A Nation of Mutts

Make no mistake: America is headed towards a multicultural future.

Ivory tower academics and and liberal media columnists like to paint it in terms of white people versus people of color. Other times, the scenario is dumber down to white folks pitted against immigrants, holding the erroneous notion that all current immigrants are somehow limited to non-whites. Such notions are short- sighted. They fail to take an honest look at the dynamics and history of the immigrant experience, in favor of politicizing race for political advantage.

New York Times columnist David Brooks takes a different approach. Instead everyone divided into categories based on color, he suggests we will become "A Nation of Mutts", and challenges the notions of alliances. Future immigrants who lift themselves by their bootstraps will find more in common with past generations of European-American immigrants than the African-American underclass stuck in the cycle of government assistance. Instead of racial alliances, our future generations of American born kids will mixed to the point where they can't pinpoint one color or ethnicity on Census forms.

Our multicultural future is a good thing. It places the US in a favorable position in the modern world. But it's not about furthering political pet projects. Rather it's about creating a country with a uniquely American sensibility that is attuned to its global roots.

Dreams of coming to America

A Washington Post writer explores Gallup data on foreigners wishing to move to the United States.

The US is a popular destination among African and Latin American immigrants. Not so much among Europeans anymore: the only European nations where more than 5% of adults want to move to the United States were Great Britain and Armenia. The decline of the U.S. as a destination for Europeans could be due to the economic opportunities and mobility that have opened up within the European Union. That the United States lacks universal health care and other social benefits common in European countries is certainly a factor too.

The country with the highest percentage of adults who desire to come to the United States is Liberia, no doubt due to historical connections between the our two nations. The Liberian Republic was founded by former slaves, and incorporated American traditions many levels. Just look at Liberia's flag, currency, holidays, city names, police uniforms. The list goes on!

Hispanic-Americans are the new Italian-Americans

Self-proclaimed diversity experts often speak of Latino immigration as if America has never seem immigrants before. A more accurate look a immigration patterns shows that today's immigrant influx pales in comparison to the period running from the late 1800's to the 1920's. A New York Times columnist compares the similarity of Hispanic immigration patterns to that of previous generations of Italian-Americans, and what this means for immigration reforms.

Chechen-Americans fear retaliation

Ever since the Boston Marathon bombers were revealed to be ethnic Chechens, a fear of reprisals has ripped through Chechen immigrant communities. Some worry about revealing their ethnicity to Americans, others fear a crack down on immigration.

It probably doesn't help that Americans in general know little about their homeland. Few appreciate its history, the nationalist movement against Russian authority, and Putin's hard stance against Chechnyan separatists.  Evidently fewer can even locate Chechnya on a map.

Few Chechens reside in the US

The Boston Marathon bombings earlier this week have brought a spotlight to the Chechnyan community. The two suspects in the bombings, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, were naturalized U.S. citizens originally from Chechnya. A report shows how there are few Chechnyan immigrants to the United States, as most American cities refuse applicants from this region. One estimate has the number of Chechens in the US to be no more than 250 persons. Additionally, the majority of those immigrants granted asylum are women. Very few men are granted asylum due to American anti-terrorism policies.

Meanwhile the Chechan president, Ramzan Kadyrov, has blamed the acts of terror on the Tsarnaev brothers American upbringing. Compare that reaction with the humility of their uncle Ruslan Tsarni of Maryland, who expressed shame for his nephews' actions.

Albanians entering via Mexico

The Texas border with Mexico is a well known crossing for illegal immigrants trying to enter the United States. Just the mention of illegal immigrants crossing the Rio Grande to enter the U.S. conjures up images of impoverished Mexicans.  And yes, most detainees stopped by U.S. Border Patrol originate from Mexico and Central America. However a local reporter tells how Albanians are increasingly taking this same route to enter the United States illegally.

To find Albanians entering a third country to gain access into the US illegally shows how issues of immigration and border security are bigger than just a Latino concern. Too often, the plight of immigrants is framed as a Latino issue, instead of what it really is: a human issue. Perhaps immigrant advocates would see more results from our elected leaders if they would focus on how immigrant issues impact all groups, not just one particular linguistic group.

Fewer immigrants Anglicizing names

Common practice in the 19th and 20th centuries was for immigrants arriving in America to Anglicize their names. The idea was that immigrants would change their original name to a more Anglicized version to facilitate assimilation into American culture. For example, the German "Schmidt" morphed into the Anglo "Smith". In other cases, changes occurred when immigration agents shortened or transliterated names from foreign alphabets, notably from Cyrillic and Greek.

This is no more the case. Fewer than one in six immigrants applied to change their names on naturalization forms according to the US government. There's even less Anglicizing of stage names in Hollywood. The Swiss surname of Renée Zellweger and the Armenian surname of the Kardashian sisters have served their careers well. Compare that to a generation ago when these actresses might have been encouraged to give up their family names for something more Anglo.

It shows an America that's increasingly tolerant. One that does not expect people to sever ties with their ethnicity in exchange for for success. You could even say that embracing one's heritage makes a person's narrative more compelling, compared to those who downplay their heritage in an attempt to fit in.