Tom's Views

Dear   [Tina],

Fortunately, this guy doesn’t speak for the majority of us.

While he argues that America’s multi-cultural aspirations of   diversity “serve only to dilute our sovereignty,” I’d suggest that because we strive to support and encourage diverse walks of life in our immigrants, America has become among the mightiest, wealthiest, and most secure leading force in the world because contrary to prevaling beliefs, immigrants assimilate very effectively.  They do not assimilate completely, that’s true.  But immigrants assimilate enough to function well in our schools as both students and teachers, businesses, and industry as well.  That’s diversity.

The US understands and attempts to guarantee the rights of   all people in the world, not just those native to this country or those that speak only English. Our entire history of war as a nation (the fight for independence, the Civil War, the world wars, the Korean conflict, the Cold War, and the various skirmishes we’ve won throughout the 1980s and 1990s, not to mention the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that started off the 21st century) were all based on our strong desire to protect and extend the freedoms of others; especially immigrants.  A healthy importatio of immigrants we need to best capitalize on the best of foreign talents and to maximize diversity in general here in America.

How do you think we acquired our might in the world anyhow? Why do you suppose that American industry has higher productivity over all than that of any other country? In my opinion, it’s because this nation came to understand, to acommodate, and to best utilize, the vast, untapped energies of its minority populations, immigrants included.  In fact, we are a nation of immigrants.  We support diversity and reap its benefit of a highly productive work force.

People have an innate need to create, express that creativity, and do so without fear of official retribution from the government. They want to make a difference, to borrow a line from the Star Trek Generations movie. This attitude fosters a collaborative spirit among our citizens and immigrants alike, because our culture here encourages humans to work together to invent things that no one person could have ever accomplished by himself. In short, our culture encourages synergy among humans, no matter their race or ethnicity. Because we respect and utilize the opinions and cultural mores of all (the Spanish, Russians, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, African Americans, Indians, and so on),    we’re stronger.

If we’re going to maximally utilize the human energy of our entire 300+ million population in America, diversity is a necessary first ingredient. Yes, having to learn other languages and accept that God is not the central focus of all cultures around the world, may challenge us in the short term. But doing this now will help preserve our mightiest-nation-in-the-world status for generations to come.  The more efficiently we can put our immigrant population to work, the more productive we’ll be as a country.

Thus, this anti-immigrant guy ought to come into the 21st century with the rest of us, for we are no longer that homogeneous establishment of 150 years ago. He might look forward instead of back.  In today’s global social climate, while it’s true that   immigrants must adapt to us, it’s also the case that   we must also adapt to the immigrants.  America’s a melting pot where all those diverse cultures blend together to form a collective super-culture; an advanced civilization that brings forth the best parts of all the separate cultures that comprise it, without eliminating those cultures.

Tom Hesley

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