Levels of Assimilation

Joseph Kay, in a succinct analysis, reminds us why immigrants that wear Nike’s and eat at McDonald’s are not necessarily assimilated:

Assimilation is complicated and should be thought of as a series of rungs on a ladder or a series of tests, not a one-shot “pass/fail” exam. These rungs may be thought of as: (1) popular culture; (2) English language; (3) cultural attachment and patriotism; and (4) political understanding.

The first rung, or the first test, which we could call simply “being American,” is easily passed: one adopts American cultural tastes–dress, rooting for sports teams, and similar outward signs of community membership. No after-school programs are required; it almost always occurs spontaneously just by living here. The next step up is correctly speaking English, critical since language mastery is a pre-condition for deeper, more nuanced absorption. This involves passing the “telephone test,” i.e., can a listener on the phone discern the immigrant’s race/ethnicity by accent or language use? This can be difficult: millions of African Americans, despite life-time residence, have not surmounted this hurdle. By contrast, young Asians typically quickly become fluent English speakers despite arriving here as twelve-year olds knowing only Chinese, or at least the children of the Asian immigrants do so. Whether future generations of Mexican immigrants can pass this hurdle remains to be seen.

The third rung is patriotism, having a deep psychological attachment to America as a nation. This was once the schools’ central mission as reflected in the teaching of American history, the daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, celebration of national holidays, and similar rituals. The prognosis here for Mexican assimilation is moderately positive though by no means certain. The good news is that the emotion-based attachment to America can be gained by anybody, regardless of ability, so the key question is whether it will occur, e.g., will Mexican-Americans just become Americans? This may be the best Our Pledge can accomplish, and on those grounds, it deserves our support.

But now comes the toughest test: acquiring and internalizing the political culture of the United States. This is what separates the democratic civilized West from Third-World autocracy and depravity. It entails many things: respect for the rule of law and the concept of the loyal opposition, opposition to the use of political force, willingness to let opponents plead their cases, support for elections–not violence–as the way to settle disputes, attachment to due process and the primacy of individual rather than group rights, suspicion of aggrandized power (the caudillo), and myriad other sometimes hazy mental habits that define America’s political culture. Many who pass the first three tests fail this last exam. Wearing American clothes, eating at McDonalds, and enjoying American popular music imply nothing about being able to embrace our civic life. Just watching African rioters bedecked in Nike sweat suits who know all about Madonna’s latest hit ought to confirm that political society involves more than clothing and pop culture.

And here is the bad news. This last test, perhaps the most critical for the quality of civic life, is not easily passed, and if the basic ability is lacking, no amount of schooling or indoctrination may suffice. Many residents–even citizens–find this final hurdle arduous. Though given perfunctory attention in schools, it is more like vocabulary that one unthinkingly absorbs than long-division that one laboriously masters.