See, here’s the thing: this is an imaginary problem. Many immigrants when they first come retain some of their home culture — and we are often the richer for it. Think of Jewish culture in New York city, and how it has extended into general American culture. It’s particularly evident in comedy. But also think of the influence of Jewish immigrants on the American novel. But then the next generations gradually fade into the general culture, without becoming “just like the rest of us”. There’s a good illustration of this process in one of Vladimir Nabokov’s great novels, “Pnin”, particularly Chapter Five, which deals with Russian immigrants. Another interesting example is all the Jewish jazz musicians, going back to Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, and Italian jazz musicians, like Jerry Bergonzi and Joe Lovano. Have you ever been to Little Italy in Boston or New York? There’s no need to get all bothered about immigration, it’s always going on and it always works out.
lonecat over 8 years ago
See, here’s the thing: this is an imaginary problem. Many immigrants when they first come retain some of their home culture — and we are often the richer for it. Think of Jewish culture in New York city, and how it has extended into general American culture. It’s particularly evident in comedy. But also think of the influence of Jewish immigrants on the American novel. But then the next generations gradually fade into the general culture, without becoming “just like the rest of us”. There’s a good illustration of this process in one of Vladimir Nabokov’s great novels, “Pnin”, particularly Chapter Five, which deals with Russian immigrants. Another interesting example is all the Jewish jazz musicians, going back to Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, and Italian jazz musicians, like Jerry Bergonzi and Joe Lovano. Have you ever been to Little Italy in Boston or New York? There’s no need to get all bothered about immigration, it’s always going on and it always works out.
Thomas & Tifffany Connolly over 8 years ago
I feel so sorry for people with that type of attitude!We are all descendants from someone else from somewhere else in this world!