Posted on 03/12/2016 9:42:13 PM PST by annalex
It may never be translated. The ideas are politically incorrect, so no one will promote it, so no one will make money.
Demographics are mutable to the extent that the economic conditions are: reproductive behaviors change with the circumstances. There are strong factors that encourage high reproductive rates in the Third World; there are strong factors that limit them in the West.
Right. America is a “nation dedicated to the proposition”, — so long as she remains so, the immigration will have these unique American traits.
Although to think of Europe as a place where nationality is set in stone is also wrong. The Germans migrated to Russia for centuries; they practically created the Russian Empire. One Russian nobleman, dealing with some frustrations, once asked the Czar: your majesty, would you make me German, please? Certainly Germany till mid-19th century was not Germany yet, nor was Italy Italy. The Middle Ages new no concept on nationality.
The Somali example might be unique. This is a weak culture indigineously; they arrived to a foreign climate, foreign social environment, and in relatively small numbers, - it would have been foolish for them to attempt at re-constituting Somalia in Northern New England.
Not so with Mexicans who arrive to a country where Spanish is practically sufficient, Catholicism is easily tolerated, gangs of every description run big cities, etc. They often feel no need to assimilate at all. Sure, some do, but the practical engine driving them to colleges and into American mainstream isn’t there, so there is nothing to curb the fertility rate.
I don’t see rich Chinese as immigrants at all. They are investors: they buy property, become landlords and go back to China. Young Chinese are plentiful in high-tech, but I don’t think they seek assimilation either.
We've seen destruction of life already, so yes. As soon as the numbers are right.
These are two different things. In the home country, indeed, the lack of the rule of law with respect to property and contract prevent the home economy from growing. This in turn generates the demographic bulge. A father with N+1 son will do better than a father with N sons, who will do better than the father of N-1 sons in the thug environment; a college degree would be nearly worthless whether it is available or not, and so it usually is not available at home.
The education is, however critical for success in the West. But that takes, first, sufficient entry-level education; in the Arab world that may not be enough. Secondly it takes the orientation toward the Western social values, such as the desire to assimilate and learn. That also is nowhere to come from for the “bulge” kids.
I speak in generalities; being in American high-tech for a quarter of a century, I’ve seen all kinds.
We have so few Hispanics here, I really can’t comment. The few I do know seem to work hard and go to church. There are a number of them married into the Irish side of the family and of course we love them very much. As for our Somalis, it is true they aren’t here in huge numbers, but they do make up about 17% of our local population.
“I don’t see rich Chinese as immigrants at all. They are investors: they buy property, become landlords and go back to China. Young Chinese are plentiful in high-tech, but I don’t think they seek assimilation either.”
The ones we are seeing up here are investing sufficient amounts to get green cards for themselves and their families. Alex, they think they are in paradise up here. That they can breathe the air and, wonder of wonders, actually walk and swim in the ocean and drink the water from the lakes, ponds and streams stuns them. Those I have spoken to, who seem very nice, want to live here for the rest of their lives. I don’t doubt it’s different elsewhere but as you know, we’re in a special place here!
“Not so with Mexicans who arrive to a country where Spanish is practically sufficient, Catholicism is easily tolerated, gangs of every description run big cities, etc. They often feel no need to assimilate at all. Sure, some do, but the practical engine driving them to colleges and into American mainstream isn’t there, so there is nothing to curb the fertility rate.”
Change the nationality to French Canadian and your comment could describe the town/culture 3 generations of my family have grown up in, Alex. And the Quebecers have assimilated to such an extent that only old guys like me, a Greek/Irish/Yankee still speak Quebecois! Used to be here, Alex, that you virtually couldn’t get a job unless you spoke French. It’s all gone now. American culture is very strong and very flexible.
The last quote, “would have been unthinkable to a mother — whether she was white or black — to become pregnant, hide the identity of the father and then let the public pay for her kids”, I think, points to the limits of Heinsohn’s demographic approach. What is “thinkable” and what is “unthinkable” is a matter of religion, or some quasi-religious moral authority. It is not the matter of welfare policy alone. It is when the culture is lacking from the beginning, or experiences a collapse due to some extraneous force, that welfare becomes a destructive element that leads to the phenomenon of idle hostile youth.
Which points us back to the collapse of Christianity as a universal cultural force in the West and the outward-looking culture of Jihad in Islam. It’s in the world of ideas that demographic decisions are made.
That rich Chinese who marvels about the fresh air is still not an immigrant; he is a long-term tourist. Yes, they are generally very nice people.
The difference between the French Americans in early and mid-20 century in Maine and the Mexicans today in So. Cal is the difference in political climate. The French lumberjacks simply could not get fluency in English; they were what they were because they had little choices, and the best bet was to assimilate more and more with each generation. A working class Mexican in the American South and West has choices, certainly with respect to his children. So far is has not created an assimilationist mood in them, again, generally speaking.
It is not just Mexicans. The Germans, I hear, have a similar complaint about the Russian immigrants to Germany: They come for the social services, learn German enough to demand them, avoid developing German friendships, and build themselves little Russias wherever they go.
I do hope we will be surprised to see how resilient American culture is to the extent that we may yet see America’s best days to come. Maybe the world will follow our lead.
Don’t give up even if it’s only to be able say that you fought the good fight.
And thanks for your many great articles.
“...and build themselves little Russias wherever they go.”
“Petit Canada”, for about 100 years, was just a few hundred yards from the old Greek Church hereabouts and down in Boston, the North End is still “ Little Italy”. Assimilation can take generations, Alex. Sometimes, thankfully, there is never a food assimilation!
Thank you.
The nuance is this. Every immigrant has limitations: accent, typically, skin pigmentation, nose shape etc. When an immigrant belongs to the working class, those limitations are more severe because education and acculturation takes money.
Also, some acculturation is not at all needed. Food, as you mention, better not acculturate. Skin and nose cannot acculturate. So let us talk of those that can be subject to assimilation without subtracting from the person. There it becomes a difference in attitude. When a Russian retains the accent, there is little he can do about it. When he can learn an engineering discipline but refuses to learn elementary use of definitive article and simple verb tenses, that is a problem. When a child learns that attitude from the parent, assimilation is not happening.
“When he can learn an engineering discipline but refuses to learn elementary use of definitive article and simple verb tenses, that is a problem. When a child learns that attitude from the parent, assimilation is not happening.”
I agree, but again I’ll refer to the Quebecois. They started coming here towards the end of the 19th century. So many of them came that they became the dominant group here. Because they became the dominant culture, two things happened. First most of us learned French, along with English and whatever other language our families spoke, and second, it took about five generations for a true Quebecois culture to die.
Today, no young person of Quebecois descent speaks English with a French accent. But when I was growing up, virtually all of them did. Those of us “of an age” who grew up speaking French, sit around in the local Greek hot dog stand and speak English and Quebecois like in the old days and mystify the kids!
I never knew anyone here whose parents were from Greece...or Italy or China or Poland or Russia or Lithuania, or Jews from all over Europe, who spoke with a foreign accent. On the other hand, except for my very few WASP friends, everyone of us had a parent or grandparent who spoke English with a funny accent.
I expect that is because none of us ever became the dominant local culture the way the Quebecois did. But Alex, we are better for having that Quebecois influence. I’ve spoken French all over the world, including in an Indo Chinese jungle drinking blood soup with Hmong tribsmen.
We’ll be fine, Alex!
Again, you are describing trends in pre-political correctness America. People assimilated in their own ways, at their own pace, but they desired in the end the assimilation to succeed. I don’t think this describes the immigrant population today, especially when Christian faith is not shared.
BTTT
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