... in response to Re: 'Little Russia', posted by WmGo on May 17, 2005[This message has been edited by LP]
....I'm neither racist nor xenophobic. That's laughable to anyone who knows me. Besides, it's not possible to be predjudiced when you treat everyone equally bad 
But yeah, I have problems with immigrants who refuse to assimilate or at least learn the language. If any of you FSU lovin' types moved there would not the locals expect the same of you? Would they not expect you to embrace their culture? How would they react to you, and millions of others from dozens of countries around the world, waging a cultural war on their language and customs?
I have nothing against immigration, it's what made this country the great nation it once was. My grandparents were immigrants but they, as with most of the Ellis Island generation, were eager to embrace their new homeland. They were eager to assimilate, all while quietly retaining and celebrating their roots in the privacy of their new homes. They came here to build a new life, not to erect a duplicate of the place they left behind. It's true many at the time gathered in enclaves for protection and support but they had no real desire to create permanent microcosms of the places they fled. Other than say, Chinatown in San Francisco and a few others, such places remained small in number. That's all changing, at least in California.
Frankly, I don't much care what they do. Nor do I care how they dress. Hell, my mailman wears a USPS uniform, a turban, and a long white beard. He looks like a genetic experiment between Osama and a giant blue jay gone bad. I keep telling him he could make more as an airline pilot, that while others had to claw their way up he's been logging turbine time for years. The sad part is he couldn't understand the joke if he tried. You'd think he wouldn't be very good at delivering mail like this and guess what...you'd be right. There are other places where a night drive reveals so many white robes floating down the sidewalks I get the urge to call Ghostbusters. Whether it's in stores, city hall, the DMV, or innumerable other locals, it's difficult to know what country I'm in. And the last thing I need after coming home from work (where English must be spoken by law) is a verbal sparring session with Apu at the Kwik-E Mart or an angry Mexican kid manning the drive thru at Crap In The Box. Don't even get me started about the local Costco or Wally World.
But their dress is often religious related and so I have no problem with it. Unlike some I'm not on a crusade to spread Christianity so it doesn't matter. What I want is for them to make some effort to learn the lingo. It's not too much to ask is it? As individuals most of these folks are nice enough and some have done very well. The least they could do is assimilate a little in return. But no. For example, I'm aquainted with an Indian guy who built his home as a replica of the Taj Mahal. I'm amazed everytime I see it. It's his money but come on, is that assimilating? As I said, they're nice enough alone but collectively they're an infestation that is slowly strangling a place and culture I once liked. Not that I'm a big fan of the omnipresent rude, overweight, slovenly, gun lovin', flag wavin', beer swillin', football watchin', pickup drivin' white trash either...but at least I can talk to them.
Ah well, love it or leave it right? I can hardly wait.
