Last week's topic, the social and historical construction of race and ethnicity, brings to light the effect of time on the views, values, laws, and overall social stratification existing in American society and throughout American politics. What happens in the past shapes, in part, our perspectives and choices in the present. Over the course of the past two centuries the United states has become the most diverse nation on earth and Chicago, one of its most diverse (and segregated) cities. These trends are continuing as immigration and demographic data show that the white population in America is not growing at near the rate of other racial groups. After looking at the data from our readings this week, what do you think this growing diversity means for the U.S.? What does it mean for Chicago? What are the strengths and/or weaknesses and what does it mean in terms of American politics? While we will spend a great deal of time later in the course looking at electoral politics and representation, you might also want to comment on the role of changing diversity in the recent election results.
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As mentioned above, the United States increases its diversity every year. I personally think that the growing diversity in the United States is a great thing. As I asked some people who immigrated to the United States and became U.S. citizens as to why they decided to be a citizen. They mentioned its diversity and that it was a country that seemed to be welcoming of immigrants. As well with Chicago being one of the most diverse cities, it brings a better awareness that there are people of different races, religions, ethnicities, etc. It brings a larger awareness and acceptance of people with differences and makes people from other countries believe that they would also be welcomed. However, in terms of not only American politics but as well as media, this growing diversity in America can bring downfalls. There is and will always be a person or group who believe that the United States should only allow a specific group to immigrate, or be represented in a specific way. It seems that in American politics, many politicians and government officials believe that the U.S. should be represented by only these groups or exclude others because of events caused by an individual. The weaknesses of growing diversity in the United States, in my opinion, is that there are people who want to pick at it and point out the differences of people to seperate rather than bring people together.
ReplyDeleteAlso to add on to that with the recent election, unfortunately with the comments and policies said by president elect Trump. That sense of welcoming of immigrants and living in a nation that people of different races, cultures, religions, etc. are no longer accepted and/or wanted. I read in an article that called Trump's supporters the "silent majority," and in reality it is true that many people agree with what he said. However, I believe that even though many people agree with it doesn't make it right for this country.
DeleteWhile I share similar views that an increase in diversity can lead to positive outcomes such as acceptance and understanding between cultures, I’m reminded by this year’s election—among other things—that that notion is far too optimistic, if not naïve. Historically, the U.S. government has implemented a variety of tactics to regulate minorities, particularly when there’s a large influx of immigrants. Systemic oppression resulted from the failed efforts to limit the country’s diversity, and it continues to be maintained today (e.g. segregation).
DeleteThe growth of diversity is inevitable, however, it doesn’t mandate a growth of inclusion, representation, or justice. People seem to forget how bleak the displacement of power is in our country. More minorities may mean more voices, but does that mean they’ll be heard? I certainly hope so, but it will be far from easy considering the country’s repressive government and societal structures.
I think it means that America is no longer a country that has one type of population, now it has more than 3 types of populations, which means that America is accepting other types. And because of this acceptance of different races and ethnicities, United States is becoming a country where you can find almost all the ethnicities and races of the world. However, this could have a negative effect because America could lose the cohesion of nationality since the majority of the population is becoming more diverse. for Chicago it means that people are feeling more identify with this city since a lot of different groups of race and ethnicity are living here. And it seems that the city as a whole is accepting this. I think it is a strength because you can take an advantage of learning more from different cultures of the world and they are located in just one city. Furthermore, I think that thanks to the recent election results, people that are not from here, would feel insecure and probably they would start coming back to their home country. so that would mean that America some day would no longer have a diverse population as it was in the last years.
ReplyDeleteIt is no surprise that the United States has grown more diverse over time. Instead of this fact bringing people together to learn from each others' differences, it has proven to separate people. Society has created stereotypes to make people see color rather than personality and character. This is our main problem, shown especially in Chicago and other diverse cities.
