Elites not interested in immigrants assimilating?

Last Sunday on Book TV I heard an author they were interviewing say the most extraordinary thing. He said that unlike in the past the American elites of today were not interested in having immigrants assimilate. What could he possibly be talking about?

Could it have something to do with education? Our public schools have always been the primary means of assimilation for immigrants. Immigrants who come to this country as adults, especially those that come not speaking English, usually do not become very well assimilated. But their children, if they come to this country before the age of 10 or are born here, always have and continue to learn to speak English without an accent and become perfect little Americans primarily through the efforts of our public schools. If you know anything about what is going on in our public schools you know that when they are confronted with a student who does not speak English, teaching that child English is their top priority and that is just as true today as it ever was.

So how could anyone think that our public schools are not as interested as they once were in assimilating immigrants? Could it have something to do with the schools talking about the need to communicate with parents who do not speak English? Could the school’s desire to be able to communicate with parents who do not speak English be seen as a lack of interest in the parents assimilating? That would be totally absurd. Does anyone really believe that adult immigrants would be more likely to learn English if they could not communicate with anyone at their children’s school? If they cannot communicate with anyone at the school the more likely effect is that they are less interested in their children’s education – the primary means through which immigrants are assimilated.

Could the fact that the government now has paperwork and forms available in other languages be seen as a lack of interest by the government in immigrants assimilating? Again, that would be absurd. Does anyone think that people are going to be motivated to learn English or not based on whether or not government brochures and forms are available in their native language? How often does an immigrant fill out a government form or read a brochure?

The reality is that immigrants who do not speak English are at a tremendous disadvantage in the job market. The only jobs available to those who do not speak English are very low paying, menial jobs. Every immigrant who does not speak English is confronted daily by the economic penalties for not knowing English. That is a tremendous motivation, far greater than any motivation that might be created by being unable to communicate with government officials or school personnel.

So what on earth are people talking about when they say immigrants are not motivated to assimilate or that the elites are not interested in having them assimilate? It just seems to me to be a belief independent of reality.

How do Americans feel about illegal immigrants?

I just received the following message as part of an email from the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC):

We have some timely news to share with you. For the past few weeks, AFSC has been conducting the a large, independent study on the U.S. public’s views on immigration issues, and now the results are in. Here are a few key findings:

* The U.S. public strongly supports the idea that “keeping families together should be a priority in our immigration policies”

* The public believes that the broken, outdated immigration system needs fixing, but that more border fences and scapegoating are not the answers.

* Two-thirds of the public supports a legal path to permanent residency and eventual citizenship for all undocumented immigrants who have built a life in this country.

AFSC’s National Immigration Opinion Survey shows that the majority of the public supports more humane and less punitive measures than currently appear in the Senate bill.

Two out of every three Americans think that immigrants who have been working and putting down roots in our communities should not have to live in fear of at any moment being arrested and summarily deported. Two out of every three Americans think it is wrong to have 12 million people among us working and paying taxes but without any rights, vulnerable to exploitation.

Why is the less than one third of Americans who oppose giving legal status to illegal immigrants so much more vocal than the two thirds who support it? If you believe in a compassionate, caring America, rather than a punitive, vindictive one, you need to speak up.

How much Spanish do you know?

Just by living in America you have probably picked up more Spanish than you realize. How many of the following 20 Spanish words or phrases can you match with their English equivalents?

1. Casa	A. Miss
2. Hasta La Vista	B. Hat
3. Adios	C. Good Day
4. Gracias	D. Information
5. Uno	E. House
6. Hombre	F. Thank you
7. Dos	G. Mister
8. Senorita	H. Five
9. Senor	I. Good evening
10. Tres	J. See ya later
11. Siesta	K. Man
12. Cuatro	L. Afternoon nap
13. Sombrero	M. The child
14. Cinco	N. Water
15. El Nino	O. Good-bye
16 Maήana	P. Two
17. Buenos dias	Q. Four
18. Buenas noches	R. Tomorrow
19. Agua	S. One
20. Informacion	T. Three

Correct Answers
1E, 2J, 3O, 4F, 5S, 6K, 7P, 8A, 9G, 10T, 11L, 12Q, 13B, 14H, 15M, 16R, 17C, 18I, 19N, 20D

Leave a comment with your score and how you would have described your knowledge of Spanish before taking this test.

Dial 1 for English

Even if you do not usually listen to talk radio or read the right-wing blogs you are probably aware that a certain very vocal segment of the American population has been venting their displeasure that they have to confront on a daily basis the reality that not everyone in America is fluent in English. “Why should I have to dial 1 for English,” is a currently popular rallying cry on talk radio and in the right wing blogosphere.

To some extent we can decide how we react to ideas with which we do not agree. I have decided to try to be sympathetic to those who think Americans should never have to answer the question “Do you want to speak to me in English?” Pollsters tell us that sentiments such as this are strongly correlated with levels of education. The more educated you are the more likely you are to be pleased rather than alarmed at the presence in your community of people with different cultures, languages and traditions. Those of us who view the opportunity to learn new things with pleasure should feel sympathy towards those who react to those same opportunities with panic and fear. Perhaps they, through no fault of their own, did not have the same opportunities we did to further their education.

Pollsters and political experts also tell us that if you, like me, wish to see Democratic Party candidates elected to office then the current xenophobic frenzy in the Republican Party base is a godsend. Candidates who expressed extreme anti-immigrant views did not do well in the general election in 2006 and probably will not do well in the 2008 election. If the Republican base insists on only voting in the primaries for candidates who support George W. Bush’s foreign policy and oppose his immigration policy this could create a perfect storm that will virtually sweep Republicans from power for a generation. Every dark cloud has a silver lining.