Immigration
Our nation was founded on immigration. Unless your ancestors are Native American, your people came from elsewhere. Yet, immigration continues to be a source of debate.
And this has been true for every generation.
Haven’t we all heard the stories? No one wanted the Irish to come. Nor those from southern Europe. Then it was the Asians. And now it’s those from South America or the Middle East.
But, aside from the racism inherent in the arguments, there’s fear. People are afraid that these newcomers are going to change the fabric of the U.S.
They’re right, of course. Without immigrants, we wouldn’t have Halloween, spaghetti and meatballs, and fortune cookies. Different cultures impact us. Whether we choose to see that as harmful or helpful is a matter of perspective.
But the big thing people worry about is jobs. What’s going to happen to their jobs?
The thing is, most immigrants take jobs that the rest of us don’t want. What happens when there’s a crackdown on illegal immigration in farming areas? The crops don’t get harvested.
And it's not like we don't have the room. On Wikipedia's list of population density, we're 77th out of 100 countries. We're not overcrowded (although some cities can feel that way).
The base of anti-immigration sentiment is fear. Fear of being supplanted. Fear of being overshadowed. But if history is any guide, that's not going to happen. Sure, we might not be in the majority, but that's not the thing to fear that it may seem. (Just move to a city with a diverse population. You'll find that you fit in just fine.)
But people who are afraid aren't listening to rational arguments. And that's the real problem, isn't it?
Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...
And this has been true for every generation.
Haven’t we all heard the stories? No one wanted the Irish to come. Nor those from southern Europe. Then it was the Asians. And now it’s those from South America or the Middle East.
But, aside from the racism inherent in the arguments, there’s fear. People are afraid that these newcomers are going to change the fabric of the U.S.
They’re right, of course. Without immigrants, we wouldn’t have Halloween, spaghetti and meatballs, and fortune cookies. Different cultures impact us. Whether we choose to see that as harmful or helpful is a matter of perspective.
But the big thing people worry about is jobs. What’s going to happen to their jobs?
The thing is, most immigrants take jobs that the rest of us don’t want. What happens when there’s a crackdown on illegal immigration in farming areas? The crops don’t get harvested.
The base of anti-immigration sentiment is fear. Fear of being supplanted. Fear of being overshadowed. But if history is any guide, that's not going to happen. Sure, we might not be in the majority, but that's not the thing to fear that it may seem. (Just move to a city with a diverse population. You'll find that you fit in just fine.)
But people who are afraid aren't listening to rational arguments. And that's the real problem, isn't it?
Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...
Can't tell you how many times my immigrant grandmother's voice pops into my head these days.
ReplyDeleteI bet. And I bet she's shaking her head, too.
DeleteOf course, the irony is that people in cities, where immigrants tend to be, are much less racist than people in rural areas where people are pretty much all the color of Wonder Bread.
ReplyDeleteThis is true. Racism is based on fear. Fear of the unknown. When other races are known, one fears them less and works with them more.
Delete