Assimilation Is No Longer Effective

What is assimilation?

Assimilation is the process of a minority group adapting to the majority, this often applies to immigrant or ethnic groups. In America, specifically, there has been a big debate on whether this is beneficial or not. Some arguments suggest that it’s helpful to immigrants who want to integrate into the country more easily. Whereas others argue this makes immigrants lose their culture and motivation in society. While Americans believe assimilating is helpful, there are just as many signs showing it is also harmful.

When coming to the U.S., immigrants would consider their assimilation to look like learning English, claiming to be a citizen, and having regular jobs. Although that is attainable to some that won’t be the case for most. When asking Americans for their definition of assimilation their answers varied. This leads you to think, “Do they really know what they’re asking for?”

If one was asked what aspects of assimilation would benefit an immigrant, the three most common things brought up would be adapting the language, having a protestant work ethic, and claiming their American identity. While this is all possible, most Americans expect more than just those three things out of an immigrant. Often, this makes citizens lose sight of what would be realistic for someone who would be new to America.

Immigrants encouraged to speak English

Many people hold the argument of acknowledging English as the main language; it is thought this would be helpful to immigrants. It would make communication easier and open some access to things like jobs or friends. While these facts are true, it also pushes one closer to their culture.

When people of another language take on a second, making it their main use of communication, it creates a sense of losing their culture. As a result of this, they end up pushing their first language more relevant in their lives.

Many feel that instead of pushing for all English, it would be better to accept the use of all languages. This would encourage more immigrants to be active in using English, while still maintaining this connection to their native culture.

Immigrants and work ethic

When describing work ethic, most people describe it as dependable. This includes the characteristics of being self-reliant, hardworking, and morally upright. These values are believed to get immigrants ahead in America. Despite this, immigrants that show these values aren’t all benefitting.

Asian Americans are able to close their wealth gap within 10-15 years of being here, whereas Mexican Americans’ wealth gap persists as studies have shown. There is no reliable evidence showing why other than discrimination. So while it is shown these values do open opportunities this does not apply to all groups and cannot be considered their fault. Regardless, if all groups don’t benefit how could it be truly beneficial?

Immigrants and their identity

Identifying as an American is difficult for some immigrants. Not because they refuse to identify as one but because most Americans have stereotypical views of them. An example of this is America’s habit of assigning labels. By doing this Americans do not push the idea of assimilation, it causes more separation.

When migrants move to the U.S. they are usually leaving heartache or a troubling life. To add to that when immigrants come here they are still fighting. An example of this battle is the civil rights movement. Ethnic groups had to fight for their right to equality, whereas assimilation would just invite you in. So when Americans say they support assimilation they later show differences in their actions. Thus making assimilation no longer effective.

Is assimilation effective?

Overall, benefits to assimilation are present, just not as big as made to seem. A select few groups of immigrants have shown the progress they have made in assimilating like those of Asian or European descent. But assimilation clearly hasn’t benefitted all such as those of Hispanic or African descent. If Americans truly want integration everybody has to be equally welcome and have equivalent opportunities to do so.

It is not fair to pick and choose who is deserving of access and then say Americans encourage the process, this also makes the act of assimilation no longer effective. If all immigrants felt welcome they would be more open to the process and might even encourage it themselves. Overall assimilation could truly put immigrants in a better position, it has the potential.

By Cynthia Thomas

Brookings: Do We Really Want Immigrants to Assimilate?

Press Books: Assimilation as Concept and as Process

Collins: Definition of ‘assimilation’

Migration Policy Institute: Assimilation Models, Old and New: Explaining a Long-Term Process

Featured image courtesy of Araceli Arroyo‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

Top image courtesy of Geoff Livingston‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

Inset image courtesy of Susan Ruggles‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License