I think the primary problem - in both cases - is language, yes.
Legolas Send a noteboard - 26/04/2010 04:54:55 PM
I didn't feel as if my "white girl" culture was being overrun by the minorities at my school. I can see how it could be a bigger problem in somewhere like Belgium, but in the US, our "culture" is by its nature amorphous and shifting. There really is no single "American culture". For people to get all uppity (here) about "well the Mexicans are spoiling our AMERICAN CULTURE" is rather stupid of them. What is American culture? Gangsta Rap, bling and street cred? Jazz, Beethoven and California wineries? Country music, bbq and football?
American culture has always been shifting as you say, but while there have been important minority languages in the past, like German especially, it's a different situation now that communication technology and globalisation have so changed the US - and the world. And it's different in that there's a single language now that is threatening the overall dominance of English. In most places it's not a real problem as the Spanish-language speakers need English to get by, and will learn it well enough to speak it to people from different ethnic backgrounds. But for those people who live in neighbourhoods where the Spanish-language majority becomes so great and so dominant that English largely disappears from public life - as I've heard said is the case in parts of Miami and doubtlessly other places - it's quite understandable that they'd feel threatened. Just like those Flemish people in the Brussels suburbs who resent the large numbers of French-speaking people who neither need nor want to learn the local language, and resent the feeling of becoming a cultural minority in their own region. The other aspects of culture aren't much of an issue in either case, I think - in the US because American culture, especially in the border states, already has so much Hispanic and other foreign influences anyway, and in Belgium because in the end Flemings and Walloons aren't that different in most regards.
I'm from Arizona and the biggest influences we had from Mexico were culinary and decorative. The only part about the horrid "cultural takeover" I really just didn't like was the hispanic radio stations. Which, you know, are perfectly avoidable.
Highly educated and wealthy people - particularly if they are multilingual, or otherwise inclined to be cosmopolitan - are always going to be more comfortable with such a situation, because it doesn't feel as threatening to them. But that doesn't mean the problem isn't real or shouldn't be taken seriously.
Again, I can see it being a problem somewhere in Europe that's had an ancient "identity"...but in the US I think it's just looking for something to whine about.
Eh. I think it's fairly comparable.
The Arizona immigration bill thingy
26/04/2010 12:57:20 AM
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what do you expect from one of the last states to accept MLK day?
26/04/2010 01:19:03 AM
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Yes, well, at least you are in the 27% of Americans that have a Passport.
26/04/2010 01:48:44 AM
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It will only take a few times getting their asses sued off for detaining U.S. citizens against...
26/04/2010 05:54:49 AM
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Yeah, I can't wait 'til a Latino state representative is arrested for looking illegal.
26/04/2010 07:26:13 AM
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or even better, a celebrity. I choose Antonia Banderas (when he has the funky beard hobo look) *NM*
26/04/2010 12:32:18 PM
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Looks like no one knows how bad it is along the border
26/04/2010 06:19:24 AM
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Oh please! The immigration and drug problems don't justify bad legislation.
26/04/2010 07:02:54 AM
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Some thoughts
26/04/2010 06:42:02 AM
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It's not just outrageous; it's plain stupid. The latter is almost as offensive as the former.
26/04/2010 07:30:30 AM
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Sounds more like a bill to convince people they are doing something than to do something
26/04/2010 12:43:19 PM
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What I find interesting about all this...
26/04/2010 01:06:08 PM
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It is interesting to see how it contrasts with your take on it, being from a country with them
26/04/2010 02:11:18 PM
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Perhaps I'm wrong, but...
26/04/2010 01:49:13 PM
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I don't know about the green cards
26/04/2010 03:05:49 PM
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That last point doesn't really make any sense.
26/04/2010 03:20:19 PM
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my point was that the punishments for the similar crimes are so different.
26/04/2010 04:23:08 PM
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The law will be overturned but it may help to get the federal government off their collective ass
26/04/2010 02:59:11 PM
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The law will most likely not be overturned.
26/04/2010 03:13:24 PM
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The law will be overturned but it may help to get the federal government off their collective ass *NM*
26/04/2010 03:20:45 PM
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The law will be overturned but it may help to get the federal government off their collective ass *NM*
26/04/2010 06:53:32 PM
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The law will be overturned but it may help to get the federal government off their collective ass *NM*
26/04/2010 08:33:04 PM
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The federal government will be collective ass but it may help to get the law off their overturned *NM*
27/04/2010 05:33:42 AM
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Their collective ass will be overturned but it may help to get the law off the federal government *NM*
27/04/2010 09:18:02 AM
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It's interesting how this sort of mirrors the Belgian issues.
26/04/2010 03:34:59 PM
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the "overrunning" of culture and language is exaggerated, imo
26/04/2010 04:34:56 PM
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I think the primary problem - in both cases - is language, yes.
26/04/2010 04:54:55 PM
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*shrug* I don't know. I just think that people are way too uptight about the issue
26/04/2010 05:02:30 PM
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the differences really are not that minor
28/04/2010 06:49:33 PM
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hmm, see
28/04/2010 07:10:42 PM
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I am from San Antonio I have always been able to buy burritos from my neighbors
28/04/2010 08:28:45 PM
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When I say relatively minor, it's because I'm thinking of those *other* assimilation problems here
28/04/2010 10:30:04 PM
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It should rattle anyone who lives in a democracy and who likes their way of life
28/04/2010 11:15:18 PM
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More power to the government! and We took that land fair and square! *NM*
26/04/2010 04:43:15 PM
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I'm going to take a common sense approach on this for a minute
26/04/2010 09:05:21 PM
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Re: I'm going to take a common sense approach on this for a minute
26/04/2010 11:48:14 PM
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Will the will of the people of Arizona be respected?
27/04/2010 12:12:46 AM
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That's funny...
27/04/2010 01:57:14 AM
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echo chamber much?
27/04/2010 04:14:53 PM
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there's also 53% of us who think this will lead to violating civil rights.
27/04/2010 05:19:29 PM
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Re: there's also 53% of us who think this will lead to violating civil rights.
28/04/2010 12:40:42 PM
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Also, the potential economic consequences of the law could be severe for Arizona.
27/04/2010 01:03:54 AM
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activist group liberal group claims it will cost money, what a shocker *NM*
27/04/2010 04:23:11 PM
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It will cost money
27/04/2010 09:16:31 PM
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but all of that ignores the long term savings
28/04/2010 03:24:50 PM
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it's less a matter of american tourism
28/04/2010 04:06:50 PM
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if they law is enforced it will decrease the number of illegals who go to Arizona
28/04/2010 06:35:26 PM
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I don't see any real long term savings coming from this.
28/04/2010 10:17:26 PM
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70% of the people in Arizona support the new law and 30% of the state is Hispanic
28/04/2010 10:51:08 PM
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real science?
28/04/2010 11:06:13 PM
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I linked to it further up the thread and you responded
28/04/2010 11:19:51 PM
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