They come to America...

I've been travelling like crazy and all over the place for the past four weeks. It started with a LGA-ORD-ATL-DFW-FAT-DFW-LGA, then a LGA-DFW-LAS-DFW-LGA, then a LGA-RDU-DFW-LAX / SAN-JFK, and finally a JFK-LAX-JFK. Needless to say, I still don't know what time it is here.

Anyway, in one of those flights I got an upgrade to business class (yes!). As I settled in my seat with a new book that I was really looking forward to (Orwell's "1984", I hadn't read it before), the guy next to me decides to start talking.

After we chit-chatted about the usual topics (American Airlines sucks, travel sucks, airport food sucks, the weather sucks), he asked me where I was from. People usually have a hard time figuring out where I'm from; thanks to my parents, I believe that I can speak English with only a trace of an accent (and slightly weird grammar), so the guy was a little surprised when I replied that I was from Mexico. I thought that that was going to be the end of the conversation, because for a split-second his demeanor changed, before getting back to where he was before. We exchanged a few more plesantries, when all of a sudden he fell silent, turned in his seat, looked directly at me, and asked, point-blank:

"If your guys come to this country, why don't they at least speak the language and be proud about living here?"

I have seen this opinion / sentiment expressed in many forms before, but I had never been in a situation where someone asked me this question. The guy (sorry dude, I never knew your name) then told me how his great grandparents learned English by sharing a book, and how they started doing that right after they arrived in the country from Germany and Italy.

Immigration is, of course, a very complex and multi-layered issue, and trying to explain it is difficult, as every situation is unique. However, if we compare the European migration to the US in the 19th and early 20th centuries with the current wave of Hispanic immigration, we will see that they are fundamentally different. While both of them begin with economics, they differ because:

1. Distance: Moving from Europe to the US 150 years ago was hardly an easy venture. It implied saving money for a long time in order to secure a place on a boat that would take weeks before arriving. Going back implied as much planning and hardship as getting here. Crossing from Tijuana, MX to San Ysidro, CA, is easily done by foot if you have the right documents (and sometimes even if you don't). For crossing back, you don't even need the documents.

2. Relationship to the motherland: In the 19th century, when you left your country, you pretty much left behind all ties to that country. Getting back in touch with friends and family took months. When you arrived, you all but severed all ties to your past. Today, you can buy a phone card for $10 that will give you hours of talk time to any country in the world. You're much more connected to what's happening back home.

3. Cultural influence. Imagine the first Italian, Irish, German, or any other European immigrant in the 19th century. You arrived in a strange new land, where you don't speak the language and nobody speaks yours. Of course there are no newspapers, magazines, TV channels or internet that allow you to connect back to your roots. You could either speak English, or forget about communicating with anyone else. In modern LA or NY, you could function perfectly well without speaking a single word of English, if you wanted to. There are 7 National Spanish TV broadcasts, plus countless magazines, newspapers and radio stations in Spanish.

Why do immigrants come to the US? Again, it usually starts with economics (much more than politics these days), but today it is much easier to remain connected to the homeland and keep on speaking your language and living your previous lifestyle. The need to acculturate is much less than it used to be. Eventually, most of those who stay will immerse themselves in US culture and language, they just don't have the sense of urgency and the need for survival as earlier immigrant generations.

Hardly a satisfactory answer, but I think that there's no ONE answer to the question...

CB