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Entry: The Lie of Assimilation Link: http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/the_lie_of_assimiliation#8824 Post contents: I'm not Peter Ramus, but I'm not John Zmirak either. Out of all of the immigrant groups that came to America in the 19th century, I'd say that German Catholics were the best of the lot. And while many German Catholics didn't "assimilate" they didn't upset the apple cart either. In other words, the German Catholics were both closely enough related to the original stock Americans that they fit in, and the culture of German Catholics was pretty much one that didn't seek to subvert the pre-existing social order. So that even many critics of immigration in the 19th and early 20th century didn't have much to complain about concerning German Catholic immigrants. That being said, the almost unique nature of German Catholic immigrants (among the largest group ever to migrat to the USA) doesn't tell us much about other immigrant groups. Making arguments that because we let people immigrate here in the past we must continue to do so isn't a rational argument. It is as Scott says, an emotional argument and is often advanced by those who exactly wish to subvert whatever of the old order still exists in the USA. BTW, I'm not a German Catholic. Sent at: 2008 07 24