants. Stop trying to lump us all in the same boat.
“if you even want to go to the extreme, then stop eating the chinese food, the mexican food, the italian food, and all other food that is not american. in that case we might as well take out all other options from the dining halls, and fill it up with hot dogs and hamburgers!”
-Weak. I can’t believe you got into Stanford with such awful critical thinking skills. See, this is what affirmative action gets you.
I cannot believe the Daily actually published this poorly written, horrifying piece of junk that is full of arrogant assumptions and totally void of ANY historical knowledge of immigration and American history, and how the U.S. has continuously benefited from immigrant labor--and has actually encouraged Mexicans to cross the border without proper documents for more than a century--only to stamp them with the term "illegal" and "alien" when it is convenient to get rid of them. Get educated. The writer of this piece and the editorial staff of the Daily should be embarrassed and ashamed of printing such garbage.
after reading all of the responses to mine and the authors comments I am suprised at how evenly divided the issue really is. I don't, and never intended to make this a race issue. For some reason it always seems to go that way with this topic. I think historically this argument has been going on for many generations and taken many forms. the difference i see is that this time the issue is really about money and economics. I argee with the statement that america is not sustainable in it's current form. problem is, that is another conversation. the topic at hand is one that cannot be solved in any column. I think that the author is right for bringing it up and expects the responses that have come. I like SOUTH PARK and the reason you could even make the connection is because matt stone and trey parker recognized the very points that are being made in this article and decided to make fun of both sides of the issue in a non racial way. I think the comments made about my last posting are an easy way of casting aside the legitimate arguments I have presented. I am a real history buff so i would like to hear how anything that i said was historically inaccurate. The whole thing kinda reminds me of how society react to topics like...hmmm, reparations for slavery, or abortion. there are nothing but opinions on both sides and what happens in the middle is reality. as to the last comment if articles that cause passionate conversation are garbage.... maybe you should move to a country that sensors it's media, that way anything that is even slighty questionable can never see the light of day... oops I forgot, you can't move there because they won't let you in to become a citizen, which is exatcly the point I was making in my first comment. CYa
I think this article is definitely supposed to be mostly satirical, which is usually awesome. However, the "jokes" in it aren't funny, thus it is in danger of being taken seriously and now you have all these xenophobes rallying around it. Rahul, c'mon dude.
Clearly, Mr. Kanakia's article is satire. Consider his statement: "And from my point of view, it’s much easier to just avoid people from other backgrounds (and occasionally make fun of them behind their backs)." He speaks about a great topic that is important in the US, particularly as we consider current economic challenges, Black history month, and immigration laws. His "article" reads like a blog post. It is unfortunate that he did not have the time or ability to craft a quality opinion on the matter, whether satire or not. I tolerate the article, though. He is a busy student. The daily wants to ramp up its readership. Next time, I encourage him to do a little more reading on the topic and make it quality satire - something that excites serious thinkers. Otherwise, throw it into a blog somewhere. I would hope the Daily is able to pay some members of the editorial board, so that the gifted can speak. The article highlights what the daily has to settle for because so few people sign up to participate.
At what point did the Daily become the Review.
This is just a failure of the editing team.
In response to Resident:
They should not be deported. They are citizens.
My first thought was that this was a satire-- but after reading it again I don;t think it is-- and even if these aren't the author's thoughts, these are obviously relevant to a lot of people as I can see from the comments.
News flash- you talk of the culture being "completely fine the way it is"-- well it got that way BECAUSE of the immigrant influx into this country. Unless you're native american, which you are not, then you too are an immigrant-- as was pointed out in the article-- the author talks of complete assimiliation as a second generation from east asia-- well let me tell you, you're just fooling yourself, you've become a being with no culture or roots, despite them being so close behind you.
on the topic of assimilation, historically it has taken an average of at least 3 generations for immigrants to assimilate to "American culture"-- Most Mexican immigrants have not been here that long-- and it must be taken into account that because of the proximity between Mexico and the US, the process of assimilation will be a slower one. it's a lot easier to assimilate when your native country is a month-long boat ride away
In short, this article has been written by a guy who has experienced the minority opinion of the minority group. He has had the good fortune of growing up and apparently never having dealt with much more than just a dirty look at a friend's home. Try getting followed around in convenience stores or told to go home. How about listening to the absurdly degrading way that certain people in this country talk down to immigrants.
With that said, friction will always exist, but it does not have to be as destructive and intolerant as Rahul is proposing. You learn from your interactions with other people so that the next time it doesn't have to be as awkward.
Rahul also has a very limited perspective on culture. A culture that does not change will not survive. All cultures take ideas from other cultures and integrate them into their own. While some parts of culture are kept for the sake of tradition, other parts are continuously dynamic. That is part of the America ideals. Innovation is necessary for America's fundamental principles: democracy and capitalism.
And on an ending note, Tolerance is a terrible word to use in this context because it implies that one person/group is superior to the other and that they allow them to exist. People need to learn to be accepting of others. By that I mean that you recognize that other people are different and that is not something negative, but rather, something positive.
I wish your reasoning had been applied to your parents before they immigrated to the US, then they or you would not be here...because as you say more immigrants are definitely not needed. Unless you are indeed joking. In that case, all I have to say is, Why?
Regardless of whether or not you agree with Rahul, it's easy to lose sight of the benefits of including this controversial editorial in the newspaper. At 40 comments and counting, the column is stimulating a very important dialogue among its readers, and that's exactly what an editorial article is supposed to do. Bravo
as a first generation american of south asian decent, like rahul, i have to say that i find this article incredibly hard to accept personally. logically, i dont think its anti illegal immigrant but rather anti all immigrants.
i respect the authors right to write this. as an american, i firmly believe in the freedom of speech. but, as an american (and an awfully proud one, at that) i feel that rahuls point of view is as UNamerican as can be. we are supposed to accept the huddled masses and ensure their prosperity. look at the fact that each of the waves of immigrants mentioned in the article did not assimilate, but rather contributed to current american culture (take, for example: pizza (italian, christmas lights (german), stanfords architecture (mexican inspired, which itself was affected by the spanish)...even bluegrass/country music is based off irish instruments and harmonics). i dont think i would like to live here if i could only choose from one interpretation of america. being able to enjoy foods, friends, festivals and opinions of people from all over are what make this country so amazing.
but maybe that is just me.
btw
to whoever said that, unlike current latin immigration, other minorities came here legally through a process of naturalization. political refugees, such as cubans and vietnamese, were somewhat excused from this process. and ellis island didnt start up till 1892, meaning most of the european immigrants that founded this nation had no real right to be here, either.
To Resident:
I'm sincerely offended by your inability to articulate an argument without taking unwarranted stabs at other people's backgrounds & upbringings. It's wonderful that you feel so secure with conservative white men's xenophobic theology having been espoused as your own...but I can't help but wonder what would happen if this discussion came up about immigrants in general - in which case your holier-than-thou self would be deemed unwanted in this country that you love so dearly. In all honesty, this country does not care about the legality of an immigrant...it cares about their skin. Sorry for the wakeup call, but none of your conservative brethren would fight to keep you here if America was mandated to be for "Americans" in your sense of the word. I urge you to embrace those around you in an effort to understand the real roots of epic issues such as illegal immigration and the rest of humanity that you have scorned so thorougly.
live and let live.