Middle class Canadians, and below, would not have been shocked by anything you said. It’s those up the class stack that are the problem. They play an evil game, one that requires small lies at first, but eventually big lies, all for the promised chance at admittance to the “elite” club. I admit I am an American. But I speak English - I am Anglo - I see you. And I am not afraid to tell you the truth.
Advice: when you encounter these people again, tell them that they are succumbing to an evil temptation and that you pray that they will resist destruction with everything, including their last dying breath if necessary.
Thank you. The issue is that these friends were not wealthy but were all part of the Canadian creative industry. In my experience, these ideas sometimes go beyond financial class and more into cultural class. If you go through the universities (or the public school system), read and watch only what your peers find acceptable. You end up in the same quasi-marxist place.
The possession of status is not the same as having money. Your friends over value the acquisition and possession of status and that is the problem. This over valuation comes at the price of them undervaluing other things, such as knowledge of things that are not helpful in acquiring or possessing status (such as the simpler knowledge of how to sustain life).
As an aside, you know status and money are not the same thing, because you have encountered status-full people expressing disrespect for the newly wealthy. The newly wealthy are not viewed as having increased their status merely because they have acquired wealth. Those with status guard their position jealously, and that includes deploying wealth, but the wealth is separable from the status.
Canada is different than America in many subtle ways. I don’t think Americans can fully understand the finer cultural differences. Blue collar Canadians are just as likely as educated, wealthy, or creative Canadians to regurgitate the indoctrination that they’ve been spoon fed since birth, which is the mantra “diversity is our strength”. Canadians are nothing if not polite, and they are cohesive in their desire to be polite; if it is considered polite to be a cultural mosaic, most Canadians will foolishly perpetuate that discourse to their own detriment.
Correct. They have all been told that this makes you a good person (higher status than, say, dirty Americans), so even people objectively from the lower strata of Canadian society LARP this “proper, politically correct” identity. And Canada likely supports its higher levels of status seeking behavior because of its large next door neighbor - America - which exists as a large underclass that Canadians are mentally trying to distinguish themselves from.
But, this pattern could come crashing down quickly. If Canada experiences a substantial economic contraction, there will be more and more Canadians who are forced by practical reality to drop out of the over inflated marketplace of status. And this will be good for Canada - to stop pursuing status, and start pursuing moral ends.
I believe the evil of status pursuit, and the virtue of pursuing well being in anonymity are hinted at by the Bible.
“But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”
I just saw a video of a St. Patrick's day in Ireland. There were mostly groups of immigrants parading their own country's flag around. I'm not sure if I even saw an Irish person in the video.
I started a little kerfuffle in one of my online groups composed of Korean-Americans like myself. I tend to not comment b/c the group publicly leans very left b/c so many of them live in the coastal cities, and if you say anything contrary to their approved view, they label you a racist.
Anyways, someone posted the story of the S. Korean student (on a green card) at Columbia Univ "hunted" by ICE b/c she participated in a protest and her free speech rights are being violated. The OP wanted to warn all us Korean-Americans that if she is deported, we should all fear for our lives b/c this Administration is trying to deport all immigrants. (oh the fear mongering!)
I simply stated that the protests at Columbia were not peaceful but extremely anti-semitic and that people on visas or green cards should be very careful who they align themselves with, and especially not terrorists, b/c they are being manipulated by outside forces to destabilize America -- a country that welcomed them to take advantage of the opportunities here.
The backlash was immediate and they were calling me some MAGA loving Trump supporter and that I must hate being Korean, etc etc... So predictable, right?
The good news - I think I did puncture a little hole in the group's collective illusion. Although not too many voiced support for my views (a few actually did but the most vocal ones were screaming that I shouldn't want Koreans deported and how can I call myself Korean. blah blah...). I was pleasantly surprised that my comment got just as many "likes" as the approved view. So there are people that share my views in the group, but most are just too afraid to speak up b/c the attacks are predictable and no one wants to be ostracized.
