"I don’t really think about “diversity” in an abstract sense or a “politically correct” sense. I just think it’s really damn cool to live in a part of America that people from over 100 of the world’s nations have chosen to call home. I don’t like immigrants because their food is good or because I feel white guilt or whatever. I’m proud of my country and my region for being the kind of place where we can set a world record for a food item from another country. "
Excellently stated! Thank you for this article, I find that the diversification of suburbia is one of the most underreported topics out there. I hear people describe suburbs as all white places with nothing but chain restaurants and look deeply confused; especially when I look at who my neighbors are and the assortment of restaurants nearby. I'm closer to multiple sushi restaurants than I am to an olive garden or red lobster. I may have to look up where the closest pupuseria is to my house, I know I've seen a few spots while driving around.
Yep. There are definitely suburban areas like that and most I guess started like that. But most immigrants now settle in the suburbs initially instead of in big cities. People who are snobs about suburbia miss this. And I'm not just talking about racial diversity. They've really grown into being complex, layered places in a way that they weren't really designed to be.
"I’m proud of my country and my region for being the kind of place where we can set a world record for a food item from another country."
What a great line! And I do love pupusas. I discovered them thanks to Midway Airport in Chicago, where I had to pick somebody up. There's a great pupuseria located nearby, so we stopped in for a snack. I liked the place so much that I included it in my novel, "Social Distancing." Just another example of cultural cross-fertilization.
"What I do not understand is Americans who seem to resent that our country—or their region or community—is a highly desirable place to live. Where is the pride and patriotism in that? What company would be upset at making something so popular that everyone wants it?"
Thoughtful arguments against this point could start with the flaw in the analogy: a country or city or any other place is not a mere product to be chosen in a consumer market. Thinking of it in this manner is harmful to both the place and anyone who calls it home.
It may not be a "mere" product like a toaster oven, but ultimately people must choose where to live. (Even staying where you were born is a choice.) If a city or a country does not want to see its population grow, that could be a valid policy goal, but it would have to be undertaken with a clear-eyed reckoning of the costs as well as the perceived benefits. Conversely, if a city or country does want to grow, then fostering and taking pride in what makes it desirable -- location, cultural attributes, infrastructure, whatever -- seems only natural.
Yep. I don't mean a place is nothing more than a consumer product, I wasn't even really making an analogy. Just observing that *even if you think we shouldn't grow* (locally housing-wise or immigration-wise) you should still feel proud that people want to call your community home.
"I don’t really think about “diversity” in an abstract sense or a “politically correct” sense. I just think it’s really damn cool to live in a part of America that people from over 100 of the world’s nations have chosen to call home. I don’t like immigrants because their food is good or because I feel white guilt or whatever. I’m proud of my country and my region for being the kind of place where we can set a world record for a food item from another country. "
Excellently stated! Thank you for this article, I find that the diversification of suburbia is one of the most underreported topics out there. I hear people describe suburbs as all white places with nothing but chain restaurants and look deeply confused; especially when I look at who my neighbors are and the assortment of restaurants nearby. I'm closer to multiple sushi restaurants than I am to an olive garden or red lobster. I may have to look up where the closest pupuseria is to my house, I know I've seen a few spots while driving around.
Yep. There are definitely suburban areas like that and most I guess started like that. But most immigrants now settle in the suburbs initially instead of in big cities. People who are snobs about suburbia miss this. And I'm not just talking about racial diversity. They've really grown into being complex, layered places in a way that they weren't really designed to be.
"I’m proud of my country and my region for being the kind of place where we can set a world record for a food item from another country."
What a great line! And I do love pupusas. I discovered them thanks to Midway Airport in Chicago, where I had to pick somebody up. There's a great pupuseria located nearby, so we stopped in for a snack. I liked the place so much that I included it in my novel, "Social Distancing." Just another example of cultural cross-fertilization.
Agreed!!!
"What I do not understand is Americans who seem to resent that our country—or their region or community—is a highly desirable place to live. Where is the pride and patriotism in that? What company would be upset at making something so popular that everyone wants it?"
Thoughtful arguments against this point could start with the flaw in the analogy: a country or city or any other place is not a mere product to be chosen in a consumer market. Thinking of it in this manner is harmful to both the place and anyone who calls it home.
It may not be a "mere" product like a toaster oven, but ultimately people must choose where to live. (Even staying where you were born is a choice.) If a city or a country does not want to see its population grow, that could be a valid policy goal, but it would have to be undertaken with a clear-eyed reckoning of the costs as well as the perceived benefits. Conversely, if a city or country does want to grow, then fostering and taking pride in what makes it desirable -- location, cultural attributes, infrastructure, whatever -- seems only natural.
Yep. I don't mean a place is nothing more than a consumer product, I wasn't even really making an analogy. Just observing that *even if you think we shouldn't grow* (locally housing-wise or immigration-wise) you should still feel proud that people want to call your community home.