Why are some Americans so afraid of different immigrant groups ?

Question

I grew up in an
Armenian
Jewish
Lithuanian
Polish
Portuguese
Cape Verdian
Laotian
Cambodian neighborhood in the smallest state in the nation,we all got along and liked each other.So what's so difficult about accepting others ?

I knew it ,here we go again !
Well,then again,why should I be surprised ? I NEVER stated anything about legal or illegal did I ?

Another asinine question that you bothered to answer.So I guess that makes YOU just as asinine !

Whatever Alberto !

Answer 1

Americans, if you want to use the generalisation, don't travel, and when they do travel they don't like to travel outside their confort zone. They grow up in a large country that is not particularly diverse for any given segment of the population. All that contributes to a very insular country and worldview. The only bit that surprises me is how proud of that ignorance and insularity so many of them are.

Answer 2

The sad truth is that certain immigrant groups have more desirable characteristics than others. It has very little to do with liking another nationality or getting along.

My Polish aunt worked all her life in a stable but low paying job. She saved every nickle, bought her own home, and lived a nice quiet life, always living responsibly and within her means.

When Mexicans moved in, they did not have the same work ethic. They did not keep their homes neat and tidy like the Poles. They bought gaudy furniture and flashy cars they could not afford. They did not control their children, who would vandalize the neighborhood. The contrast was night and day. Soon, the neighborhood decayed. Had it stayed predominantly Polish, this would not have happened, as evidenced by the neighborhoods where they still are dominant.

Some groups do not want to assimilate into America as well as others. Asians seem to strike a good balance. They keep their own customs, but they blend in well, and contribute to the success of society. Too many recent immigrants seem to immediately develop this bizarre sense of entitlement. The protest about things that would get themselves thrown in jail back in their home countries.

Now, there are cases in which Americans are indeed afraid of an immigrant group, and for sound and solid reasons. Look at the website below and you'll see the type of situation I'm speaking about.

I have friends of all races and nationalities. I am not racist. I would love to see a black President, especially if that person were someone as qualified as Condaleezza Rice. I appreciate other cultures and travel extensively. However, recent immigrants don't appear to be interested in assimilating as they did in the past. They often cause more trouble than benefit to society.

Answer 3

I'm not scared of any 'immigrant groups' unless you mean illegal immigrants from wherever.

I would have said I wasn't 'afraid' there either, but recently there has been a lot of construction on the 'outer' street of our neighborhood and we've suddenly started seeing beat up campers parked day and night on different of our streets, and people in the neighborhood that don't 'belong here' (language is part of it only because I know who my neighbors are and they all speak English. However, I mean many days unwashed clothes, not meeting our eyes, etc.) We went away for several days last week and I was trying to be compulsively careful taking our stuff to the car so as not too be 'too obvious' that we'd be gone. That, in a neighborhood where UPS and Fed Ex leave packages on the step w/o asking for signatures.

For the first time, possibly because I've been on this board so much, I found myself wondering if SPECIFIC people were illegally here, and THAT bothered me. That the people in the neighborhood where my children played might or might not have provable addresses or be working under fake identities and therefor realistically were accountable to no one, bothered me, and still bothers me.

So I guess I am a bit apprehensive of ONE 'immigrant group.'

Answer 4

We don't have a problem with anyone that is here legally and went about getting here legally. We do have a problem with everyone that broke the law and climbed a fence in the middle of the night to sneak into our country. We ALL came from immigrants, but our families came here according to the law. We didn't lie and cheat to get fake ID;s and stolen identites. Do things the right way and everyone will be welcome with open arms just like in the past. Millions of illegals from all over the world taxing the entire system isn't good for citizens or people trying to become citizens. Do the correct paperwork and come here legally just like any other country. That is what America was founded on, not the junk that is going on now. It has nothing to do with the people themselves, just their actions.

Answer 5

I don't have any problems with any groups... I'm very tolerant, and I think most other Americans are, too. Of course there will always be a few idiots - that can't be avoided.

What most people have issues with are the illegal immigration problems, not the ethnic backgrounds of people - legal or illegal. We're all mixes of a bunch of stuff.

Edit: If you are concerned about people being accepting, then you need to practice it as well, including accepting different opinions when you ask a question.

Answer 6

People complain about Mexicans much more than about Canadians. I think they're terrified by foreign languages. One solution would be much more emphasis on teaching foreign language in schools. But it must be taught in a way that will make it fun, otherwise it will just make the problem worse. My fifth-grade teacher was very enthusiastic about teaching Spanish. Ever since I've greatly enjoyed hearing and trying to learn Spanish, French, Italian, and German. I haven't had much success at any of them, but it's been fun.

Answer 7

Since you filed this under immigration I am assuming that you are talking about the illegal immigration problems we are having. I would not say that americans are 'so afraid of different immigrant groups.' ...thats HIGHLY unfair. It has nothing to do with not accepting others or getting along.
Thats a juvenile statement.
We are all immigrants or had ancestors that were. Its just needs to be controled...blah,blah..etc. Do we really need to go over the reasons...

Answer 8

I find it incredible that you are being insulted for merely asking this question......Obviously some of these people have not read many posts right here at Y!A if they think racism has gone away.......

What is so difficult is that it is ALWAYS much easier to blame a group of people be it Blacks, Jews, Hispanics, and yes even "illegal immigrants" for ALL of society's problems rather than TAKE RESPONSIBILITY and do the WORK required of fixing them......

Here come 10 thumbs down for pointing this out, I'm sure......

Answer 9

Nothing, but our government knows that diving the cultures or ethnicity's will allow few to be and stay in power. Look at Iraq, the invading forces provoked a civil war to be able to loot the oil of Iraq while the Iraqis are fighting each other.

Answer 10

It's simply a fear tactic. Some people are afraid they will "take our jobs", but in reality it is our own government that takes our jobs by supporting companies who outsource overseas. It's all a big conspiracy.

You know racism against African Americans in the south was actually enduced or heightened so to speak, back in the day by rich white men seeking to pin poor whites against poor blacks? The best way to hold people down is to keep them divided.

The reason individual people STAY racist is mere socialization. Their parents teach them to hate and they then pass it on from generation to generation.