ReplyDeleteRegarding politics, immigration is obviously a strong topic. I see that many are already commenting on president elect Donald Trump and his policies regarding immigration. Although people are proficient at discouraging Trump's ideas, I believe people have misunderstood his stance on immigration. Trump is not taking away the "American Dream" of coming to the United States for opportunity. He is strictly trying to eliminate the staggering numbers of illegal immigrants. He is not claiming that immigrants are not allowed, rather that illegal immigrants need to get their paperwork to become a U.S. citizen, something everyone should be proud of having. I believe that this misconception of Trump is causing an uprising just from the lack of research and quickness to jump to conclusions. A characteristic that could bring people together, legal citizenship, is causing people to believe that this will cause a separation.
I definitely agree with the argument that a lot of people misconstrue Donald Trump's policies. Ironically, a lot of the people who claim Trump is ignorant, know very little about what Trump stands for. Although he has contradicted himself on more than one occasion, I think some people are too quick to jump on his back. So quick, that they don't take the time to actually understand what he is advocating for.
DeleteIt's interesting to see how the increasing diversity in our country may have had a great deal of influence on Trump winning office in the first place. I've heard some people argue that Trump winning the election was a sort of backlash to the racial tensions that have heightened recently. Based on the history of race in America and the increasing racial tensions, it is no surprise that such a strong reaction was provoked. Unless the general American population reads up on the history of race in American, I don't foresee these conflicts ending any time soon unfortunately.
I do agree that Trump's plans have benefits. He's not eliminating all immigrants from coming to the United States, he just does not want illegal immigrants. Which is adequate thing to say. In a way it is unfair for that legal residents of the United States, because illegal immigrants don't pay taxes. But for many years new presidents has been fighting illegal immigration, and Trump would want to change decades of history in few years.
DeleteAs the United States is a nation built on diversity, now it seems to be more apparent than ever just how different everyone perceives themselves to be. The mindset of the two dominant races--Caucasians and African Americans is rapidly starting to become a thing of the past. We are entering an era that has people who identity as two different races and countless different ethnicities. In an ideal world, people of different backgrounds, whether racial or cultural could live together within in the same society without any discriminatory instances. As mentioned, Chicago is a very diverse city, but remains segregated at the same time--this differentiates the city from the rest of the country. Growth in diversity could greatly benefit the city because diversity is the norm, while different parts of the country might struggle if they were to see a drastic growth in diversity. The percentage of races other than Caucasian or African American has almost doubled from 1990 to 2000. Furthermore, the Hispanic population has grown at rapid rates over the past 40 years. While certain races are witnessing record growth, the Caucasian population is the slowest growing race since the second half of the 20th century.
ReplyDeleteI think your point on other parts of the country struggling to cope with diversity is a great discussion point. Chicago is such a diverse city, and I believe all major cities in the US will mirror Chicago's diversity within 50 years. Yes, there is still racial tension in Chicago, but not on the same level as some other cities/states. For example, the south is diverse on paper, but when you drive through some of the southern states the segregation is appalling. For a state that is over 25% african american, Alabama is far from diverse in its feel. It's areas of the country like these where the most change will have to occur.
DeleteI agree that diversity can be very different depending on the region. Your prediction that major cities will mirror Chicago's diversity withing 50 years is really interesting. While I am not as familiar with the situation in the south, I see the diversity in Chicago as a major issue structurally. While there is arguably more acceptance of multiculturalism, many minorities of lower-income struggle moving up to the middle-class. There are several factors, but I think one issue is the educational system. So many young kids don't even have a chance to have a better life because our public education lacks the resources or ability to adequately prepare them. Many don't even graduate high school.
DeleteWith that said, I am interested to see what will happen to many lower-income people as more and more lower-skilled jobs are replaced with technology. There has been so much talk by Trump about bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US, but the number of manufacturing jobs is declining globally, not just here. How will the nation and new immigrants adjust to a major change in a decrease in demand for unskilled labor? This might be extreme to think about because it won't happen overnight, but I feel it's headed more that way and wonder the effects it will have on segregation.
