08/01/2007
From: Kathlene Miller
From the July 24th San Jose Mercury News letters to the editor
Cultural shift could be good for kids
"I know it won’t be easy for our society to cope with the children of immigrants, as they grow up in households where hard work and sacrifice are the norm and paychecks are often sent to needy relatives. It’s this kind of stuff that could cause an unexpected cultural shift that would undermine traditional American values, which guide your children through their formative years of text-messaging, shopping and developing critical brand loyalties.
"After all, kids in the United States know where their self-worth comes from, and it’s not from some cheap cell phone. Nope. It’s from the more expensive iPhone, the one that costs $700!"
Ross Gomez Jr.
(Send e-mail to the editorial page editor of the Mercury News here.)
Gomez’s letter is outrageous on two counts:
Along with George W. Bush’s constant remarks about the superior family values of all immigrants, Gomez (and the Mercury News) reveals a romantic and sentimental modern-day concept called the "Noble Immigrant."
This unfounded theory, held among the global elite, believes that Third World immigration will imbue the West with less materialism, more family values, and morality. It perpetuates the myth that all immigrants and their offspring are morally superior and will bring their noble and selfless values to greedy, lazy and materialistic Westerners.
Perhaps elitist thinking goes. immigration is a way for the West to compensate for its cultural and economic guilt — by embracing open borders and multi-culturalism as manifestations of the "Noble Immigrant" myth.
But ignored is the fact that most immigrants come to America to raise their standard of living above that of the corrupt lawless countries they left behind. Immigrants seek the American Dream — including economic opportunity and material goods. Maybe Gomez is the greedy one.
The "Noble Immigrant" concept underlies immigration enthusiasts' emotional arguments for open borders. Facts don’t play a role in their thinking.
Read Miller’s previous letters here and here. Send mail to her c/o
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