Which immigrant group integrates the best into the U.S.?

[jarl]

From your personal experience, what immigrant group do you think sets an example for others? I’m not talking about the past, but people that come in large numbers in the present day. Note that I’m only talking about the immigrants’ individual ability to integrate and not about the politics of their former home country, since there is absolutely no correlation between the two. What I mean is, people who:

- Adhere to the “When in Rome” maxim by the letter, not wishing to impose the laws of the old country on the host society.

- Don't refuse to speak English.

- Refrain from engagement in any sort of criminal activity.

- Work in high-paying positions and are uniformly middle-class.

- Even if they arrive here poor, they diligently pull themselves up by the bootstraps come hell or high water, getting the necessary education and qualification without relying on government assistance.

- Don’t isolate themselves in enclaves from mainstream society and genuinely try to find common ground when interacting with members of the host culture.

From your personal experience, people from which country (I’m talking about modern-day) do you think meet the criteria listed above?

[barnett]

From your personal experience, what immigrant group do you think sets an example for others? I’m not talking about the past, but people that come in large numbers in the present day. Note that I’m only talking about the immigrants’ individual ability to integrate and not about the politics of their former home country, since there is absolutely no correlation between the two. What I mean is, people who:

- Adhere to the “When in Rome” maxim by the letter, not wishing to impose the laws of the old country on the host society.

- Don't refuse to speak English.

- Refrain from engagement in any sort of criminal activity.

- Work in high-paying positions and are uniformly middle-class.

- Even if they arrive here poor, they diligently pull themselves up by the bootstraps come hell or high water, getting the necessary education and qualification without relying on government assistance.

- Don’t isolate themselves in enclaves from mainstream society and genuinely try to find common ground when interacting with members of the host culture.

From your personal experience, people from which country (I’m talking about modern-day) do you think meet the criteria listed above?

The one that comes in legally.

[ruddy]

Poor people.

See your idea is flawed, as you make the false assumption that being educated or "middle class" some how equals acculturation. Your criteria doesn't measure integration, but how much cash they can make. To you "fitting in" means nothing but "making bucks."


One thing I've noticed is that the more privileged the background an immigrant comes from, the less they bother to integrate. They're smug about buying their way into the country and most simply plan on staying long enough to make money so they can retire to their home country. They watch foreign cable packages and sell their children to foreign nationals looking to immigrate to the US.


In contrast, most poor immigrants show up planning to become Americans. Which is one reason that these groups serve in the military several magnitudes as much as rich foreigners.

Ever met a first generation Indian, Chinese person, or Arab with a military record?

[erwin]

I personally think (from personal experience) in observance of your criterias and parameter:
1) the English (yes, they still migrate here, though in small numbers)
2) the Filipinos (speak English, don't demand to much, most are professionals in medical field, integrate well.)
3) the Japanese (they don't come in huge numbers, but when they do, are model minorities, are well educated)
4) Most Asian people integrate well, (Indians, Koreans, Chinese, etc)...but some groups isolate themselves.

Most of these people don't demand their own language, (forget about "Press 1 for English") don't populate our prison systems in huge numbers, don't mooch from the government, (and don't ask for special favors from the government) and are more or less uniformly middle-class who don't hold menial (manual labor intensive) jobs.

[donough]

Indeed your assumption is flawed under many aspects.

From being highly educated I DESPISE ANGLO-SAXONS, their culture especially their lack of rationality. I find the following about anglos:
- rude and prompt to violence
- dirty with respect to the environment
- many with low ethics
- high level of hypocracy
- always arguing instead of doing the right thing

I value much more science-educated migrants than American people.

PS: I used to be a US immigrant - and disliked the strongly some aspects of American culture. I now live in Switzerland which I enjoy much more - and which even my US visitors acknowledge as superior under many aspects.

PS2: I thought of isolationg myself from American people in the US as I dislike so much the lack of rationality of people.

PS3: poorly educated people are the most likely to be fascinated by the consumerism-based american culture. Highly educated people are likely to stick with what is considered their respective "classical culture".

[freedom97]

mostly asians.