I think the increase in diversity predicted by that picture in 2060 will be generally a great thing for politics. The true purpose of politicians is to understand changing needs in society, argue for changes that will benefit a diverse crowd, then pass those laws to make the US a better place to live and work. Pooling this public opinion is something that has been a problem for decades. Whether it be through the gerrymandering that takes place during the electoral process, or the strictly confining representation of race and ethnicity on the US census, understanding the actual diversity (and representing it in an appropriate way) has not been performed well. Hopefully, as populations increase in diversity, politicians will create a better way to evaluate the true needs of the people, and not the ones they choose to place together to win an election or pass a controversial bill.
ReplyDeleteAs the population continues to grow, America’s diversity only continues to thrive. Culture is what shapes us and I believe that each of us contribute to America's cultural heritage. The growing diversity should be a good thing in the U.S. as our many different cultures can come together and learn to assimilate. While having more diverse individual expertise, it allows for greater problem solving than just having one homogeneous group trying to solve a problem. Innovation comes from diversity and as the U.S. continues to see that trend only growing, we can only keep innovating. While on the other hand, social diversity in a large group can cause rougher interactions or even discomfort because of our differences, it is something that we will need to overcome in order to move forward. In politics, we can see that diversity does not bring out the best in some politicians as they strive for their own ideals but diversity definitely provokes thought. Politicians will just need to face the truth that our country is changing demographically and the sooner they realize it, hopefully the sooner they may implement changes that can benefit us all.
ReplyDeleteGrowing diversity in the United States grants a great deal of change for the United States. As we become more diverse, there may be a upsurge in push back from conservative America who may be uncomfortable with the change in diversity. The hope, for me personally, is that the racial and ethnic disparities in the United States even out in populous. As numbers of minority groups begin to rise, it may allow for a more progressive perspective. In a perfect world, this would let perhaps more close-minded people to face people of other ethnicities and races and realize that we are all human at the end of the day. In terms of Chicago, I would hope the growing diversity would be a catalyst in desegregating the city.
ReplyDeleteHowever, with the fear-mongering tactics that the president-elect has utilized to win the election shows little progression in this area in the next few years. Instead of people embracing the growing diversity of the country, it appears as though more people are scared of it. Trump’s claim to ban all Muslims is a direct attack on the growing diversity of the nation. His plan to tighten immigration into the country, as hard as it already is, continues to halt, or attempt to halt, the ever-growing diversity of our country. In terms of American politics, politicians need to be mindful of minority groups and their requests as their populations continue to increase.
I do believe that a lot of diverse people in the United States is not necessary a bad thing. For centuries United States has been accepting new people in, and probably back in 18th century white populations was barely growing while immigration was going through the roof. As well as cities throughout United States were divided into different diverse neighborhoods. For the people of Chicago, different diversities is good a thing. People learn about other diversities quicker. But now the world has changed and as well as the people. Now I think that it’s not about how many people come in it’s about what kind of people come in. Now that Trump have his own plans in dealing with immigration will effect a lot of people. I don’t completely agree with his plans but I think it will be hard diplomatically to make his plans work.
ReplyDeleteI think that the growing diversity is a good thing for the US. In regards to how this growing diversity may play into politics I believe that it remains a controversial topic. I strongly believe that we will never be able to make everyone happy with the way that our country handles immigration. Politically I think that this topic will remain controversial considering Donald Trump's statements on the topic already. As discussed in class the process of immigrating to the US is already an extensive process and he plans to make the process even harder. I think that the growing diversity could definitely help Chicago and the US. A major factor of this though is whether or not the country is willing to listen.
ReplyDeleteThe continual increase in diversification across the United States is only going to cause even more hurdles for our country and its political system. However, these are necessary in order for us to continue to grow and adapt as a country. The white (net overall) change in population from 1970-2010 saw a 17% decrease, while every other racial category saw a significant increase. Within the next 30 years, whites will no longer be the US majority. In fact, in the 5-age-and-under group in the US, whites are currently a minority. Change in our political system is inevitable; it’s just a matter of time.
