Assimilate or Die
A “Morgan” dollar with the inscription “E Pluribus Unum” (Scan by Lynn Woolley for WBDaily)
I’m talking about the country here – the United States of America – which used to have a really cool idea called the Melting Pot. But that’s gone. So is E Pluribus Unum. That’s on our money and it means “out of many, one.” That’s gone too.
Both of these things that, for a couple of centuries, made America great have been damaged if not destroyed by political correctness.
It’s no longer acceptable in polite society to require that immigrants – legal or illegal – adjust to what we used to call the American Way. Now, they can come here, keep their language and customs, and expect America to adjust to them. This is no way to run a country – as much of Europe is now learning the hard way.
The question is: Can America survive without a common language and a common culture? Not likely. If we don’t require immigrants to assimilate, the America we used to know will die.
AUDIO: Random Samplings of a Logical Mind
What would assimilation look like?
It’s simple. When someone emigrates to America, he or she puts aside the old ways and becomes an American. I believe that’s what we tell new Americans when they get sworn in. Actually, these ceremonies are quite uplifting, but still, far too many come here and seem actively opposed to American culture.
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Assimilation would be when immigrants who intend to stay here forever begin speaking English at home, and teaching it to their children. And while we’re a country that celebrates freedom of religion, there are some religions that are hard to assimilate. In short, why do we continue to allow people to come here from nations that chant “death to America?” There are some countries that we ought to be very selective about when letting people come here.
America should stop enabling people to come here without assimilating.
We do dumb things in the name of political correctness, and in the name of higher sales in our stores. The dumbest phrase in America right now is “press 2 for Spanish.” We’re lucky we don’t have a number to press for a dozen more languages. And far too may business have dual-language signage and “se habla Espanol” policies. Businesses are free to do what they want, but if we want immigrants to assimilate, we should stop making it so easy not to.
Governments (such as school districts) that have to advertise in a newspaper or online do it in two languages. This is not only anti-assimilation, but it costs the taxpayers more to advertise in two languages. Speaking of schools, it’s said that the Los Angeles school district teaches in or deals with more than 100 languages. How can we do that and get these young students to be assimilated? We can’t, but political correctness and DEI demand that we do these things for the convenience of those who come to our country, rather than make them a part of our country.
I have no research to back me up, but it is my opinion that the deterioration of our public schools is primarily due to a lack of English spoken by the students. It got so bad in Houston that the State of Texas had to take over. Austin is facing similar issues now.
Birds of a feather.
They flock together, and to some extent, that’s expected. But when enclaves begin to form such as what has happened in Dearborn, Michigan, in Minnesota where Ilhan Omar got elected to Congress where she wears a hijab to work, and in parts of Texas, we’re seeing a tribalism that is far more than we’ve seen before. In the Dallas suburb of Plano, EPIC City is a planned community for Muslims that state officials such as Gov. Greg Abbott have pledged to stop. EPIC stands for East Plano Islamic Center.
Video: WFAA-TV reports on local reaction to EPIC City.
Video: Gov. Abbott says EPIC City will not be built.
That objection to EPIC seems to center around a couple of things. First of all, with its planned schools and Mosques, it would be almost entirely of the Islamic faith. Gov. Abbott is concerned that perhaps Christians and Jewish people would be unwelcome, and that’s not the American Way.
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Here in America, we have noted a gradual influx of Islamic people in Europe, to the extent that Wikipedia carries a long article listing Islamic government officials in England, including the mayor of London. While not all Islamic people are terrorists or bad in any way, Sharia Law goes against the Constitution – the two cannot co-exist – and it was people of the Islamic faith that hijacked four airplanes on 9/11 and killed as many Americans as they could. But political correctness and DEI insists that we must be “inclusive” regardless of any possible consequences.
The American Way may be on the Way Out!
The phrase “The American Way” was popularized in the Superman radio show during World War II and later, in the fifties, in the iconic opening narration of the television show “The Adventures of Superman.” This show, starring George Reeves, featured a superhero that was from another planet, but who was completely invested in such things as truth, honesty, and justice.
Video: This has got to be the greatest and most inspirational show open ever.
Video: Perry White in “Superman Returns” leaves out “The American Way” and Superman fans were saddened.
By the time the big-budget movie “Superman Returns,” came out in 2006, Daily Planet editor Perry White was ordering his reporters to see if Superman stood for “Truth, justice – all that stuff…”
Seriously it sounded like Joe Biden saying “you know the thing…”
Video: Joe sounding like the 2006 version of Perry White.
Apparently, DC’s current motto for Superman is:
Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow.
The idea of an “American Way” has taken a beating. And that’s sad.
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Assimilate or die.
In America, we are a generous and accepting people, but we are at a crossroads. If we want good schools, and safe communities, we must be united in language and values. We’re not there with either of these things.
In the advertising business, there is a saying: Differentiate or Die. What that means is, that a product or service must have a reason that makes people want to purchase or partake of what a company is selling. Fox News, for example used to have one of the best differentiating slogans of all time:
Fair and Balanced
Some genius (not) threw that out in favor of:
America is Watching
Which means nothing. Coke used to be “The Real Thing.” These were great slogans and promises made to separate these products from the pack.
Diversity training screenshot from Baylor Scott & White, Temple, Texas 9-22-23. (Courtesy photo)
By the same token, a country that does not require its immigrants to adapt to the language, values, and culture of its people is doomed to die. There’s nothing mean about this. After all, the immigrants who assimilate will have far better lives and so will their children.
Some people think it’s already too late for England and much of Europe to save their culture and their countries. In America, our public schools are in bad shape.
The good news is that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion have suffered a blow with the election of Donald Trump. That gives us a chance to return to E Pluribus Unum. The chances are not good, but there is some hope.
When people from other countries stop wanting to come here, we’ll know it’s too late.
Lynn Woolley is a Texas-based author, broadcaster, and songwriter. Follow his podcast at https://www.PlanetLogic.us. Check out his author’s page at https://www.Amazon.com/author/lynnwoolley.
Order books direct from Lynn at https://PlanetLogicPress.Square.Site. Email Lynn at lwoolley9189@gmail.com.
The second story in this book concerned “The American Way.”
