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Americans agree on many aspects of U.S. identity
By ANITA SNOW and HANNAH FINGERHUT PHOENIX©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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Ah_so
Evidence that the American dream is largely a fiction. All are indoctrinated with it, but actually the rich are better at keeping their claws on power than most other countries.
theFu
Right or wrong, most of American culture is exported via TV and movies.
Please don't judge America by McDonald's. That is a place to visit when there isn't any other choice, except for a quick cheap b'fast. There are so many better foods.
Most Americans have a sense of fair play, except the people on the far ends, but the middle classes all do. That's why rich parents buying their kids into prestigious Universities is such a problem for those bad parents. Unearned entitlements are an issue.
Diversity pays off by providing different ideas due to different backgrounds. Diversity can find issues and future problems with the ideas in the mainstream too.
WilliB
How does "diversity" strengthen the country if you want to have a "national identity"? Contradiction in terms right there. Look at any of the numerous tribal societies around the world with their civil wars and keep telling us with a straight face that disunity strengthens anyone.
Norman Goodman
The problem with American beliefs about immigration is that they are horribly inconsistent. It seems that most Americans are brainwashed to believe in the ideal even as so many reject the reality. This helps explain why so many are so in favor of the old or "similar" immigration but so against the new or "unfamiliar" immigration. So many will say variety is the spice of life while totally rejecting so much variety.
talaraedokko
If the base should be Christian then OK but closing doors to others is not. There should be a basic understanding of what it means to be American. Liking hamburgers isn’t enough. I believe English is only the de facto US official language. We may not like what Trump is doing with immigrants but in large part it’s because we don’t have guidelines of who we want in. Give me your poor .. sounds nice but does it help make the nation strong? He US has reached a new level in the world where we need to not only allow immigrants but promote more foreign thinking among youth especially. Export what it means to be American. I dare say this is what China is fighting but can’t really get a handle on what is the US exporting, beyond Nike, McDonald’s, Disney and iPhone. Any values? We need a culture we can export and the world resonate with it.
Strangerland
I figured it would - you're a pretty ethical guy. Just wanted to clarify.
And I agree with you on your point:
The right to freedom of religion should not eclipse any other rights. People can believe what they want. They do not have the right to impose those beliefs on the rest of us.
theFu
Yes!
Strangerland
Does that extend to Christian fundamentalists who create laws to impose their religious beliefs upon the populace?
theFu
I'm pro-legal immigration. Controlled with quotas for each country by total.
Illegal immigrants should be deported, lacking that, punished by some immigration-specific laws ($15K/yr fine or something like that). From a practical standpoint, asylum seekers should be offered a 5-yr contraception implant, like some states offer their low-income citizens to prevent unwanted pregnancies. This for both male and female asylum seekers.
If a country has 10,000 legal immigrants in their total and 9,500 apply for asylum, then only 500 others would be allowed using all other methods. The total is the total.
I'm concerned about any religious group imposing the demands of their holy text on others.