ReplyDeleteAs this transition is occurring, politicians will no longer be able to rely on “blue collar America” for all their support (at least as much as Trump did). We are going to see our country become the first truly diverse nation from coast to coast. This will have a significant impact on our political system, as race will eventually be a nonissue, leading to a stronger (and more united) United States than ever before. The thought of our country no longer being viewed as so “white” is exciting to me. While this transition is well under way, it always feels as if it takes our political system a few decades to catch up.
I think we all can agree that "white America" is quickly becoming a thing of the past and good riddance. With that being said I also think you are correct by saying that the increase in diversity will bring on more and even new hurdles for the U.S. to overcome, but these hurdles have been a long time coming and need to be faced if we are to grow stronger as a country. Right now we are divided and that makes us weak. It is going to be interesting to see how the Trump presidency plays out considering the majority of his support comes from white America which as the stats show is slowly fading and being replaced by a more ethnically and racially diverse America. He only received 8% of the black vote, 29% of the Hispanic/Latino and Asian vote, and 37% of what is considered other. I find that interesting because how can you run such a diverse country where you you main source of support only comes from one group of people? I guess we are about to find out.
DeleteWith that I say good luck Donald, maybe you were the wake up call we needed. Maybe you'll do a fantastic job and surprise me. The U.S. has never been a country to get it right the first time, but hey hopefully one day!
ReplyDeleteI think growing diversity in the U.S. will positively impact the country in the long run. Many immigrants bring about a new way of thinking and innovation that could advance our country. I thought Alejandro Portes’ piece, Immigration Aftermath, gives more insight about the growing diversity in the US. His take on the short run and long run affects on immigration is interesting. He admits to short term economic benefits of immigration. Then he talks about the long-term effects being negative because the children born into these families are at disadvantages. I think that the generations that come after to those who immigrant are forced into this unknown segregation because they are unable to bring themselves out of this persona given to them. Also they want to stick with what they know since America is still unfamiliar to them. At the same time the children of the immigrants are facing blocked opportunity and external discrimination. I believe that this is one of America’s weaknesses. America struggles to be inclusive of all races and religion, even if it’s done subconsciously. I know that, as a community there is more to do in order to integrate them better into the community.
I thought Immigration Aftermath was a really interesting insight on the growing diversity too. I think that the long-term economic effects of immigrant families are only really negative if the family is in a lower income area. My family and I are immigrants and there are some cultural difference between England and America, but we never experienced any problems integrating into the community. But maybe this is aided by the fact that I live in a city in southern California that has a fair share of immigrant families. But I think my families’ experience with becoming accustomed to American culture would probably be much different if we moved to a small town in the middle of the country where there are barely any immigrants. Also, I think lower income immigrant families have more difficulty integrating into American society because American society is more helpful to the wealthy. I think that diversity is a good thing for American society so we should aim to make it easier for lower class immigrant families to become a part of American communities across the country.
DeleteThe increasing diversity is no doubt one of the most consistently impactful factors of our growing country. It brings an incredible amount of benefits such as increased innovation, new business opportunities, and a higher awareness of cultural differences. I think the diversity is important because it forces us to evolve as a society on many different fronts (rather than us stagnating in terms of cultural politics and ideas). As it continues, our acceptance of other cultures should increase (hopefully) which will lead to a more forword thinking society in terms of our feelings and interactions with other countries and peoples.
ReplyDeleteI think these projection graphs raise an interesting point. Statistically, the graphs are accurate. However, we all know that a lot can happen between now and the projected years. The need for immigration reform that we discussed at the end of class on Tuesday is a perfect example of this. While these graphs assume that our immigration policy remains unchanging, something tells me that in the Trump presidential administration this will most definitely be altered or replaced. That begin said, one can only speculate about the implications of the growing diversity and possible future immigrations policies’ impact on not just American, but global politics.
ReplyDeleteI also feel it worth mentioning that diversity is a double-edged sword. As America becomes more diverse racially and ethnically, it may also become more diverse in political views and beliefs. Just within the past 5 years, the country has become more politically polarized that it had been in its recent history. Though, I cherish and think diversity is important, I wonder at what point this diversity becomes more of a hindrance to the functionality of our democracy rather than an American trademark.
