Whites a minority in 10 percent of U.S. counties

[thetreble 19]

Has anyone seen any of the anti-immigrant propaganda from the late 19th - early 20th century? They have a lot of it displayed in the Ellis Island museum. Unsurprisingly 'assimilation' and other sentiments expressed toward the Irish back then are not too dissimilar to the accusations being directed at minorities and other immigrant groups today.

I have seen that. It's super cool. My husband's grandmother is a 94yr old Italian women that curses at her nurses in the old age home all day. She came to Newark from Italy. She has lost her short term memory so only talks about stuff that happens like 50 years ago. Some times when I sit with he it is like listening to a history lesson. She uses racial slurs and terms used in that time. She doesn't really remember me because of her short term memory and she will ask my husband...

grandma- "is this your girl?"

hubby- "yep."

Grandma- "what is she?"

hubby - "she's Scottish..."

Grandma - "What??!!! No friggin way. Get rid of her. She's a drunk!"

Then the next time she asks we tell her that I am jewish...etc..it's hilarious. But she tells us to go get the money hidden in a lipstick container in her bathroom or under the mattress. All of these little things that happened during the depression and stuff and people, especially immigrants, not trusting banks. Just brings you back to a different time.

And 6-Oh boy....you got to the wrong side of Morris Ave That is terrible. I take Morris ave almost every day to do stuff and it is very easy to get yourself in a bad part. Once I was coming back from the airport and instead of 22 I took 1 and 9. Ended up in newark somewhere and luckily I got out of there with my basic roads knowledge because there is no way I was going to ask any one for directions

[Caladan 19]

Has anyone seen any of the anti-immigrant propaganda from the late 19th - early 20th century? They have a lot of it displayed in the Ellis Island museum. Unsurprisingly 'assimilation' and other sentiments expressed toward the Irish back then are not too dissimilar to the accusations being directed at minorities and other immigrant groups today.

It's almost exactly the same. Maybe what 'assimilation' means is developing the ability to clutch the pearls about the next wave of immigrants. Not that there aren't real problems with illegal immigration, and not that there's not perhaps a limit to how many immigrants a society can successfully integrate without major social upheaval, or that nothing's changed (TV, Internet), but that chances are, the U.S. comes out of this latest round of immigration with a few more "American" cuisines ("Chile rellenos is American as apple pie, Chinese food, and spaghetti!") and one extra holiday.

[Dr_LHA 3]

Has anyone seen any of the anti-immigrant propaganda from the late 19th - early 20th century? They have a lot of it displayed in the Ellis Island museum. Unsurprisingly 'assimilation' and other sentiments expressed toward the Irish back then are not too dissimilar to the accusations being directed at minorities and other immigrant groups today.

I was going to say the exact same thing. This sort of thing has always troubled people, and its always turned out OK. America evolves, back then people hated the Irish, now Irish culture is embraced and has become part of America itself.

Another example of this on a more short term timescale, is I believe there are quotes attributed Socrates where he's basically moaning about "kids today". Fast forward to 2000 years later and people still have the impression that the next generation is somehow more degenerate than theirs!

I have to say though, I find it highly hypocritical that people here on an immigration website seem to want to keep America pure and free of foriegners. Or is it just OK if the immigrants are white?

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Or is it just OK if the immigrants are white?

Apparently. I'm trying to figure out whether the objection to living somewhere that whites are a minority is because there might be black people or their might be immigrants "refusing to assimilate"

[Caladan 19]

No, it's okay if the immigrants are different colors as long as they're spouses. (It's the magical power of sex that makes them assimilate.)