West Coast University Cultural Pluralism Discussion Listen to or read the following letter to the editor: I am tired of this nation worrying about whether

West Coast University Cultural Pluralism Discussion Listen to or read the following letter to the editor:

I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending someone or their culture. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand.

This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language, and our own lifestyle. This culture has developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. If you wish to become part of our society, learn the language! “In God we trust” is our national motto. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, based on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is entirely appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.

We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don’t care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle. Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express opinions, and we will allow you every opportunity to do so. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other great American freedom, THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.

God Bless America.

Based on the letter, answer the following:

Who is intended to be included in the “We” of the last paragraph of the letter?
Is our society more accepting of some immigrant groups versus others?
After writing your initial post, reply to at least two of your classmates.

comment 1

Throughout the passage and in the last paragraph the “we” that is described can be seen as the people that look at the country as being the true Americans in the country. They are the ones that hold the ideal of being American to the highest standard. The people of the “we” group can also be seen in a stereotypical fashion as a specific group of people that try to abide by the flag and really try to encourage the “red, white, and blue.” It can also be said that the “we” would be people that were born in America and their descent or family lineage does not branch from a country of Spanish heritage for example.

America is built of a numerous amount of varying racial groups and immigrants coming from all over the world. Depending on the immigrant group some can be seen as being accepted more than others. This does apply to all immigrant groups though as well, some groups can be seen to be more accepting of certain groups over others. So while an immigrant group has a particularly strong affiliation with one group, another group might have the exact opposite and show more negativity towards an immigration group. This can be seen in today’s society where some of the more represented ideals of groups are more negative towards certain immigrant groups.

The passage shows a particularly strong racial discrimination in a sense. It really tries to instill that there is only one way to be a real American and going against that you would not be considered part of this country. The ending of the passage also leaves the idea of leaving the country, and while expressing this idea the writer tries to express it as a “right” maybe to lessen the intensity of the racial bias that is being displayed by the writer.comment 2

I believe the people intended to be included in the “We” in the letter to the editor are the ‘Americans.’ In his/her view, Americans, or citizens of the US, are meant to be included in the “we” s/he is talking about. The problem with this statement is s/he is assuming that all US citizens have an opinion that aligns with their same views and those who do not agree with this view are not true Americans. So the “we” this person is talking about really only reflects a small percentage of US citizens that share the same opinion.

I do believe our society to be more accepting of immigrant groups vs others. I am not saying we are the most accepting society, but there are many other societies that have more strict immigration policies than ours. For instance Switzerland has a very strong immigration policy and it is very hard to get citizenship there. But the benefits the government provides for the Swiss population are much better than the benefits we get in the US. In Switzerland, citizens get universal health care, so it makes sense for the country to have strict immigration policies. If Switzerland borders were open in Switzerland and they offered free health care to everyone, the economy would collapse due to so many people not paying for free health care through taxes but receiving it. Other countries such as Japan, Denmark, and Saudi Arabia are a few more that also have very strict immigration rules. So while I do believe the US has a lot of room to improve with immigration, I think the people who have a strong opinion opposing immigration have a louder voice which makes people perceive the US as a place of prejudice and hate against immigration. When in reality those people are just a group of like-minded individuals and many Americans know that the US was built off immigration and is the home to many diverse groups of people.

The Top Ten Toughest Immigration Laws In The World. (2018, August 05). Retrieved June 30, 2020, from https://pressat.co.uk/releases/the-top-ten-toughes…