Who Is An American?

So, I ask again, who is an American? The question becomes pertinent when applied to the vexed issue of immigration. If an Algerian, for example, plants his roots in France, there is no question of his immigrant status; because he is obviously not French. He stands out. On the other hand, if a Korean somehow gets to America, what distinguishes them from the tens of thousands of their compatriots in the USA? Some would argue that it does not matter, so long as they came by the legal route. But why does the legal route almost invariably involve a long and tortuous process? When an unending stream of Europeans descended on Ellis Island – in the early part of the last century – their ‘legality’ was established in a matter of hours.

Sure, no one can deny that the prosperous America of today probably would not exist, if it were not for their toil and industry and sharp business acumen. So welcoming them with open arms made a lot of sense – then. Now, a similar – if somewhat smaller – wave of immigrants, have become a problem. Why? Because they are sneaking in illegally. Why are they sneaking in? Because the legal route is unendingly arduous – and the chances of success are severely restricted.

I can hear the counter arguments swelling already. No civilized country would let in outsiders blindly – without adequate checks and balances. All countries are wary of being inundated by foreigners. However, in the case of America, who is an outsider? What makes Jane Krakowski of 30 Rock different from the thousands of Krakowskis back in Poland? Only the circumstance that her forebears came over to America and settled there.

Another point to ponder is that the current debate is focused on Hispanics. There is a genuine concern that a flood of Hispanics sweeping into America – when added to the millions who are already there legally – would alter the demographic and cultural make-up of the country. Spanish – and not English – could become the de facto dominant language. What if it does? In a country of immigrants, why should one declining group – the white Anglo-Saxon Protestants – have the divine right to decide the lingua franca of the USA? They have done it for two hundred years, of course, compelling generations of Italians and Poles and Norwegians – not to mention Asians and Hispanics – to learn English, in order to be accepted as an ‘American’. That is why only English movies and television shows, for example, are categorized as ‘mainstream’, while those in Spanish – which is spoken by almost half the population – are classified as ‘regional’.

I believe – at this critical juncture in its evolution – America needs to make up its mind about what it wants to be. If it wants to remain a White, English-speaking nation, that’s fine. But let it so declare unequivocally. It took more than 180 years for Blacks to attain some measure of self respect – although they are still a long way away from true equality. It took that long for a Catholic to become President – though he was White and from the ‘old country’. If the people who govern America are comfortable in their WASP cocoon, let them stop pussyfooting around – pretending to be otherwise. It is time to stand up and be counted. It is time to decide who is an American.