 | VirileVagabond (32)
10/09/2006 | I find myself largely in agreement with the Dr. yet again. For starters, there is nothing "mystical" about the historical assimilation patterns of American immigrants. As I've stated elsewhere, the U.S. is largely based on ideas rather than ethnicity, so typical barriers aren't as much in play. Nevertheless, uncontrolled immigration can overly dilute the process, overwhelm the assimilation forces, and allow immigrants to refrain from or slow their assimilation (e.g. living in enclaves). There is a strong chance that this is the present situation. Nevertheless, even assuming efficient assimilation is possible or probable, that doesn't address other related public policy concerns (e.g. economic and defensive). In the final analysis, while it may be true that the U.S. is better suited to assimilate than say European and Asian nations, this argument is a red herring in the big picture.
(3 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | DrEntropy (38)
05/03/2006 | America is better at assimilating immigrants than most countries. This is partly due to the stability of its political system and the strength of its economy, and otherwise to its highly pluralistic culture, a product of earlier waves of immigration. There are limits to assimilation, however. Some immigrants are extremely resistant to assimilation (Wahabi Islamists in particular). More importantly, the sheer quantity of immigrants post-1990s works against assimilation, promoting the formation of self-perpetuating ethnic enclaves.
(4 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
