Assimilation, anyone?
I bravo this column. Enjoy:
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The Politically Incorrect Americanism of Alba, Pacino, and Arnold
By Mary Katharine Ham
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Hablas Espanol?
Jessica Alba doesn't. Is there anything wrong with that? Apparently
so.
The third-generation American and actress is under fire this week
from fellow Latinos for comments she made to Para Todos magazine:
Alba is my last name and I'm proud of that. But that's it. My
grandparents were born in California, the same as my parents, and
though I may be proud of my last name, I'm American. Throughout my
whole life, I've never felt connected to one particular race or
heritage, nor did I feel accepted by any. If you break it down, I'm
less Latina than Cameron Diaz, whose father is Cuban. But people
don't call her Latina because she's blonde
My grandfather was the only Mexican at his college, the only
Hispanic person at work and the only one at the all-white country
club. He tried to forget his Mexican roots, because he never wanted
his kids to be made to feel different in America. He and my
grandmother didn't speak Spanish to their children. Now, as a third-
generation American, I feel as if I have finally cut loose.
My whole life, when I was growing up, not one race has ever accepted
me, ... So I never felt connected or attached to any race
specifically. I had a very American upbringing, I feel American, and
I don't speak Spanish. So, to say that I'm a Latin actress, OK, but
it's not fitting; it would be insincere.
She never felt connected to any race, specifically, but she always
felt American. That doesn't sounds like a bad thing, does it? And
yet, it is, in the eyes of many activists.
One blog post on the comments remarks, "Guess sell-outs come in all
races and sizes." Another calls it a "disturbing hoard of quotes."
Another claims she "hates Mexicans."
Comments about Alba's comments include, "F**K YOU THEN, JESSICA
VIVA
LA RAZA!!!," "She should just change her last name to White, then,"
and "I thought she could be a good role model for Latinas, but she
is a fake, tryin' to be white."
Alba wasn't trying to make a political statement. Instead, she
sounds like she was trying to avoid speaking for an entire ethnicity
and many recent immigrants when she barely speaks Spanish, and
identifies as an American first. But because she didn't reflexively
take upon herself her ethnic mantle and collective responsibility,
she's bashed as a traitor to her race.
Elsewhere, a phenomenally successful first-generation immigrant was
sharing his secret to success in America, which was much the same as
the approach Alba's college-educated grandfather took. When
addressing the national Association of Hispanic Journalists, and
responding to question about how Hispanics can improve academically,
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said:
"You've got to turn off the Spanish television set" and avoid
Spanish-language television, books and newspapers, the Republican
governor said Wednesday night
"You're just forced to speak English, and that just makes you learn
the language faster," Schwarzenegger said.
"I know this sounds odd and this is the politically incorrect thing
to say, and I'm going to get myself in trouble," he said, noting
that he rarely spoke German and was forced to learn English when he
emigrated from Austria.
The response from those in attendance?
"I'm sitting shaking my head not believing that someone would be so
naive and out of it that he would say something like that," said
Alex Nogales, president and chief executive of the National Hispanic
Media Coalition.
Naïve, out-of-it, hateful, traitorous. There is a large segment of
the country that believes it's somehow disrespectful to emphasize
assimilation among new immigrants to the country.
And, it's not just among leftist activists and left-coast gossip
bloggers that this idea prevails. Just last year, Sen. Harry Reid
called a proposal to make English the official language of
America "racist," despite the fact that a large majority of
Americans support such a measure.
More recently, Barack Obama called the very discussion of English as
an official language, "divisive" during a Democratic debate:
I have to say that this is the kind of question that is designed
precisely to divide us. You know, you're right: everybody is going
to learn to speak English if they live in this country. The issue is
not whether or not future generations of immigrants are going to
learn English. The question is, how can we come up with both a legal
and sensible immigration policy? And when we get distracted by those
kinds of questions, I think we do a disservice to the American
people.
But is everyone going to learn English, Sen. Obama? It seems that
Schwarzenegger's encouragement of English-language immersion for
immigrants and Alba's family's decision to speak English only are
put down in pretty harsh terms by folks on your own side of the
aisle.
The movement to make English the official language of America is, in
part, a response to the Left's active discouragement of
assimilation. Even the idea of the "melting pot" went out of style
when I was in grade school, replaced in text books by the less
offensive "mosaic." You see, now we don't do anything so gauche as
melt into one, cohesive society. Instead, we are all obligated to
hold onto our various ethnic and cultural identities and languages,
building little barriers between communities, lest we be accused
of "selling out" or trying to be too "white."
There is certainly a way to assimilate without losing all touch with
one's culture. Being American does not mean
being "white." "American" is, by definition, many colors and
characteristics. But the strength of America has always been in
creating Americans of all colors and characteristics, not all colors
and characters who happen to live in America.
The English language and cultural assimilation are unifying forces,
economic passports, essential parts of preserving the American dream
and all its blessings for everyone who comes to our shores.
When talking about comprehensive immigration reform, some have
compared today's illegal immigrantsthe challenges and the
prejudices they faceto legal immigration of Italians and Irishmen
and others who came through Ellis Island just a few generations ago.
But those same people conveniently overlook that anti-assimilation
forces in America weren't nearly so strong at that time.
Al Pacino is a second-generation American whose grandparents
emigrated from Sicily, but despite living in his grandparents' home,
he speaks no Italian. Would anyone accuse that iconic Baby Boomer of
being a traitor to his ethnicity? Well, he better watch out, if he
keeps talking like this:
Explain to me what Italian-American culture is. We've been here 100
years. Isn't Italian-American culture American culture? That's
because we're so diverse, in terms of intermarriage. Most everybody
who's Italian is half Italian. Except me. I'm all Italian. I'm
mostly Sicilian, and I have a little bit of Neapolitan in me. You
get your full dose with me.
Alba, Schwarzenegger and Pacino have got it right. Their concern is
with becoming successful, individual Americans, not with specious
collective responsibilities imparted to them by their skin colors,
accents, or surnames. As a result, they have all done both America
and their ancestors proud. They are all walking, talking, acting
illustrations of the American dream in action.
When considering legalizing 12 million illegal immigrants, Congress
should consider seriously the fact that the walking, talking
American dream is now politically incorrect. That doesn't bode well
for its survival.
Mary Katharine Ham is the managing editor for Townhall.com
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