America is moving toward becoming a better version of itself
theatlantic.com
America is moving toward becoming a better version of itself
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Re: America is moving toward becoming a better version of itself
#2Its refreshing to read a hopeful and positive piece about the future of America. So much has been written of the state of the great divide between races, conservatives and liberals, heartland America and the coastal liberal cities, republican vs democrats. At least out of all this turmoil there is a sense of activism and involvement in politics I have not seen in years.
>“If you want to create a great community, you move someplace that needs your help,”
Re: America is moving toward becoming a better version of itself
#3I found it hard to read this article as having grounds to draw the positive conclusion from it's own premises: the inherently racist views of communities with low real immigration despite obvious dependencies on the immigration present bodes very badly, as does the underlying false optimism of a new wave of political consciousness.
I suspect the new America is an isolationist America
Re: America is moving toward becoming a better version of itself
#4> What explains the gulf between most Americans’ hopeful outlook on areas and institutions they know directly and their despair about the country they know only through the news?
In their anthropological foray, they notice that people generally get along with local people in local contexts. That's certainly true.
A lot of the acrimony, tribalism, and fear comes from the growing divisiveness of American culture at large.
The fact that The Atlantic needs to don some pith helmets and mix with the locals is itself indicative of the problem. Kudos to the authors for actually doing so, but these aren't migrants trying to learn how to be American. These are people born and raised in America who are somehow on the outside of what The Atlantic considers to be America.
> There is of course evidence that this has happened, in the form of the bigotry that has been unleashed since 2017.
And, ironically, The Atlantic ignores the bigotry [1] it contributes to the situation. The Kevin Williamson incident [2] is very recent and is literally a failed attempt to actually include different kinds of perspectives in The Atlantic. And it seems the institutes of journalism aren't exactly interested, in general, in doing the journalism to accurately represent Williamson's views on the matter [3]. By the way, Kevin Williamson is from these places and writes with a unique take on how these places are and how they could be better.
So when you live in these places and you see hatred for people like you, how are you supposed to be optimistic and excited about the prospects for your children and grandchildren?
[1] "stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own"
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/bigotry
[2] https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-the-twitter-mob-came-for-m...
[3] https://www.weeklystandard.com/kevin-williamson/what-new-yor...
Re: America is moving toward becoming a better version of itself
#5I found it hard to read this article as having grounds to draw the positive conclusion from it's own premises: the inherently racist views of communities with low real immigration despite obvious dependencies on the immigration present bodes very badly, as does the underlying false optimism of a new wave of political consciousness. I suspect the new America is an isolationist America
Why would immigrants move to where they're not wanted?
Also, how is the desire to maintain a common identity in your small town racist?
Many of our country's rural trends are a pushback against multiculturalism, which pushes the idea that there is no right or wrong way to live as long as you don't hurt other people. Common languages, religions, norms, customs, and beliefs simply don't matter. But how can a sense of community form when you can't even talk to your neighbors? Why is this pushback being met with cries of racism?
Re: America is moving toward becoming a better version of itself
#6In a nutshell:
Except for all the problems, this place is great!
That's the way it's been since the start and likely will be as far as we can tell.
Now let me tell you about how I traveled all over the place and talked to people who are the salt of the earth.
Re: America is moving toward becoming a better version of itself
#7I found it hard to read this article as having grounds to draw the positive conclusion from it's own premises: the inherently racist views of communities with low real immigration despite obvious dependencies on the immigration present bodes very badly, as does the underlying false optimism of a new wave of political consciousness. I suspect the new America is an isolationist America
Why would immigrants move to where they're not wanted? Also, how is the desire to maintain a common identity in your small town racist? Many of our country's rural trends are a pushback against multiculturalism, which pushes the idea that there is no right or wrong way to live as long as you don't hurt other people. Common languages, religions, norms, customs, and beliefs simply don't matter. But how can a sense of c…
>Also, how is the desire to maintain a common identity in your small town racist?
