Comment by apawloski
1 month ago
It's so baffling to see you on this site consistently implying that Italians, Germans, or $WHOEVER are somehow worse Americans. Because if that were true, then you'd also have to acknowledge that you and I are worse Americans, which I don't think you believe.
And in general, your obsession with of the British is strange to me, because as you note, most Americans are not British and it's been that way for most of American history. Of course, there have been many great British Americans. But if we're weirdly keeping score, it's seems obvious that there would be a larger number of great Americans who weren't British?
For immigration policy, the issue is the aggregate cultural, political, and social impact of large groups of immigrants. It has nothing to do with individuals.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, reflects the impact of mass German immigration. Little Bangladesh in Queens reflects the impact of mass immigration from my country, Bangladesh. Would I rather live in a country where the government, institutions, etc., were like Little Bangladesh, or like Cedar Rapids? That’s not even a serious question. My fear about immigration is that, over time, the country will become more like Little Bangladesh and less like Cedar Rapids.
Most Americans aren’t British, but most Americans do carry on British culture and norms to varying degrees. If American soil really was magic, and you could take 100,000 Bangladeshis and they’d become cultural New England Puritans instantly, I’d be in favor of open borders.