It didn't work out so badly for the U.S. and TX in particular. Parts of NY still carry out strong Italian, or Irish customs and hold to their culture as they've done for generations there. In TX many schools were taught almost exclusively in German well into the 1900's. Yet somehow it's worked out pretty well for many of the children of those immigrants.
The social situations and the degrees of government involvement the US had then are totally different to how things are now. It's like how some Conservative or Libertarian minded people roll out their grand pappy's rags to riches stories and conclude how we don't need today's Big and cumbersome Government if pah pah did it in his day. Furthermore, there was no established "American culture" during the periods you mentioned, whereas some towns in Europe are older than the United States. European countries like France, Germany, and border nations are facing growing divisions among their workers, in part because of the lack of racial diversity and also because of the cradle to grave employment structure that skews against youths in the workforce. Another aspect is immigrants who receive welfare benefits but are having troubles integrating with the host nation's culture and society. And France is among the better Euro nations at assimilation... As European governments attract immigration from their poorer neighbors to counter against their aging and diminishing workforce, these tensions will become more commonplace. It's our immigration situation times ten. First because these immigrants are poor and mostly unskilled. Turkish immigrants bear the brunt of disenfranchisement. To add upon these tensions, their welfare system appears unfair and too accommodating to those who work and on the other side, there's the aforementioned difficulty in newer workers finding training and experience for higher paying jobs. Enforcing the ban does not eliminate this problem, but those governments must take a stronger stance at integration and secularization. Europeans love their age old national identities. They rejected the Lisbon Treaty when its governments were all for it. As the recession prolongs, we'll see more instances of xenophobia and more instances of nationalistic pride to "take back" their national and cultural identity. If it seemed easy in the US, and Euros are more liberally enlightened, then what could go wrong, yes?
Just as the people in the US were told to believe that Communism is bad, and people in the west are now told Muslims are now bad, right? I have posted in this thread before, I'm not going into it anymore. I'm happy I do not live in France (altough with the government we are getting it might be even worse to live here)
Probably, I do not like deserts :grin: I have never visited Saudi Arabia, but if it is as bad as you and some other posters have said I would not want to live there. However just because someone else does worse stuf I should accept things I believe are wrong in my own country. France banning a Burqa has nothing to do with religious freedom in other countries. Why would France want to stoop to there level (when it comes to freedom).
http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/europe/french-woman-tore-burqa-from-emirati-tourist FREEDOM!!
Its ironic that the more socialized countries like France and Germany become the more they start the inevitable (immigrants are taking our jobs and money!) No, its the fact that you pay insane amounts of taxes and allow the government to inefficiently administer a larger part of your economy which results inevitably in lower standards of living and higher unemployment. To which they then blame the immigrants for which result in laws making us no better than the people walking 3 metres behind their husbands in the deserts of Arabia. Large Union countries like Germany reek of this. French and German trade unions make it impossible to hire and fire people and force so much time off that the economy is weaker and unemployment is higher. Then its blame the foreigners! Even in the US, the Unions are against globalization and state it differently that they feel for exploited children in China, instead of protecting their own as they've lost their competitive advantage and wish to be subsidized by higher prices on every American. Unless we get away from these large state pensions, entitlements and this idea that 'everybody DESERVES anything' we'll be in the same boat many moons from now. Have any immigrant they want come to the US but people must earn their income by providing value and must pay for the services they desire instead of getting things just for being in America.
Sounds like she is standing up for women's rights, and the oppression they face in Islamic countries. DD
If this is true that these countries have lower standards of living because they're so socialized, why do both France and Germany rank higher than the US in the 2010 Quality of Life Index?
I guess America has Islamophobia, because you can't walk around public with a mask on hiding your face. Besides on Halloween of course. So what is the difference?
Learn the difference between an average and median. In the US there is boundless opportunity versus in the UK, France and Germany most of the population is lower middle class. People have little to no wealth. Outside of Paris most people live in large 1960's looking government apartment buildings and whole families have one small hatchback type car. Yes their education, healthcare and social services are free, but their wages per cost of living is minimal. Subsistence living while the government deficit grows to subsidize their lifestyles. I want more than that for my beloved country. We also have a huge very poor immigrant population here and a historically underpriviledged ex-slave african american population. That skews the numbers down quite a bit. The Republicans are just as bad at this as well. The democrats are creating an unsustainable entitlement state which affords new immigrants all kinds of benefits, while Republicans want to keep them illegal for cheap labor and would rather have our country with its minimal Anglo birthrate end up like Japan with an aging useless population stuck in a deflationary cycle.
Ummm, many women walk around in public with a niqab on in America. But yes, there is Islamophobia in America mostly for other reasons though.
Being forced to walk behind their husbands, having to wear a facial covering, and not being able to vote in some countries. Basically being treated like a 2nd class citizen. Can't get your drivers license though......Go America go !!!! DD
Good for France. If you absolutely need to wear a Burqa outside your home, perhaps you'd be better off not immigrating to a Western nation. I think they're misogynistic and tribal, and I have no problem with them being banned, in public spaces, nor do I consider it a civil rights issue.
Umm, you are ignorant. No one is Islamically forced to walk behind their husbands. If it does exist it must be cultural, but I have never heard of it except from Islamophobes like you. Even in the strictest of countries, Saudi Arabia, where I have lived, it is not a law to have to cover your face. The women who do cover their face do it willingly. Please tell me of a country in which women are not allowed to vote? I am being serious as I am not familiar with voting rules in Islamic countries. I'm not sure how they deal with drivers license but I know for passport pictures they do take it with their niqab off and at immigration and stuff, they ask for a female officer to attend to them. I don't know why you are implying that America is against women covering themselves the way they want. If a woman is allowed to walk around with 95% of her skin showing, a woman should also be allowed to walk around with 95% of it covered. Those freedoms are what separate America from POS countries like France.
Where we believe some silly cultures idea of covering a woman from head to toe is barbaric, some cultures may believe that letting women grind a stage and a lap for $20 and have sex on camera for money is barbaric. Some p*rnography includes sado-masochistic beating of women and is allowed. Many people would find that its legal to beat a woman and have sex with her on camera for money to be barbaric. I personally think both scenarios are pretty horrid, but by living in a 'free' society we must be open to both as its someone's pursuit of happiness.
By the way I love how France, UK and all of Europe after hundreds of years of oppression and control in India, Pakistan, Africa, the Middle East and the Orient are now mad that these people are coming to their countries and taking their jobs and affecting their cultures! Hahaha. That is freaking hilarious.
The lady was not right to take the law into her own hands. But apparently she is facing the legal sanctions for that, so it looks like the rule of law is being upheld. That doesn't change anything about the fact that the Burqa is a mobile jail, and the headscarf and all that stuff is a symbol of oppression and of hostility towards the free western lifestyle. Fully agree.
