Thread: Times Writers Group: Integration, diversity is possible

Times Writers Group: Integration, diversity is possible

By John D. Reep

Published: August 27. 2007 12:30AM

Diversity and immigration are the most challenging issues facing our country — indeed, the whole world — and our community today. Today's decisions will have a lasting impact on our country's direction and our national identity.

In a recently published study, "E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century," Harvard professor Robert D. Putnam surprisingly found that ethnic diversity is harmful to social capital.

Putnam found people in more ethnically diverse communities tend to "hunker in" or "constrict." They distrust those outside their ethnic group but also distrust those people within their group. This distrust occurs across racial, political, age and economic lines and leads to an erosion in social capital; a collective withdrawal rather than outright aggression. According to Putnam, this "hunkering" occurs over the short to medium term.

In the long term he claims that this can be overcome, not by making the immigrants become like us, but by developing a new national "we" identity. Putnam's study sampled roughly 30,000 people across 41 very different communities and across the United States in 2000.

If more diversity is likely and even inevitable, how do we best integrate these diverse peoples into our society while minimizing the erosion of social capital? I have some suggestions.

Language

I think we must start with our language. Here our native tongue is English. English is generally recognized as the language of business in the world today. Hundreds of millions of people in other countries speak English as a second language.

Legal immigrants should be required to attain a functional level of proficiency in English. I have observed many people in our court system who require interpreters despite having lived here for more than five years. A teacher informs me that many immigrant students do not have the necessary language skills for their classes.

Perhaps, if this is not already being done, these students should be intensively taught English for most of the school day, until they gain the proficiency necessary to be integrated into the regular classes. With immigrant adults, classes must be made readily available.

But more importantly, attendance should be required until proficiency is demonstrated.

On the flip side, perhaps more of us should learn Spanish, not because we must, but because we may. This could reduce our level of distrust by allowing us to communicate and would facilitate easier travel to popular vacation spots.

History

In school, students — immigrant and non-immigrant alike — should learn the traditions and values that made our country the best and most powerful force for good in the world. We should teach about hard work, capitalism, liberty, the rule of law, freedom of religion and of the press, our Constitution and the responsibilities of citizenship.

I am not suggesting that this is not already done or that we only look at our country's success stories. And, no, we're not perfect. But is there another nation that has expended more blood and treasure for the benefit of other countries or that has been more benevolent in victory?

We played an indispensable role in the post-war reconstruction of Germany and Japan. We're still protecting South Korea. We protected most of Europe from Russia until the end of the Cold War.

These things should be taught, along with our mistakes (civil war, slavery, treatment of Native Americans).

Policies

We must slow the influx of illegal immigrants to this country. This is vital for national security. Additionally, less illegal immigration could allow for more legal immigration. Furthermore, we might be less distrustful of immigrants if we had some confidence that they were here legally.

Illegal immigration can be controlled by increasing the penalties for employers, better border enforcement, and using some common sense in enforcement. It makes no sense to write up illegal immigrants on traffic tickets and then just simply send them back "into the shadows." Deportation is not the only option, but it is an option.

Have millions fled their home countries to start their lives over in the United States so that they can make our country like the one they fled? No, it's because we are different. We offer security and economic and religious freedom that they quite literally dreamed of before they came here. Once here, immigrants are free to celebrate the traditions of their native land, but they must learn about us as well.

We have a duty to be tolerant and reach out to these displaced people. Some of their traditions may become a part of our national fabric.

I extend my hand to all who have legally come to our country to make a better life for themselves and their families. Work hard, learn our language and follow our laws and you can accomplish much here.

This is the opinion of John D. Reep, a North Dakota native who moved to Sartell with his family in 1987. His column is published the fourth Monday of the month.

http://www.sctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 006/NEWS01

OMG, you mean there's another side to the 'we must march to the drum beat of unquestioning multiculturalism ... all in the name of 'diversity' and 'cultural sensitivity'? The rather new (historically speaking) term "Balkanization" is a curious addition to the English language. Balkanization as in, or relating to the nations in the Balkan region of E/SE Europe; and in more recent times, particularly the former Yugoslavia - ie. Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, etc.
Weren't the individual republics 'celebrating their diversity' too???
[yes, dry ironic sarcasm intended...]

For the newer folks along that were not aware of this, the following is a rather good - albeit powerful - read:

Richard Lamm's Speech on Multiculturalism - and it's implications for
the long-term well-being of the US (aka. "How to Destroy America" speech)

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/lamm.asp