I agree that these graphs may not be an accurate representation of what our country will actually look like in the next few decades, but I wonder how successful the Trump administration will actually be in further restricting immigration, because we have already seen how difficult it currently is for people to come into this country. I think you raise an interesting point about the political divide in our country, but I think that if people are more exposed to true racial and ethnic diversity, rather than stereotypes about different races or groups of immigrants, they might be more likely to realize that these people need aid, and deserve representation in our government and media. I think that growing diversity might actually be a more unifying force than a polarizing one.
DeleteGrowing diversity in the United States is very important and beneficial to the country. The more diverse we are as a nation, the better chance there is that the citizens of the nation will be accepting of different races and ethnicities. Racism, prejudice, and ignorance towards races other than one’s own often stems from lack of exposure to people of those races. If people are more exposed to people of different races and are able to interact with them, they will be able to form their opinions based on those interactions, rather than from the media, which most people use to reaffirm their views. Martin Luther King said, “People fail to get alone because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” If people of different races and ethnicities are able to communicate with one another, they might be more accepting of their differences. This, however, is not always the case. Chicago is one of the most diverse cities in the United States, yet it is also one of the most segregated. A quick Google search of segregation in Chicago will yield hundreds of maps of Chicago showing the racial divide among different neighborhoods. This is due to many different factors and along with the recent election proves that divisions due to race are still prevalent in modern society, even if they are not as blatant as they were in the past. Although there is no easy fix, I believe that the recognition of these racial divisions and conversations about race are stepping stones to better race relations within the United States.
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ReplyDeleteThe image I gained from the reading paint a very dark and dire picture. It became very clear that immigrants and their future generations are not obtaining the American dream, which brought many to come to this country. So often when they come to this country, whether legally or illegally, they work in very low-paying menial jobs, with limited upward mobility. This causes them to live in poor and impoverished neighborhoods, which lack the necessary resources for upward mobility. This cycle of poverty will only add to the current income and class discrepancy that we see today. If we do not provide better schooling and career opportunities for immigrants and their children, the only people who will benefit are the well-educated and upper-management, who gain from the endless supply of cheap labor.
ReplyDeleteI think there's not a simple answer for the growing diversity in America. The hopeful idealist in me believes that this diversity will help politics become harder to be so divided (like Denny was saying, diversity within all parts of the nation can make it harder to gerrymander), however I still believe that people will find another way to cheat the system. I think that the diversity within our country made it even harder, and quite possibly may continue to make it harder, for the election to be as predictable as it used to be. With diversity among cultures spreading and blending and evolving it makes it harder to predict how exactly certain people will vote. Like we saw in this election, Nate Silver, one of the most renowned electoral analysts predicted the election wrong (he predicted Clinton to win by 71.4%!!!) and I think that can be contributed to the growing diversity within America. Gone are the days where one can simply attribute a vote due to a person's race or ethnicity or culture, because it is no longer as simple as that.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to think about is what a more diverse America means for the role racism, in its structural and implicit forms, will lay in society. Will a more racially/ethnically diverse U.S. mean that people will see the need to rid themselves of explicit racism because they will more often see people of color in their everyday lives? But will the implicit racial biases measured in research over the past few decades persist? Perhaps a proactive response to "cure" these biases will still be required even though the country will be more diverse. Porter makes the case that immigrants and their progeny will be part of a permanent underclass, so perhaps there is reason to believe that diversity, in and of itself, will not lead to a more peaceful situation. Stratification may become more intense in some low-income ares.
ReplyDeleteDiversity can impact this country in great way that can bring oppprtunities to all with new ideas for politics, innovations and bring new cultures. It also depends on wether things can progress positively in the next years. This country is divided as it is with new ideas opposing old outdated concepts. Politics plays a factor to this because it specifies on their targeting audience rather the nation as a whole. Maybe with a more diverse nation this would actually make politicians target everyone as their audience. But again diversity can only be stepping stone to making the nation is a whole and we need to stop dividing ourselves or dividing others. Some problems won't go away, but it can be better handle and have less impacts to the nation.
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