--- Mark Knapp <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Immigrants do not need to go anywhere in particular > to learn about > the dominant religious or social customs of America. > They are awash > in opportunities to learn.
Well I disagree with this statement. Experience has shown that newcommers tend to be quite isolated from the greater communities in which they live. They tend to do business and socialize with their fellow immigrants exclusively whenever possible. Ignorance of our social norms and laws account for a lot of the frustrations newcommers face in their quest to settle and assimilate into American life. Personally, I feel that leaving newcommers adrift in our "pop culture" without a guide is to court the creation of social malcontents and mischeif makers. Our own efforts to learn a newcommer's customs can certainly make them feel more comfortable during the settling in process, and increasing our knowledge of other cultures has value, but it is they who wish to join our society after all. I'm for helping them do so as smoothly as possible. > To imply that there is any similarity to their > situation and the > ignorance among most Americans about foreign > cultures is to > completely miss the point. Miss the point? I don't think so. TJSWIFT Saint Paul __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail! http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/ _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
