|
:: Sunday, November 06, 2005 ::
"Americans have a bad habit of lecturing the rest of the world on the virtues of assimilation. In doing this, we are demonstrating the blessings of pragmatism and a short memory. We learned to assimilate because we had to, and have forgotten that it ever was otherwise. Now it seems perfectly unremarkable, at least as far as past successes are concerned (there are several incomplete projects, of course). My own ancestors got here some 300 years later than the Pilgrim Fathers, but they are my Pilgrim Fathers now, too. Sooner or later, France will have to raise a generation of French Muslims who will speak without irony of 'nos ancetres les Gaulois.'"
Interesting take from Mitch Townsend but I'm not sure we're comparing oranges to oranges; there are radical historical incongruencies involved here. Given the generous 'European Social Model', Muslims in Europe have no compelling reason to assimilate into the broader culture. The Irish [and Italians, and Jews, and Germans and Latinos, and Poles, and Canadians....] on the other hand, had every reason too assimilate into American culture - they would parish if they failed to do so.
Although I'm 'progressive' enough to grasp [and support] the concept of a 'safety net' the 'European Social Model' is a proven disaster for those poor souls trapped in it - just ask the Katrina victims who deferred hurricane evacuation waiting for the SS checks that would never come.
:: Max 11:13 PM [+] ::
...
|