I’ve always been baffled by the defence of the criminal behaviour of visa holders.
Before I earned my Canadian citizenship, I had a Landed Immigrant Visa (Canada’s Green Card), and I wouldn’t even jaywalk for fear of jeopardizing my chances to be a citizen. I think I even overpaid my taxes for years so I wouldn’t call attention to myself.
I think what people don’t understand (or wish not to understand) is that even as a Green Card holder, there is still an enormous chasm in what your rights and obligations are compared to a citizen. You are on a probationary period to prove that you will add something of value to your host country.
What the OP is saying to you is the equivalent of my family in the US (some who work in law enforcement) fearing deportation because some Mexican visa holder who committed a crime will be deported.
I grew up on the border between Mexico and the US. Stories about people you knew or people known by people you knew being deported because they committed a crime (visa holders and not) are ordinary. Everyone knows you break the rules, and there’s a risk of being kicked out. And most importantly, everyone understands that the host country has the right to do it.
exactly. I'm just waiting for the post defending the Korean Tesla Arsonist to pop up on my feed... Every Asian-American spouts that "we are not a monolith" and want to be seen as individuals, yet they also want everyone in their in-group to have the same views, politically and socially. And they misinterpret every negative thing they experience from the government has targeted racism. oops - your dad couldn't renew his driver's license online b/c of some name mix-up? "it's racism! they want to deport him!" uh, no, it's the dmv doing it's general inefficient thing.
Excellent article! Your writing is clear and compelling. When Pierre Trudeau invented his multi cultural Canada it was a way to secure immigrant dense ridings for the Liberals if you look at most secure Liberal ridings they put forth ethnic candidates that represent the major cultural makeup of that riding counting on pride and loyalty to elect that MP.
This has worked great as long as the immigrants came from some form of Democratic or former colonial country. Now that most immigrants come from cultures and religions that are offended by western values this model has fallen apart. In the near future we will have MPs elected who openly repress women. The intellectuals from your dinner party will not be able to complain because remember everyone ideas are valuable.
Mr. Herrera, you have perfectly captured the conundrum before us all and have proclaimed most eloquently the solution. I salute you, sir and I hope your influence spreads far and wide.
Excellent article. I totally subscribe your thoughts. My mother is American, my father is Ecuadorian, I grew up in Venezuela and studied in France (now live in Colombia) so my whole life is about immigration and assimilation, comparing and understanding societal values. Now let's imagine the inverse experiment: someone from the cultural west immigrating to east Asia or North Africa or Central America and never assimilating. These same friends you describe would probably think of this as some sort of white supremacy. Again it's always the oppressor/oppressed divide where anything the perceived oppressed does is ok and anything the perceived oppressor does is not. Even in Latam, people who declare themselves as supporters of women's rights wholeheartedly side with ancestral practices that absolutely undermine women's rights without noticing this glaring contradiction. It's not that complicated, all it requires is a bit more honesty.
It is refreshing to read the words of someone who "did it the right way." I'm a third generation American. My paternal grandfather came through Ellis Island in the early 20th century from Italy. He was a house painter who died in his 40's from lead poisoning. He would not allow his children to speak anything but English, insisting that they were Americans now. As a result, my paternal genealogy ends with Ellis Island. I did not find out where the family was from (Naples, perhaps explaining my weakness for pizza) until I was in my 60's. This bothered me when I was young, but when I got older I realized it didn't matter. I wouldn't live anywhere but the US if you paid me. Italy is a complete mess now. I can't count the number of times I've asked myself over the years when "assimilation" became a dirty word. But so it goes with so many things we grew up thinking were virtues....
Middle class Canadians, and below, would not have been shocked by anything you said. It’s those up the class stack that are the problem. They play an evil game, one that requires small lies at first, but eventually big lies, all for the promised chance at admittance to the “elite” club. I admit I am an American. But I speak English - I am Anglo - I see you. And I am not afraid to tell you the truth.
