I think it's more a question of the number of newcomers, and their desire to integrate into the community versus their desire to change it to be like their place of origin. Some small towns seem very happy to accept hard working immigrants who they perceive to have compatible moral values.
For non-straight, I'm occasionally surprised by how well integrated (and even beloved) some non-straight inhabitants have been in the small towns I've lived in (Wisconsin and now Vermont). The problem might be that a town which is 90% welcoming may have the effect of being extremely non-welcoming depending on how much the 10% objects and behaves.
I think it's more a question of the number of new comers, and their desire to integrate into the community versus their desire to change it to be like their place of origin.
How will a non Christian “integrate” into rural America and “share their values”, by converting to Christianity? How will either a gay couple or an interracial couple “integrate” where some Christians think their “lifestyle” is a sin?
But if you are a really lucky minority like I was and went to a predominately White Christian conservative school and knew the music, the hobbies, and “integrated” well enough you might get the reward of “not being like most Black people” or “being really articulate”. But still, don’t try to date our daughter.
As far as your article that says just the opposite of what you intended.
When you walk out here in the central park, if it’s a warm day, they’re sitting around on benches out here. I mean, it’s like Europe. They don’t stay in their apartments. They come out in the street, and they sit around and talk, and it’s all in Spanish.
They aren’t doing anything illegal. They are speaking to each other in their native language but it makes other people uncomfortable.
I don’t speak a foreign language, but I’m pretty good at “code switching”. I speak a lot differently when I’m at work where a lot of my coworkers are non native English speakers - I don’t use a lot of colloquialism, I speak slower, and I don’t reference a lot of pop references from 10 years ago. I also speak differently when I am back home - I am not as attentive about not letting my southern accent out.
When I am around my Black friends who are all professional software developers who live in the burbs, the last thing I am concerned about is “integrating” into my surroundings.
As far as your article that says just the opposite of what you intended.
I read the article, and realize it's not entirely pro-immigrant. I meant what I said --- that I was surprised by how welcoming some of the town was. I was less surprised that there was also resistance. It's also worth noting that in the continuation of that quote, the speaker claims that he's not against immigrants in general, just against those who don't intend to integrate. I found that part to be positive: “Don’t get me wrong,” says Heaton, who’ll retire from the legislature in 2019. “The only thing that upsets me is if they’re coming, they need to blend. I don’t need ‘barrios.’ I don’t need these certain sectors where everything is still the way it was where they came from. If you’re going to meld, then meld.”
How will a non Christian “integrate” into rural America and “share their values”, by converting to Christianity?
It's tough. I think (I'm white but not Christian) that it can often be done by practicing shared values, independent of belief. If you are working on the same food drive or Habitat-for-Humanity house, a majority of Christians are willing to (at least temporarily) overlook the error of your religious beliefs (or lack thereof). If you simply don't share their values, well, that's where I think the real problems are.
I do wonder if being black in America might actually be worse for integration than being Hispanic or Asian. Even in small towns, I'm frequently surprised by how fully integrated and accepted by the community the second and subsequent generations are. In some ways, this seems more complete than in larger cities where there is a sizeable enough immigrant community to avoid integration. I haven't seen that as frequently for black Americans. Thoughts?
The only thing that upsets me is if they’re coming, they need to blend. I don’t need ‘barrios.’ I don’t need these certain sectors where everything is still the way it was where they came from. If you’re going to meld, then meld.”
How are they “creating barrios”? By speaking their native toungue and maybe listening to Hispanic music? Would the city be happier if they all spoke English to each other and they listened to Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw?
I'm frequently surprised by how fully integrated and accepted by the community the second and subsequent generations are.
There are different levels of acceptance.
- serving people in a place of business.
- employment
- socially
- living in the same neighborhood
- going to the same church
- dating.
Statistically, most Black people live in a majority Black neighborhoods. Because of redlining, steering, economics, and just comfort.
Because we live in an overwhelmingly White area, if my (step)son is going to date anyone from school, more than likely they are going to be white. Parents haven’t had any problems with it but is that because he has an acceptable pedigree and he grew up in the burbs, doesn’t “talk Black”, and we live in “good neighborhood”? How would they feel if he were the same person, doing well in school but lived on the other side of the tracks? Also, both my wife and I know how to “code switch”.
If you are working on the same food drive or Habitat-for-Humanity house, a majority of Christians are willing to (at least temporarily) overlook the error of your religious beliefs (or lack thereof).
It takes an effort to just bring Christian churches of multiple races to come together. When you are constantly being brainwashed into believing that Muslims are trying to spread Sharia law and that there are already some cities in the US under Sharia law, it’s hard to shake those beliefs.
> How will a non Christian “integrate” into rural America and “share their values”, by converting to Christianity? How will either a gay couple or an interracial couple “integrate” where some Christians think their “lifestyle” is a sin?
Probably better than a gay in rural iraq, iran, syria, jordan, isreal, china, japan, india, africa and many other countries.
I can think of a few rural cities in Maryland, but I'm not going to list every city I've lived and frequent to some stranger on the internet to prove a point.
Blanket statement that all of anything usually is wrong.
I also think of all the values small towns have these aren't the forefront.