The furor over the immigration bill also involves that word I like: assimilation. Note Ann Coulter’s rage against Hispanics here:
[T]raitors who are citizens have destroyed all acculturating institutions… Until the recipient culture is capable of doing an effective job of Americanizing immigrants, it’s preposterous to talk about a massive influx of Hispanic immigrants accomplishing anything other than turning America into yet another Latin American-style banana republic. And it is simply a fact that no one is trying to turn immigrants into Americans.
The idea of assimilation, turning immigrants into Americans, is sanctified among conservatives. And yes, the idea often has racist overtones, as it does here. Speaking as a leftie, I have much more respect for minority rights than the conservatives do; I trust the ability of the U.S. to absorb and acculturate newbies without compelling the newbies to give up their ways. But sometimes you have to draw the line.
I bring this up again apropos of my Jewish people. Michael Walzer has said that Jews have an "anomalous" citizenship, being members of a nation that includes Israel. As a tolerant liberal, I find Walzer’s formulation acceptable; after all, the Supreme Court overturned centuries of tradition by allowing a Jew to vote both in Israel and the U.S. But that’s not to say that his formulation is preferable. In fact, it creates a great deal of confusion when anomalous citizens are in the White House, advising the president on Middle East policy. (Why don’t the conservatives go near that one?)
My bottom line: There should be honor for Jews who say, Guess what, I’m a citizen of the United States, my heart is here, and I will place my country’s interests above all other countries…
P.S. My friend George Ajjan is right to object to the grotesque profanity of a reader’s comment yesterday. It was all about me having sex with my Christian in-laws. And it’s gone.
Related posts:
- Assimilation as a Goal–For Irish-Americans and Shi’ite Iraqis
- Zogby Extols Assimilation for Arab-Americans. Why Not for Jews, too?
- Madoff fraud is an advertisement for the benefits of assimilation
- I’m all wet. Actually the Madoff story is all about Jewish assimilation
- Grim Netanyahu warns American Jews on assimilation
{ 5 comments }
Phil, glad to see you enforce some moderate censorship. We're all for free speech, but this is your front lawn, so trim the grass as you see fit. Your neighbors do appreciate it.
"Ethnic" conservatives like me ponder this assimiliation/immigration question constantly. I think the vitriol of Ann Coulter and her ilk do more to harm conservative causes than 1,000 liberal pundits could ever. The sensible views come from so-called paleoconservatives like those who write for Chronicles – a traditional conservative magazine that was a key influence on Buchanan and is more than willing to "go near" the issue of "anomalous citizens" – http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org.
I, personally, have little tolerance for dual allegiance. You, Phil, have done a great job shedding light on the neoconservatives who share your background. For my part – I want to expose their minions: the con-men from my tribe who manage to get their hands on American passports and then snuggle up to unqualified hacks like Liz Cheney, lobbying the United States to settle their scores in the places where their hearts will always lie – http://www.antiwar.com/article.php?articleid=10940.
Phil wrote: "My bottom line: There should be honor for Jews who say, Guess what, I'm a citizen of the United States, my heart is here, and I will place my country's interests above all other countries… "
That's not a bad idea. Israelis honor Philosemetic non-Jews as "Righteous Gentiles." What we need in this country is a word for fully assimilated Jews who honor and love America first. Philweisserites? No, wait. I have an even better idea. Let's call them what they really are–Americans, pure and simple.
The clause, "the Supreme Court overturned centuries of tradition", is linked to another posting. However, I don't see, in the link, what Court decision you are referring to. Could you be more specific?
Also, thank you for an excellent blog. It is must daily reading for me.
Tom, Sorry about that. I think the case is the Afroyim case, mentioned below. You used to lose your U.S. citizenship for voting somewhere else or serving in their army.
http://www.post-gazette.com/nation/20020515dual0515p4.asp
A good litmus test is the Jonathan Pollard case. Some American Jews support a possible presidential pardon because, "he's another Dreyfus." While other American Jews oppose the pardon insisting, "Dreyfus was innocent, you schmucks!" They regard Israel's recruitment of Pollard as a slap in the face of the Diaspora. Just as Voltaire insisted that the English have to kill an admiral from time to time, "to encourage the others," so they regard Pollard's life sentence as an educational experience on exactly where the red line is in "dual loyalty."
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