July 2009
Becoming Bicultural
A monthly column on Hispanic Heritage and Culture by
Richard CampbellAuthor of "Two Eagles in the Sun"
Who Are We Now?
This Fourth of July celebrates our national independence, but America is not frozen in time. America in 2009 is not at all the same nation of 1776. Nor 1863. Nor 1946. Nor 2001. Not even 2008!
A January 26 Newsweek article, “Who We Are Now,” by editor Jon Meacham begs the question, “Who Are We Now?” Meacham answers, claiming that America has changed dramatically since the new century began. First came 9/11 and two wars, and then the events of 2008, and now 2009. Meacham describes this changed America as “almost beyond recognition,” with the “we” … “getting ever trickier to define in terms of race, ethnicity and religion.”
Borrowing from a 1970s book title, “Future Shock,” does anyone doubt that the shock is no longer future but is happening right now? Advances in technology alone are mind-boggling, as are changes in science, politics, international affairs, the economy, and the existential threat of the survival of the planet itself. Attitudes on many social issues have shifted. The dollar may or may not continue as the basis of international finance. Among developed nations, since the 1980s, we have dropped in rank from second to 15th in the HDI (Human Development Index), i.e., in life expectancy, educational enrollment and outcome, and income inequality. Furthermore, “salad” more accurately describes us than “melting pot.”
Will America ever again know an economic “normal”? Will the enormous national debt doom future generations? Will multinational corporations, Wall Street and banks continue to rule Congress? Will the economic gap between rich and poor widen? Will the planet turn green? Will it ever be safe to breathe our air? Will gays and lesbians achieve their goals? Will women reach workplace economic equality? Will medicine conquer killer diseases? Will hunger fade? Will America still be “Christian” as mosques and temples arise in cities and towns? Will urban sprawl fill the empty spaces between metropolitan areas? Will the older and younger generations continue to drift further apart in their values and allegiances? Will our people ever move beyond mindless racism and narrow prejudice? Will terrorism always be our threat? Will America always be “the greatest”? Will the nation and world sooner or later evaporate in a nuclear cloud? “Future Shock” will no doubt go on … into the future.
In the Newsweek article, Meacham points to immigration as the most direct cause of past and future change. Immigration stirs up the fear among many citizens that our American way is being “threatened.” Nearly 40 million foreign-born live in our country at the present time, largely from Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America, as well as from Southeast Asia. Consider the reality that by 2050, more or less, America’s whites will total only 47 percent of the population. Talk about change! Individual reactions will vary — attack, agony, acceptance, or assimilation of the changes.
Furthermore, the most striking demographic change comes from the steady growth in the Hispanic population. Hispanics are now America’s largest minority group, having passed the African American percentage some years ago. Such demographic growth inexorably brings changes. Beyond mere statistics, Hispanics have become a powerful presence on every level of American life. They have changed the makeup of major American cities and entire states. Consider Texas, of all places: Hispanics will likely record a Hispanic majority within ten years.
This surge comes not just from higher Hispanic birth rates, but much more so from the flood of immigration. Immigration is a persistently divisive topic that our politicians tiptoe around; no one wants to present or accept a compromise plan for change lest voters force early retirement. Above all, immigration is no mere theoretical or academic issue; heated emotions fuel the intense debate. Rabid political grandstanding makes civil discussion difficult. Surprisingly, that same Newsweek article states that nearly half of Americans have come to accept the idea, in varying degrees, of immigrants among us! I suggest we wait until post-election proposals for immigration reform begin to surface before we get too excited about that statement.
The center of the immigration dispute features two nearly irreconcilable opinions, well-invigorated by fear and anger. One side builds fences; the other wants open gates. One side shouts, “Keep them out”; the other pleads, “Let us in.” One side wants to protect the status quo; the other seeks individual opportunity. One side feels threat; the other feels discrimination. Each side presents a strong case, yet neither side has all the truth — nor will any future plan be perfect. Only compromise can erect bridges over this yawning chasm. The goal, of course, is to move toward that strange concept of “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Richard Campbell lives in Albuquerque.
His “Two Eagles in the Sun” is available at
The Bookery, Barnes & Noble and twoeaglespress.com.
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Copyright 2009 by Cristo Rey Communications.