Advice: when you encounter these people again, tell them that they are succumbing to an evil temptation and that you pray that they will resist destruction with everything, including their last dying breath if necessary.
Thank you. The issue is that these friends were not wealthy but were all part of the Canadian creative industry. In my experience, these ideas sometimes go beyond financial class and more into cultural class. If you go through the universities (or the public school system), read and watch only what your peers find acceptable. You end up in the same quasi-marxist place.
The possession of status is not the same as having money. Your friends over value the acquisition and possession of status and that is the problem. This over valuation comes at the price of them undervaluing other things, such as knowledge of things that are not helpful in acquiring or possessing status (such as the simpler knowledge of how to sustain life).
As an aside, you know status and money are not the same thing, because you have encountered status-full people expressing disrespect for the newly wealthy. The newly wealthy are not viewed as having increased their status merely because they have acquired wealth. Those with status guard their position jealously, and that includes deploying wealth, but the wealth is separable from the status.
Canada is different than America in many subtle ways. I don’t think Americans can fully understand the finer cultural differences. Blue collar Canadians are just as likely as educated, wealthy, or creative Canadians to regurgitate the indoctrination that they’ve been spoon fed since birth, which is the mantra “diversity is our strength”. Canadians are nothing if not polite, and they are cohesive in their desire to be polite; if it is considered polite to be a cultural mosaic, most Canadians will foolishly perpetuate that discourse to their own detriment.
Correct. They have all been told that this makes you a good person (higher status than, say, dirty Americans), so even people objectively from the lower strata of Canadian society LARP this “proper, politically correct” identity. And Canada likely supports its higher levels of status seeking behavior because of its large next door neighbor - America - which exists as a large underclass that Canadians are mentally trying to distinguish themselves from.
But, this pattern could come crashing down quickly. If Canada experiences a substantial economic contraction, there will be more and more Canadians who are forced by practical reality to drop out of the over inflated marketplace of status. And this will be good for Canada - to stop pursuing status, and start pursuing moral ends.
I believe the evil of status pursuit, and the virtue of pursuing well being in anonymity are hinted at by the Bible.
“But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”
Matthew 19:30 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.19.30.NIV
Civilizational confidence is a great term. Immigrants will only assimilate into a civilization that is confident. Weak men create hard times...
I just saw a video of a St. Patrick's day in Ireland. There were mostly groups of immigrants parading their own country's flag around. I'm not sure if I even saw an Irish person in the video.
I started a little kerfuffle in one of my online groups composed of Korean-Americans like myself. I tend to not comment b/c the group publicly leans very left b/c so many of them live in the coastal cities, and if you say anything contrary to their approved view, they label you a racist.
Anyways, someone posted the story of the S. Korean student (on a green card) at Columbia Univ "hunted" by ICE b/c she participated in a protest and her free speech rights are being violated. The OP wanted to warn all us Korean-Americans that if she is deported, we should all fear for our lives b/c this Administration is trying to deport all immigrants. (oh the fear mongering!)
I simply stated that the protests at Columbia were not peaceful but extremely anti-semitic and that people on visas or green cards should be very careful who they align themselves with, and especially not terrorists, b/c they are being manipulated by outside forces to destabilize America -- a country that welcomed them to take advantage of the opportunities here.
The backlash was immediate and they were calling me some MAGA loving Trump supporter and that I must hate being Korean, etc etc... So predictable, right?
The good news - I think I did puncture a little hole in the group's collective illusion. Although not too many voiced support for my views (a few actually did but the most vocal ones were screaming that I shouldn't want Koreans deported and how can I call myself Korean. blah blah...). I was pleasantly surprised that my comment got just as many "likes" as the approved view. So there are people that share my views in the group, but most are just too afraid to speak up b/c the attacks are predictable and no one wants to be ostracized.
