Have Hyphenated Americans Been Exploited

2011-11-13T05:10:00.000-08:00

The one thing I have given much thought to prior to starting the blog was is it so bad to be proud of your heritage and wear it on your sleeve. If you look back in history, the first immigrants were focused on becoming part of America to the point of even Anglicizing their names. Many of them started learning English on their passage here and continued until they were proudly speaking it. Sure, they native tongue was still spoken at home but not in public.

There was a tendency to gather in the same communities as those who arrived here before them from their former homeland. The reasoning behind this was not because they wanted to make a beach head for their country or group but because everyone was busy helping each other become Americans. It seemed to be easier to learn English from someone that spoke your native. The rest of the learning process was very much like the total immersion programs we attend in other countries now.

I don't know if this is some romantic notion I have or it really happened that way. I hear the antidotal stories passed down through the generations but I have to ask myself are they true. I know that history is slanted by those that tell it to enhance their experience and point of view so this will be another area that I explore and write about.

The other oral "history" was that slaves were sold by their own people and were better off when they got here. This is offensive in every possible way and appears to be an attempt to offer comfort to those whose fore fathers who saw no problem with owning and working people like we would a tractor today. The fact of the matter is, this was the antithesis of what it meant to be an American. The descendants of slaves have every right to be pissed off....a bunch.

The only problem with carrying around that anger today is that was over 150 years ago. We are able to co-exist with Japanese, Germans, Russian, Vietnamese, etc. I am sure you get the point here. And I see killing people as bad as owning people. We as a society have acknowledged the error of our fore fathers and the negative impact it had on the development of those who were slaves...the list of damage done to a people is very long here. As I think about it while writing this, it turns my stomach and I haven't researched the subject in any depth…these are just my random thoughts.

An effort has been made to give those who were suppressed and their descendants every opportunity to catch up to those that has had every opportunity to succeed in America. There have been many government and private sector programs that favored those who have been wronged and their descendants. Many people appear to not take advantage of these programs and just remain angry. Those who have taken advantage can rise to any station they aspire to all the way to President. Witness President Obama and study his journey.

Why am I writing this if this blog is about hyphenated Americans? The answer is that the hyphen is not the only thing that has separated people into groups and special interests.

One of the things I hope to explore in this blog is how did a country founded on the principal of united and all people equal and many other fine things stated in the Declaration and Bill of Rights become a country of special interests….interests that seem to believe if you get something they won’t or if they get something you won’t. The other question is when did politicians been calculating how to maximize votes and win election pandering to specific groups and pitting one group against another.

The beginnings here are a little rambled but I assure you that this is just self-talk being put to paper that will evolve into a meaningful dialogue as we progress here.

I encourage everyone who has something constructive to contribute to do so and those that have questions to pose them so all can comment on them.

Anyone who has more than a comment to make will be considered for guest blogging.

Richard G Roberts/American or if you prefer American of Welsh descent

American - No Hyphens Please!

2011-11-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

I was born in Seattle - American by accident of birth. I am very proud of my family heritage but I am prouder to be an American. The present trend of hyphenating your origins continues to divide & tear this country apart, thus weakening it. I believe that this is not a function of country of origins pride as much as it is a tool of politicians to divide and conquer. The effects have been devastating. We are no longer the United States of American bound together by a quest for freedom. We seem to be attracting and creating people that want the most for the least effort and count on politicians to give it to them in return for their vote.

We have succeed in creating a class of people that feel like they are either entitled (look at OWS) or that they are unable to take care of themselves established by the government role in almost every aspect of their lives right down to providing them cell phones.

This blog is going to explore how we got to be a country of people that like to hyphenate their status by putting their country of origin followed after a hyphen by American.

I contend it has much to do with the advantages they receive from the government by claiming to be in one of these groups.
Why is this problem you ask? The reason is twofold. One it subsidizes people who don’t want to earn their lot in life and penalizes those that follow what use to be called the American Work Ethic.

There is an even larger problem that few people address. The elephant in the room if you wish….and that is the more you favor one group at the expense of another the more tension and unrest you create. In good times this is way below the surface and just gets talk about as part of social banter. Now that times are tough you start seeing a fracture that is in some ways creating what looks like open warfare between the races.

The amazing thing is that the class warfare Obama is spewing and the special programs for "special" people are starting to cause eruptions in the united part of our country’s mission.

I look forward to your thoughts and comments in an attempt to create an open dialogue that results in some solutions.

Richard G Roberts/American or if you prefer American of Welsh Descent

American | No Hyphens Please

Have Hyphenated Americans Been Exploited

American - No Hyphens Please!