Clearly they know something we don’t... I don’t get it, why not share their knowledge?
Wouldn’t that be an easy way to get good Americans to embrace illegal immigration?
They pitch it as such a no-brainer yet not one of them have been able to articulate the notion....Shouldn’t it be simple to produce an illustration of just how much of a no-brainer it actually is?
Similar question, how do we benefit from diversity?
In our food, in our clothing, by getting a fresh and differnt point of view on problems and issues. By seeing that people of different races and different cultures who come here really do want to embrace our way of life, and become part of our communities, and they are grateful for the opportunities we're providing.
I lived in one of the most diverse cities in the world, where white people make up 45% of the population, and the thing I miss most about the city is the lack of diversity here. Our large staff lunch room had tables being shared by blacks, whites, Asians and Middle Easterns, and all combinations thereof. School announcments were sent home in 50 separate languages to ensure all parents were well informed.
One of the women I worked with told me that Muslim women start their day with a glass of warm water with a tablespoon of honey, for their complexions. At 40 years old, her skin was flawless. She shared recipes with me, and her hopes and dreams for her daughter, who is the same age as my youngest. Her daughter was "rebelling" by wearing a hijab. The mother did not and never had. There was mother/daughter conflict on this issue. She was proud of her daughter being named valedictorian at her high school, and that they would have the scholarship that came with it to help pay her tuition.
The family spent their Sundays at the Muslim community centre for prayers and a shared meal, just like my Prebyterian church, does. I suspect the shared meal consisted of entirely different foods, but the purpose of sharing fellowship with your faith community, raising our children to walk in God's path, seems to be exactly the same. I see these same patterns repeated in the Greek neighbourhoods, the Italian neighbourhoods, Little India, and all three Toronto Chinatowns. People want to live good lives filled with family, friends, food and laughter. These are the shared goals of nations.
I now live in an almost all white community - mostly Dutch and German descent. I miss the energy. I miss sharing persepctives and talking politics with the mostly Muslim cab drivers who drove me back and forth to work. We fear "others" because we don't know them. The people where I live now are much more frightened of Muslims than city dwellers are and that's because they don't know any.
When the Toronto van massacre happened, the Muslim faith community of a young woman who was killed, was there delivering meals and assistance to all of the victims and their families, not just their parishoner. Signs, messages and tributes appeared at the sites in every possible language, citing every possible religion. Funerals were held in synagogues, mosques, cathedrals, and storefront churches. When people blamed "diversity" for the killing, the mayor of Toronto said that diversity had nothing to do with the killing, but it had everything to do with the response.
Americans are always focusing on people's differences - race being a huge thing for them. When you strip away the colour of peoples' skins, we are all the same inside. We want to do right by our families. We want to be safe, and secure. We all want our kids to grow up straight and true, and have good jobs and do well in life. That is priority number one for everyone regardless of whether you are an aboriginal in the Amazon jungle, or a Wall Street banker.