“Too long, sorry. “
No, it’s long but very much worth reading.
Around here we have a substantial Somali population. While they may have had large families back in Somalia, they don’t seem to be here. They are not on welfare to the level the “real Americans” are nor are they involved in crime at the same level. The kids are growing up educated and are off to college. We are seeing our first graduates and post graduates now with many of them returning here to work, which we need. It’s still early, about 16 years since the first ones showed up, but they seem to have made a substantial contribution to our economy here.
BTW, looks like the next immigrant wave we are going to get will be made up of rich Chinese.
Clearly there is something different from Europe here. For one thing, Greeks in Germany, for example, never become Germans. They remain Greeks living in the “diaspora”. The same thing doesn’t really happen here despite the attempts of the “professional Greeks” and many in the Church. About 6 months after a friend of mine, a Levantine Greek from Lebanon became a citizen, remarked how thoroughly American he felt. My grandfather felt the same way. Both of them are/were real Americans.
Doesn’t seem to work that way back in Europe.
What state are *you* posting from? Minnesota has had lots of problems with Somalis.
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.