While I don’t want to be associated with a naive view of Latino immigrants, I’ve been around some and managing a crew of guys who are strivers in the sense that remind me of my Scots-Irish forebears. Tough, right wing, jocular types who give me some hope.
You also can't forget that lots of Americans of Latino descend have been in this country for multiple generations, longer than my family in many cases.
I do manufacturing in an area with lots of latino immigrants and I can say that I have met so many men who cheerfully work 70 to 80 hour weeks for the chance to give their wives and children a good life and sent something to their parents back home. They have their flaws like any working men but I have never been upset to find a Honduran, or similar, on my crew.
There is this lady who we buy tamales from out of the back of her truck every saturday and either her son or her husband has to help with her english but they are delicious and I believe very much in what she is doing, and am grateful for the chance to buy a quality product helping out a hard working family trying to make it. Americans love hard working, family loving people. Being opposed to rapey pet-eating people is not different from that. To support the one you have to resist the other.
A lovely piece full of fine sentiments and observations. I've got very little to add, for very little needs to be.
One little fun fact, though. Did you know the term "chud" came from a movie of the same name? It was an admittedly schlocky and government critical 80's sci-fi horror movie titled C.H.U.D. which was said to stand for "cannibalistic humanoid underground dweller" by the agency stooge trying to cover up the movie's central problem. I won't say what it really stands for if you haven't seen the movie since I think you might enjoy it, given your openly professed love of many things 80's. Doubly so since it's got a checklist of the kind of stuff that made movies from that decade fun - man eating mutants, government conspiracies, neon green blood spray, and a couple normal people with gumption who solve the primary mystery.
You know, I can believe that, honestly. It's not a super well known movie and I only learned about it because my wife heard of it on a podcast years ago. Glad we watched it, though. It was dumb, but thoroughly entertaining.
One of these days I will go back to America and explore a little bit more, because for everything bad about a country that clearly loves to flaunt that there is some degree of good to it that I think needs to be appreciated and that we don't appreciate it enough.
Just like every other country on this planet there is some good, but there's also some bad as well & we have to kind of come to a point where if we allow the bad to just occupy everything else, then there's not going to be any good left at all.
And yes, if we let the bad rule, then not only will we lose sight of what's good, we won't fight to preserve and promote it, and it'll be all bad. No place is perfect, but there's this idea that Americans are irredeemably doomed and I just don't think that's the case. I'm bearish on America, but I'm bullish on Americans.
Alexander, you made a great point without realizing it. You said reading American history is like reading Roman history. It doesn't make your blood boil like reading Greek history. Now times that by 100 in conservative estimates with every other non-White group that has the same sentiment, along with our government giving them status and political power. We know this because, we can see what other groups vote for. Increase all immigration, support of H1B visas, gun control, support for affirmative action etc. And that goes across the board for every group from Jews, to Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and Indians. The U.S is just a giant piggy bank now, with every group trying to get a piece of the pie, both politically & financially & legal & illegally. The U.S is state sponsoring the elevation of specific groups which the intended effect will result in the detriment of other groups specifically White Euros. Add in the fact that there hasn't been freedom of association since the "Civil rights act" so you cant keep people out of your enclave/community. This is no way a knock on your Greek background as I'm half Greek myself lol Greece wouldn't be Greek if tomorrow you replaced every Greek with Blacks and Asians. The same goes for the U.S. Without that WASP core majority this isn't the U.S anymore. They gave birth to this great country.
I agree completely. What the American government is doing is using other groups to displace the native WASP and other original white settlers and the black descendants of slaves--i.e., what I consider to be the actual core of heritage America--for political gain. In a way, the U.S. government is the world's biggest enabler of human trafficking.
I don't blame a lot of the people who come here for a better life. But there's just too much, too fast, too soon. The people in charge have tricked the population into thinking all people are fungible widgets and that magic American dirt transforms everyone magically into Americans who will act the same way as the natives, but I don't think they themselves believe that for a heartbeat. They are trying to elect a new people to govern, it's sick, and it is has to stop.
The current idiocy is ugly and destructive but temporary.
Agreed about the country and its founding and later populations having to voluntarily join up with it. My ancestors got here a little earlier than yours. The Irish and Germans Mid-19th Century, Russians and Poles, early 20th Century. My grandfather was the youngest of a large Irish family, born in 1888, his older brother was in the US Cavalry during the Indian Wars. Both of my mother's parents were in the Navy in World War I, both had stateside jobs.
You are right about the beauty of the country. There are beautiful parts of the New Jersey, and good restaurants. Every state has something good in it.
I saw Crater Lake for the first time and Yellowstone for the second time last month. Yeah, the USA is hard to beat when it comes to natural beauty (and random, awesome geologic features). I'm glad we have nature to escape to when the world feels overwhelming.
