Thursday, May 25
While Europe Slept
Bruce Bawer talks about his book:
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Bruce Bawer talks about his book:
I was also shocked to hear people refer to immigrants' European-born children as "second-generation immigrants". And their children were "third-generation immigrants". This summed up an incredibly dramatic difference in the ways Americans and Europeans thought about immigrants. My father's parents were Polish, but never in my life had it occurred to me to think of myself as a third-generation immigrant or of my father as a second-generation immigrant. The idea was ludicrous. We were Americans, period.My father's parents were Polish. My father was born in England, but lived most of his life in Australia. I'm Australian, period.
Read the whole thing, depressing though it may be.
(Via Roger L. Simon)
Posted by: Pixy Misa at
04:07 AM
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So I have to dissent slightly here. I don't have a problem with the "second-generation" part, but rather the "immigrant" part. I sometimes refer to myself as "fourth-generation" in passing, meaning "fourth-generation American," the fourth generation of my family to call America home. Mostly, it's a handy way of expressing why I don't speak Japanese beyond "I was too bloody lazy in high school."
Posted by: Chris C. at Thursday, May 25 2006 01:36 PM (TrhHV)
2
Mostly I agree with your distaste at the practice, but the term does fit when the immigrants make no effort to assimilate into their new society. viz, many of the Hispanic immigrants to the US. Sure, many enter the culture and become Americans, but many stay in their barrios ("ghettos", in another time and place) and they and their American-born children never become true Americans. What should we call the kids, other than "second-generation immigrants"?
Posted by: SteveF at Thursday, May 25 2006 06:02 PM (RiE2L)
3
Sure.
The problem is that the European political culture is promoting the creation of "third generation immigrants", which is a recipe for disaster.
The problem is that the European political culture is promoting the creation of "third generation immigrants", which is a recipe for disaster.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Thursday, May 25 2006 07:02 PM (hrFAI)
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