The Great Divide – Crossover Issues with First Generation Immigrants
SportsI have a close friend who hates immigrants, especially from his own country of birth on the Asian continent.
He himself is a first generation immigrant, mature in his profession and has done very well as a professional. You would think that he, of all people, would value the contributions of all immigrants, and even more so the country of his birth because they too have done well and have come here legally. Some may have cheated the system by coming here as students and then getting sponsorships from employers, but it was all done legally.
However, my friend has a hard time understanding why most immigrants love the US more than their home country. I think he sees America as the land of grabbing, reaching, grabbing mercenaries and has therefore created an artificial barrier that prevents him from embracing American culture, to the point where he dislikes anyone who embraces it. It doesn’t help that he also had a bad marriage. I have not investigated him about the problems related to his marriage, but some details in speaking about it lead me to believe that he did not have an effective lawyer and that the result was that his wife wiped her watch.
While my (distant) friend’s attitude could be called extreme, this is a recurring, if rare, theme among first-generation immigrants in the US. But many immigrants, even those who have been in school, living and making a living here for decades, they seem to live in a cultural cocoon.
Unfortunately and tragically, this cultural divide has in rare cases led to violence and terrorism, perpetrated by seemingly ‘normal’ first-generation immigrants.
So-called ‘ethnicity’ can sometimes prevent us from finding the best of both cultures, our immigrant culture and American culture. How do we bridge the gap?
Here are some practical tips.
1. Commit to spending some time learning about American culture: its history, practices, angularities, and inhibitions. See if you can find similarities in your culture; trust me, there are a lot of similarities no matter what your ancestry.
2. Never let anyone denigrate your culture.
A person from southern Europe told me — “In our culture we revere the elderly. You Americans don’t. The moment their aging needs start to get in the way of their lifestyle, they are placed in a home of elders”.
I told him that while I admired his pride in his culture, his generalization of a culture based on some incidental observed behavior was wrong. I then pointed out how the government and private citizens were working hard to care for the elderly, the disabled, and veterans who had been injured.
3. That language be a unifier, not a divider. Get curious about how other languages express emotions, places, how they name their babies, etc. Genuine curiosity is healthy and generates respect.
4. Freely acknowledge that most immigrants contribute, not take away resources. It’s a fact, look it up.
You may have valid points against the practices of another culture (for example, radical religious beliefs practiced by followers of a well-known religion that tramples other religions and women are abominable and have kept its practitioners in poverty and decadence for centuries). But you won’t get anywhere by criticizing it, the conscience must come from within that religion.
5. Celebrate important dates and events in other cultures with your followers.
In other words, the best advice I can give you for bridging the culture gap is: CROSS THE DIVIDE. Human beings everywhere have certain common values and attributes: good food, love of family, decency and of course money concerns, take advantage of them.