Looks like Max isn't the ONLY Socialist in America....

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Originally Posted by The_Rorschach

You're right, every wave of immigrants has been percieved as a threat. . .But not an economic one until recently.

Was it just their Catholocism that made Americans suspicious of Irish immigrants in the 18th and 19th Centuries, or was it also certain stereotypes that prevailed about them...? Drinking, fighting, irresponsible behavior, etc.

I agree, they were perceived as a threat to the moral and social order, but there were economic implications as well, because their "wild" behavior was seen as a threat to a way of life, a staunch work ethic, etc.

Even such economic reasoning gets masked today. "Mexicans reproduce like rabbits," "Mexicans can't keep their legs closed," etc.

Do we really care about the size of a family that is traditionally large? I doubt it. We do however have this fear that 1. all of those "Mexican babies" will be competing with "native" Americans for jobs, and 2. we're worried that all of those immigrants will become our financial burden through programs of assistance.

Maybe its because past immigrants were mostly German, English and Irish, or maybe its because Americans of those periods were made of better stuff. . .But in any case, the immigrants of today neither show any inclination, nor even willingness, to assimilate. Nor are they fiancially lucretive.

Well, I think it's unfair to say they are poor because they are lazy. No, I have no empirical evidence to support it, but it just simply isn't the experience I've seen and witnessed. Latinos in particular do work I could not imagine doing, and they do it for very little.

Secondly, your information is a bit off if my recollection of the 2000 Census data serves me correctly. Asian Americans have in fact assimilated quite well into society, as have African Americans, who are truly our most unique "immigrant." (since you suggested a book to me, I'm going to suggest Facing up to the American Dream by Jennifer Hochschild to you). But anyway, according to the 2000 Census numbers, Latinos were the least "willing" to assimilate into American society, and furthermore, for such a thing to even happen in respect to their size in numbers, it would take a massive reorganization of American sub-urban lifestyle.

I'm not saying their presence is a great threat, economically or sociably, but that does not make them in any way desirable

Again, have to disagree. This country, IMO, not only SHOULD welcome them, but it NEEDS to welcome them. I don't think the American economy would totally collapse without their presence, but I do however feel that a great deal of our blue collar/agricultural/manual labor depends upon such people.