Reply #7: There is another problem that no one has yet begun to talk about. [View All]

[The Backlash Cometh]

I visited a migrant worker's camp a few months ago and picked up on some foreseeable problems. Keep in mind while you're reading this, that I myself am hispanic.

I got a very personalized tour from a woman who herself came in as a migrant worker and had made the leap to assimilation, sort of. I say sort of because she said things that left me with the impression that there are subcultures in this country that are going to be resistant to Americanization, and that W has made it worse by allowing them to come in large droves. There are so many of them, that they are reinforcing the old ways and resisting change.

When we were driving around, I gave her the front passenger seat so she could sit next to my father where he could hear her better while we drove around and she gave us directions. She told us that the old ways are very strong and just sitting next to a man, other than her husband, would automatically make the tongues wag in the town and she would be accused of infidelity. The only thing that saved her from the worst kind of criticism is that her husband was also slightly Americanized. I say slightly because what they did to succeed in this country was buy land and farm it. They stopped taking higher education, some even dropped out of high school. As long as they can drive a tractor, all is good. They don't really want to get involved with the others -- meaning us.

I asked her realistically how many children in the mission would actually break away and get truly assimilated into this country, and move inward and upward so to speak. SHE SAID VERY FEW. They have their own customs and the girls are not really being encouraged to do anything but become mothers and good wives. The children are pulled out of school to follow the harvest so they don't really get good enough educations to really rise above their circumstances.

What makes it even more difficult to assimilate, is that many are living on the dole and though they work hard, they're afraid to show any signs of success because they're afraid of being thrown out, and whatever they have may be wiped out with the first real (low-paying) job and real rent payments. At least on the dole, they have security and the opportunity to build a sense of community.

They're very clean and very afraid to bring attention to themselves. They're doing okay with the handouts, but they don't have confidence that they can make the next leap without meeting with some misfortune that will set them back worse than where they already are. In other words, they are too poor to take a risk because they have more to lose, than gain. So they play games that will never really improve their lives, but that won't make it worse either. Like they're afraid to fix up their rentals because the landlord might raise the rent.

But the fact that they're more than what they seem, does often creep out. For instance, a humble flower bed here and there stood out. Our tour guide was quick to say, they didn't buy those flowers. Chances are the people in the houses worked for Home Depot and the pots were throw-aways.

Anyway, Bush may not have created these silent ghettos, but he has certainly ensured the existence of countries existing within our country for longer than they had to. In fact, that may very well be part of the plan.