I’ve always been baffled by the defence of the criminal behaviour of visa holders.
Before I earned my Canadian citizenship, I had a Landed Immigrant Visa (Canada’s Green Card), and I wouldn’t even jaywalk for fear of jeopardizing my chances to be a citizen. I think I even overpaid my taxes for years so I wouldn’t call attention to myself.
I think what people don’t understand (or wish not to understand) is that even as a Green Card holder, there is still an enormous chasm in what your rights and obligations are compared to a citizen. You are on a probationary period to prove that you will add something of value to your host country.
What the OP is saying to you is the equivalent of my family in the US (some who work in law enforcement) fearing deportation because some Mexican visa holder who committed a crime will be deported.
I grew up on the border between Mexico and the US. Stories about people you knew or people known by people you knew being deported because they committed a crime (visa holders and not) are ordinary. Everyone knows you break the rules, and there’s a risk of being kicked out. And most importantly, everyone understands that the host country has the right to do it.
exactly. I'm just waiting for the post defending the Korean Tesla Arsonist to pop up on my feed... Every Asian-American spouts that "we are not a monolith" and want to be seen as individuals, yet they also want everyone in their in-group to have the same views, politically and socially. And they misinterpret every negative thing they experience from the government has targeted racism. oops - your dad couldn't renew his driver's license online b/c of some name mix-up? "it's racism! they want to deport him!" uh, no, it's the dmv doing it's general inefficient thing.
Excellent article! Your writing is clear and compelling. When Pierre Trudeau invented his multi cultural Canada it was a way to secure immigrant dense ridings for the Liberals if you look at most secure Liberal ridings they put forth ethnic candidates that represent the major cultural makeup of that riding counting on pride and loyalty to elect that MP.
This has worked great as long as the immigrants came from some form of Democratic or former colonial country. Now that most immigrants come from cultures and religions that are offended by western values this model has fallen apart. In the near future we will have MPs elected who openly repress women. The intellectuals from your dinner party will not be able to complain because remember everyone ideas are valuable.
Great job I look forward to more of your writing
It's like living in Houellebecq's 'Submission.'
I just read a synopsis of the book on Amazon. That is exactly how it could happen here on Canada. Thank you again for your writing.
Mr. Herrera, you have perfectly captured the conundrum before us all and have proclaimed most eloquently the solution. I salute you, sir and I hope your influence spreads far and wide.
Great writing, great logic, and great perspective.
Excellent, Hector. Comrade Yuri Bezmenov sent me here.
Excellent article. I totally subscribe your thoughts. My mother is American, my father is Ecuadorian, I grew up in Venezuela and studied in France (now live in Colombia) so my whole life is about immigration and assimilation, comparing and understanding societal values. Now let's imagine the inverse experiment: someone from the cultural west immigrating to east Asia or North Africa or Central America and never assimilating. These same friends you describe would probably think of this as some sort of white supremacy. Again it's always the oppressor/oppressed divide where anything the perceived oppressed does is ok and anything the perceived oppressor does is not. Even in Latam, people who declare themselves as supporters of women's rights wholeheartedly side with ancestral practices that absolutely undermine women's rights without noticing this glaring contradiction. It's not that complicated, all it requires is a bit more honesty.
It is refreshing to read the words of someone who "did it the right way." I'm a third generation American. My paternal grandfather came through Ellis Island in the early 20th century from Italy. He was a house painter who died in his 40's from lead poisoning. He would not allow his children to speak anything but English, insisting that they were Americans now. As a result, my paternal genealogy ends with Ellis Island. I did not find out where the family was from (Naples, perhaps explaining my weakness for pizza) until I was in my 60's. This bothered me when I was young, but when I got older I realized it didn't matter. I wouldn't live anywhere but the US if you paid me. Italy is a complete mess now. I can't count the number of times I've asked myself over the years when "assimilation" became a dirty word. But so it goes with so many things we grew up thinking were virtues....