When the desire to maintain a common identity is based on racial or ethnic identity, and that desire excludes the possibility that races or ethnicities other than your own can, or should, be a part your community, then that desire can be accurately described as racist or at best xenophobic.
>Many of our country's rural trends are a pushback against multiculturalism, which pushes the idea that there is no right or wrong way to live as long as you don't hurt other people. Common languages, religions, norms, customs, and beliefs simply don't matter.
I don't see what's supposed to be wrong with that premise.
>But how can a sense of community form when you can't even talk to your neighbors? Why is this pushback being met with cries of racism?
It already has, and does - and that sense of community as it includes people of different races, ethnicities and religions, is precisely what is being pushed against. Talking about language is a red herring - this "push against multiculturalism" is also a push against immigrants who speak English perfectly well, and who integrate perfectly well into their communities, and are law abiding citizens, but are not considered white and may not be Christian.
Until the demographics of the country began to shift to the point that the majority status and political power of wh - sorry - people of European descent - began to be threatened, this didn't seem to be an issue. It is clearly a movement based on an attempt to normalize the redefinition of culture and community around race and ethnicity.
Re: America is moving toward becoming a better version of itself
#8I found it hard to read this article as having grounds to draw the positive conclusion from it's own premises: the inherently racist views of communities with low real immigration despite obvious dependencies on the immigration present bodes very badly, as does the underlying false optimism of a new wave of political consciousness. I suspect the new America is an isolationist America
Why would immigrants move to where they're not wanted? Also, how is the desire to maintain a common identity in your small town racist? Many of our country's rural trends are a pushback against multiculturalism, which pushes the idea that there is no right or wrong way to live as long as you don't hurt other people. Common languages, religions, norms, customs, and beliefs simply don't matter. But how can a sense of c…
Why is this pushback being met with cries of racism?
Because it's often couched in explicitly racist terms.
Shared values should matter more than the color of your skin, and values can (and often are) shared across cultures.
Re: America is moving toward becoming a better version of itself
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why would immigrants move to where they're not wanted? Also, how is the desire to maintain a common identity in your small town racist? Many of our country's rural trends are a pushback against multiculturalism, which pushes the idea that there is no right or wrong way to live as long as you don't hurt other people. Common languages, religions, norms, customs, and beliefs simply don't matter. But how can a sense of c…
>Also, how is the desire to maintain a common identity in your small town racist? When the desire to maintain a common identity is based on racial or ethnic identity, and that desire excludes the possibility that races or ethnicities other than your own can, or should, be a part your community, then that desire can be accurately described as racist or at best xenophobic. >Many of our country's rural trends are a push…
> When the desire to maintain a common identity is based on racial or ethnic identity... then that desire can be accurately described as racist or at best xenophobic.
This would be true and understandable if immigration wasn't so incredibly skewed towards Mexicans, but it is skewed. There are over 11 million illegal immigrants in a country of 300 million, the majority of which are Mexican/Latino. That is an incredibly large amount.
> Until the demographics of the country began to shift to the point that the majority status and political power of wh - sorry - people of European descent - began to be threatened, this didn't seem to be an issue. It is clearly a movement based on an attempt to normalize the redefinition of culture and community around race and ethnicity.
I find it funny how you blame white people for the hate, then blame them for the redefinition of culture and community around race and ethnicity... right after blaming white people for some perceived degradation of our country...
Re: America is moving toward becoming a better version of itself
#10> What explains the gulf between most Americans’ hopeful outlook on areas and institutions they know directly and their despair about the country they know only through the news? In their anthropological foray, they notice that people generally get along with local people in local contexts. That's certainly true. A lot of the acrimony, tribalism, and fear comes from the growing divisiveness of American culture at lar…
Thank you for using the correct definition of "bigotry."
The general population seems to confuse "bigot" only with "racist" or "sexist," for some reason.