You also nailed what I think is the biggest complaint of the American public with regard to that bill: it was basically advocating cutting in line for immigrants. We pretty much all feel that that is unfair. I also vehemently oppose shutting the borders to incoming people. I just ask that people immigrate legally. Other than that, I’m pretty much cool with anyone coming in. I would ask that they try to assimilate, though. Ha ha.

The government, on the other hand, should only have as much power to call citizens to action as the citizens had already invested in it.

I’ve really digressed from your topic of diversity, but I’d like to jump back on track for just one more point I’d like to write about.

For the record, I am against legalizing the millions of illegal immigrants in the country, but the main reason I oppose it is slightly different than yours. There is a part of the bill that would make it more difficult for new immigrants to acquire entry to the states, meaning the bill is essentially locking the door on the country – Whoever is in is in, whoever isn’t stays out. What about my wife?

And, as you’ve already pointed out, I’ve also legally lived in a foreign country (or, two). I don’t like people who cut in line when I’ve been properly standing in the queue. But that concern is second to what I stated above.

[snip]What do I owe the U.S. government and why? When did they become more important than “We the people”? I think J.F.K. had it wrong. It’s not that I should be asking what I can do for my government, but what I can ask my government to do for humanity.

The government is like a publicly owned company, and American citizens the stock holders – When you don’t like what the CEOs are doing, you take them out of play and put someone in that will get the job done right, and you’ve got to do this before the company experiences a hostile takeover.

What do you owe the government? Um…I can’t answer that question for you (and yes, I know it was rhetorical…haha), but it seems that you feel that you owe somewhere between nothing and not much. But I think we have a fundamentally different view of the government and of that nebulous concept called “America.” America isn’t just the wacked out US Government, though that’s the loudest and most powerful projection of the country into the world. America is the people. The people become the government. I agree wholeheartedly that the government should serve humanity – and it does to an amazing degree though it can always improve (though I argue that the American public gives on a private basis to a huge degree unparalleled and not merely out of opportunity – and that it is our place to do so outside of or in spite of the government), but I also argue that it is up to us to bring that government up to scratch. I demand things of my government, but I have to weigh the trade-offs that I make. I guess I agree with the notion that I willfully lose some of my freedoms and rights by submitting myself to the authority of the government. I buy that government was created to enable a more stable society. However, I think it’s weird to take an approach where you sit back and expect the government to serve you. If that’s what you meant, anyway.

Either way, I’d totally make a go of keeping both nationalities if you can. Good luck with that. Last I heard, there was still unfinished paperwork. Bureaucracy at work. Ha ha. I hope they figure that out for you soon.

Jon – I followed you and your tired brain. I think what gets confused is that many countries have one word that indicate both nationality and race or ethnicity. America doesn’t. The unifying factor in American society is that people from all over the place have come together to become a country based more on ideology and philosophy than on mutually shared genes. Whether or not that is the case today is debatable, I admit. But I’m an idealist, so it’s what I hope for America. Americans are only American through nationality and culture – not race or ethnicity or history or anything else, I think. At least, through my rose-colored glasses.

Secondly, I’d like to raise another issue. What about discrimination on the basis of nationality? Living in Japan and having many friends of different nationalities has sometimes created sparks. I’ve know people to make negative remarks about the people of so and so because the one guy they knew from that country was an ass. With all these representatives from around the world, it’s easy to look at this one person and think, “All the people from there act this way.” Many of our students are guilty of this kind of thinking. And even we are with all of our neatly constructed ideals of how the Japanese are or are not. My friends and I often make jokes about each other’s countries. Sure, it’s all in good fun, but the fact that we make these jokes in the first place does say something about the general stereotypes of our respective home countries. So how do we go about classifying this? Now we have international and interracial discrimination.

And yet it gets even more confusing. I have a friend J who is from Canada. He’s Canadian and he’s of Chinese descent. So according to the hyphenation, this makes him Chinese-Canadian. Now say in 50 years when more countries around the world become racially diversified. Then we start getting all sorts of hyphenated combinations. At this point we might not even be able to call Japanese Japanese anymore. Would it ever reach the point where saying “I’m Japanese” no longer means that you are of Japanese descent just as it is with “America” and American?” What then?

Anyway, just some random ideas. It’s like the few naturalized Japanese citizens. They’re Japanese, but at the same time not Japanese.

I think my brain stopped working a few paragraphs up. Time to go to sleep.

James: I disagree with you and Theodore Roosevelt. It’s such an outdated quote, and was made when America was wound up in World War I, which really defines the spirit in which it was made.

“[snip] Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance. But if he is heartily and singly loyal to this Republic, then no matter where he was born, he is just as good an American as any one else.”

Very 1984. (Victory gin, anyone? Or, perhaps, Victory Manual?) What do I owe the U.S. government and why? When did they become more important than “We the people”? I think J.F.K. had it wrong. It’s not that I should be asking what I can do for my government, but what I can ask my government to do for humanity.

The government is like a publicly owned company, and American citizens the stock holders – When you don’t like what the CEOs are doing, you take them out of play and put someone in that will get the job done right, and you’ve got to do this before the company experiences a hostile takeover.

But I digress. My point was that the desire to enforce current immigration law has nothing to do with any racial enmity for the vast majority of those supporting it. It has everything to do with a perceived gross miscarriage of justice.

In the end, I think we’re on the same page – we should ensure everyone’s rights, but I’m all for a meritocracy. Anything less implies that people of different backgrounds aren’t capable of meeting the challenge or requirements, and I can’t think of anything as blatantly racist as that notion. The question is – does diversity always mean improvement? Is it the apex of cultured society to which all civilized countries must aspire? I think not, to be honest. Diversity is not the end all, be all. In short, it’s overrated. (For countries like America, that is. Japan and Korea could use it.) The “us” and “them” stuff gets on my nerves when we’re in the same group. You know? I always feel odd when people say I look like an American. I ask them what an American looks like. More often than not, they don’t talk about the clothes I’m wearing (which could be American, sure – jeans, etc.), they say I’m white with brown hair. I’m like you – I assume everyone I see in America is American until something makes it clear that the assumption is wrong. That’s just normal for me. Not so here, though. Visually, it’s easy to statistically sort out foreigners from natives.

I’m becoming incoherent, but I hope you followed me.

By the way, your daughter – will she maintain dual citizenship for her whole life, or will they force her to choose when she comes of age?