I like America too (how I can not, I was born there and lived there for half of my life). And the "welcoming" part is very important, because Americans are very welcoming, and not in a tourist-trap kind of way. I mean they genuinely have no issue with outsiders coming in to be a part of their society so long as they don't cause trouble. My parents have experienced this back in the 80s; my mom used to talk about how when she's boarding a plane by herself there would be white people who would help her with her luggage. And that was Oklahoma, which may or may not be one of those dreaded southern states (boo!). Now my mom isn't black like an African, but she's not lily white either. That's why I don't believe the "racist Americans" trope either. The system? Absolutely. There's no question that the system is encouraging racial ideology (divide et impera). But the people? No.
It's true that if a Greek-American couple happened to visit Nigeria and had a child in Lagos (for example), then that child wouldn't be considered Nigerian. But Nigeria isn't America. They way I see it, if Americans welcome in immigrants as one of their own, then who am I to judge? It's really as simple as that. I've heard people making arguments about how only "heritage Americans" are real Americans and all that. I don't take those people seriously. That's a LARP and they know it.
Believe it or not, being welcoming towards strangers is a virtue. The Old Testament has laws forbidding the Israelites from oppressing the aliens living in their lands (thus putting to lie the idea pushed both by the left and the zionists that the OT is a "racist" document). Of course, I get it. Right now, the US Government is using weaponized migration against their own people. That is true, no denying it. But that doesn't mean the Americans' tolerance and welcoming attitude of the stranger is a bad thing. No, what it means is that the powers that be are using America's virtue against her. That's not unusual, one of the devil's tricks is to use your virtues against you, to provoke into anger or pride or many others.
Americans' openness and hospitality is a great thing that is being abused. I do think we need some sort of cooling period--maybe 30 or 40 years--before allowing any sizable amount of immigration. There are like 190 other countries on Earth people can move to. I hear Canada is actively recruiting . . .
Your mom's experience sounds like exactly what I'd expect. PEOPLE ARE REALLY NICE HERE. The heartland gets this reputation as being filled with horrid and incorrigible racists, but that's just not true.
Ditto the reverse: I've traveled down south a lot, and I lived in the northern Virginia area, which isn't "the South," but is CLOSE to the South. I've been to many towns or areas where I'm like one of four white people . . . and I haven't had any problem. People are super friendly. There's so much to love about this nation and its people. The government, not so much.
While I don’t want to be associated with a naive view of Latino immigrants, I’ve been around some and managing a crew of guys who are strivers in the sense that remind me of my Scots-Irish forebears. Tough, right wing, jocular types who give me some hope.
You also can't forget that lots of Americans of Latino descend have been in this country for multiple generations, longer than my family in many cases.
I do manufacturing in an area with lots of latino immigrants and I can say that I have met so many men who cheerfully work 70 to 80 hour weeks for the chance to give their wives and children a good life and sent something to their parents back home. They have their flaws like any working men but I have never been upset to find a Honduran, or similar, on my crew.
There is this lady who we buy tamales from out of the back of her truck every saturday and either her son or her husband has to help with her english but they are delicious and I believe very much in what she is doing, and am grateful for the chance to buy a quality product helping out a hard working family trying to make it. Americans love hard working, family loving people. Being opposed to rapey pet-eating people is not different from that. To support the one you have to resist the other.
"Americans love hard working, family loving people."
Yup. Reports of white Americans' rampant and virulent racism are wildly overblown, and are in fact mostly a pack of lies.
A lovely piece full of fine sentiments and observations. I've got very little to add, for very little needs to be.
One little fun fact, though. Did you know the term "chud" came from a movie of the same name? It was an admittedly schlocky and government critical 80's sci-fi horror movie titled C.H.U.D. which was said to stand for "cannibalistic humanoid underground dweller" by the agency stooge trying to cover up the movie's central problem. I won't say what it really stands for if you haven't seen the movie since I think you might enjoy it, given your openly professed love of many things 80's. Doubly so since it's got a checklist of the kind of stuff that made movies from that decade fun - man eating mutants, government conspiracies, neon green blood spray, and a couple normal people with gumption who solve the primary mystery.
Thank you sir. And yes, I'm aware of the origin of "chud," but can you believe I haven't seen that movie yet?
You know, I can believe that, honestly. It's not a super well known movie and I only learned about it because my wife heard of it on a podcast years ago. Glad we watched it, though. It was dumb, but thoroughly entertaining.
One of these days I will go back to America and explore a little bit more, because for everything bad about a country that clearly loves to flaunt that there is some degree of good to it that I think needs to be appreciated and that we don't appreciate it enough.
Just like every other country on this planet there is some good, but there's also some bad as well & we have to kind of come to a point where if we allow the bad to just occupy everything else, then there's not going to be any good left at all.
Please do come back some time!
And yes, if we let the bad rule, then not only will we lose sight of what's good, we won't fight to preserve and promote it, and it'll be all bad. No place is perfect, but there's this idea that Americans are irredeemably doomed and I just don't think that's the case. I'm bearish on America, but I'm bullish on Americans.
