Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Linda Chavez has it all figured out

Check out this FrontPage article where Chavez debates with other distinguished panel guests on immigration and assimilation. Doubtless you'll want to read the entire article, but I'll wet your appetite with a statement from Chavez which reduces to brass tacs what her core beliefs are on the question of immigrant assimilation.

Chavez writes:

"I support large-scale immigration and assimilation because both are good for the country. The latter happens more or less naturally, despite the best efforts of the ethnic lobbies; and the former leads to a higher standard of living for all Americans by feeding new workers into America’s job-creating machine. I’d like to see more efforts on the part of government to encourage assimilation, but even the ill-conceived policies John and I deplore have not stopped the assimilation from proceeding apace. I don’t worry that we’ll be overwhelmed by people who want to re-create their homelands here. Even among immigrant groups that tried to do so—most prominently, German immigrants in the 19th Century—their efforts failed. American culture is simply too attractive and immigrants too eager to succeed for there to be much cause for concern."

Boy am I relieved! And here I thought there was something to be concerned about. When in actuality there is nothing to be concerned about at all. In fact, any concerns we express are revealed by Chavez as alarmist and reactionary. If we'd just put a little more thought to it, we'd realize, as Chavez has, that not only can all cultures assimilate in America, but that they always have and always will. I'm just wondering why Chavez wants to see more ("large scale" I presume) government encouragement of immigrant assimilation. It's going to happen anyway, right?, American culture being so attractive and whatnot. I guess the idea is to make it happen quicker? I'm so confused.

End of initial post.

1 comments:

Michael Tams said...

So, maybe what Linda is getting at is that all we need is a World War commenced by a genocidal maniac from a Spanish-speaking country and then the overt ethnocentrism of Mexicans and other Latin American people will dissipate.

Way to think it through, Linda!

-MT