Alexander, you made a great point without realizing it. You said reading American history is like reading Roman history. It doesn't make your blood boil like reading Greek history. Now times that by 100 in conservative estimates with every other non-White group that has the same sentiment, along with our government giving them status and political power. We know this because, we can see what other groups vote for. Increase all immigration, support of H1B visas, gun control, support for affirmative action etc. And that goes across the board for every group from Jews, to Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and Indians. The U.S is just a giant piggy bank now, with every group trying to get a piece of the pie, both politically & financially & legal & illegally. The U.S is state sponsoring the elevation of specific groups which the intended effect will result in the detriment of other groups specifically White Euros. Add in the fact that there hasn't been freedom of association since the "Civil rights act" so you cant keep people out of your enclave/community. This is no way a knock on your Greek background as I'm half Greek myself lol Greece wouldn't be Greek if tomorrow you replaced every Greek with Blacks and Asians. The same goes for the U.S. Without that WASP core majority this isn't the U.S anymore. They gave birth to this great country.
I agree completely. What the American government is doing is using other groups to displace the native WASP and other original white settlers and the black descendants of slaves--i.e., what I consider to be the actual core of heritage America--for political gain. In a way, the U.S. government is the world's biggest enabler of human trafficking.
I don't blame a lot of the people who come here for a better life. But there's just too much, too fast, too soon. The people in charge have tricked the population into thinking all people are fungible widgets and that magic American dirt transforms everyone magically into Americans who will act the same way as the natives, but I don't think they themselves believe that for a heartbeat. They are trying to elect a new people to govern, it's sick, and it is has to stop.
This is so great. I love my country. But I hate the government.
Right on!
Thank you for the beautiful essay on the America that I grew up in.
You are more than welcome. Thank you for reading!
Agree with all of this.
The current idiocy is ugly and destructive but temporary.
Agreed about the country and its founding and later populations having to voluntarily join up with it. My ancestors got here a little earlier than yours. The Irish and Germans Mid-19th Century, Russians and Poles, early 20th Century. My grandfather was the youngest of a large Irish family, born in 1888, his older brother was in the US Cavalry during the Indian Wars. Both of my mother's parents were in the Navy in World War I, both had stateside jobs.
You are right about the beauty of the country. There are beautiful parts of the New Jersey, and good restaurants. Every state has something good in it.
Every state has something good in it, even Delaware, I guess. Some nice beaches!
I saw Crater Lake for the first time and Yellowstone for the second time last month. Yeah, the USA is hard to beat when it comes to natural beauty (and random, awesome geologic features). I'm glad we have nature to escape to when the world feels overwhelming.
No kidding! That frontier spirit is one of the best things about Americans. The land is just so vast and gorgeous.
I like America too (how I can not, I was born there and lived there for half of my life). And the "welcoming" part is very important, because Americans are very welcoming, and not in a tourist-trap kind of way. I mean they genuinely have no issue with outsiders coming in to be a part of their society so long as they don't cause trouble. My parents have experienced this back in the 80s; my mom used to talk about how when she's boarding a plane by herself there would be white people who would help her with her luggage. And that was Oklahoma, which may or may not be one of those dreaded southern states (boo!). Now my mom isn't black like an African, but she's not lily white either. That's why I don't believe the "racist Americans" trope either. The system? Absolutely. There's no question that the system is encouraging racial ideology (divide et impera). But the people? No.
It's true that if a Greek-American couple happened to visit Nigeria and had a child in Lagos (for example), then that child wouldn't be considered Nigerian. But Nigeria isn't America. They way I see it, if Americans welcome in immigrants as one of their own, then who am I to judge? It's really as simple as that. I've heard people making arguments about how only "heritage Americans" are real Americans and all that. I don't take those people seriously. That's a LARP and they know it.
Believe it or not, being welcoming towards strangers is a virtue. The Old Testament has laws forbidding the Israelites from oppressing the aliens living in their lands (thus putting to lie the idea pushed both by the left and the zionists that the OT is a "racist" document). Of course, I get it. Right now, the US Government is using weaponized migration against their own people. That is true, no denying it. But that doesn't mean the Americans' tolerance and welcoming attitude of the stranger is a bad thing. No, what it means is that the powers that be are using America's virtue against her. That's not unusual, one of the devil's tricks is to use your virtues against you, to provoke into anger or pride or many others.
Americans' openness and hospitality is a great thing that is being abused. I do think we need some sort of cooling period--maybe 30 or 40 years--before allowing any sizable amount of immigration. There are like 190 other countries on Earth people can move to. I hear Canada is actively recruiting . . .
Your mom's experience sounds like exactly what I'd expect. PEOPLE ARE REALLY NICE HERE. The heartland gets this reputation as being filled with horrid and incorrigible racists, but that's just not true.
Ditto the reverse: I've traveled down south a lot, and I lived in the northern Virginia area, which isn't "the South," but is CLOSE to the South. I've been to many towns or areas where I'm like one of four white people . . . and I haven't had any problem. People are super friendly. There's so much to love about this nation and its people. The government, not so much.