What does Future say for US in terms of population?
By: Seyyed Hasan Salehzadeh
By looking on Bureau of American Census site, one may ask himself what does future say for US in terms of population. Is US a country that is going to be a fractious nation as some like J. Reider believe?[1] What do really people do in country which is going to have four hundred million people in not more than thirty years in future? A country with one-third of population includes minorities who have higher fertility rate than whites in spite of their low income. Are White Nationalists rights when they fear of future? Or is W.A.S.P. right to do and to have racist tendencies toward racial groups? How do minority groups endure social inequalities and its consequences? Is America going toward splitting up or fraction?
By looking on socioeconomic and political condition of minorities easily one can predict if such a condition had occurred in other countries certainly they would have split up. But why it has not happened in US yet? Maybe the answer is because they are immigrants so they do not suppose any right to claim against European white Anglo Saxons. If it is hypothetically true, up to what time it will continue? If in future the population of whites and non-whites would get equal, does the white supremacy in different dimensions of government would have legitimacy? Would Hispanics and African-Americans justify government majority of officials are whites? The answer is certainly "not". The power is something that undoubtedly each minority group would seek for among majority.
Many political and social scholars and thinkers predict some crises in American societies. Samuel Huntington, Professor of Harvard University who has written some books on politics such as "Clash of Civilizations" and "Who Are We?" in the latter has explained about the challenges of identity in American societies at present and future. He believes the rise of sub- national identities are equal to deconstruction of United States. He gives some clues of 1960s when some movements began declining of the values of American identities that their main core of them was liberal democracy that tended to unite Americans of different ethnicities and races. They defined America as a conglomerate of races, ethnicities and sub national cultures while some concepts as melting pot and tomato soup were rejected of Americans and instead the concepts such as mosaic and salad bowl were offered. As Huntington indicates the rise of different identities puts national identity at risk and deconstructs national unity.[2]
What will happen if the population of minorities increases so rapidly? According to accounts by American Bureau of Census the growth of population among minorities shows most percentage. The Hispanics with %3 and African- Americans with %2.2 have higher fertility rate than whites (1997). So the population of both Hispanics and African-Americans will grow in one and twice more than others. According to statistics on immigrants come legally and illegally from southern borders, especially from Mexico, the US government and Republicans seek for restriction, so the FR (fertility rate) will increase more than past because majority of immigrants are in fertility ages. By looking at maps of minorities it can be understood that most of Hispanics live in western and southern halves of the country as well as in some parts of northeastern and southeastern (Florida).The African-Americans generally live in eastern coasts of US in some states from Massachusetts to Texas as in west they live regularly in California, Arizona and Nevada. Asians and Pacific Islanders generally live in western half (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Washington and Oregon) as some portions live in northeastern and southeastern. Indian and Alaska natives mostly in west and southwestern states as New Mexico, Arizona, and California as in northern half in scattered way in different states from Dakota to Washington. As mentioned three main groups as Hispanics, African-Americans and Asians live in most populated in northern and southwestern parts of America. As majority of immigrants choose regions to live that residents are similar in race and language to live with no problem, so western parts of US are supposed to have most populated of Hispanics in forthcoming years. Some issues as job, language and security probably will put whites Hispanics against each other. Now in some parts in west, Hispanics request for their children to be taught Spanish as they are learning English. It should be considered as one of sparkles of separation. Maybe they are right to wish their children learn their mother tongue in schools as one formal language but here we discuss on national identity and unity not rights even though they are related directly together.
Whites are concern about what was discussed on population. During recent decades some groups claim not to be racist but favor the separation of races, even seek for removing and dismissing them from country increased. They are called White Nationalist. Their leaders sometimes by racial approach or ethnically confront minority groups. Some groups as W.A.S.P just support white protestant Anglo-Saxons and even oppose Jews, although they (Jews) are most influential in economy and politics. Some groups by religious approach confront other religions' followers such Muslims, Arabs and Jews. An African-American scholar, Carol Swain, who has written a book "New White Nationalism; a Challenge to Integration" gives some information about these groups and warns about their actions and targets as well. She is of minority group discusses against Affirmative Action as a factor that worsens the relation between whites and minorities and makes motives to real separation.[3] By some field researches she has explained the motivation and intention of anti- minorities' activists like interview with some activists such as Lisa Turner and Jared Taylor or some sites founded by these groups to issue and develop their thoughts like American Renaissance [4] that now is active and Jared Taylor manages this site in which every day you see news from north America and northern Europe on colored skins. The news is abridged and viewers are asked to put their comments .The viewers usually are from anti-minorities groups who write their comments against colored people.
As number of colored people increases the number of terrorist and racist groups increase in parallel. Some of them ask for separation of US as one them announced that tends to separate some states from northwestern like Washington, Oregon and Idaho to build a territory without any colored people in it. Some of nationalist groups have done military actions for some times. Although they were suppressed by states or federal policemen but the existence of such sentiments and tendencies in a country that seeks for harmony to unite all racial and ethnic groups is decisive and vital.
In general either such mutual sentiments or feelings are resisted against or not, the growth of disparities and oppositions in US is decisive. The leaders and officials in states and federal should find stronger norms to keep and continue national unity, as the present norms (American values such as flag, liberalism…) are not so reliable and as Huntington indicates they are important when US involves in such a crisis as 9/11[5], unless on other occasions the crisis will show itself again.
[1] -Rieder, Jonathan, 2003, The Fractious Nation?
[2] - Huntington, Samuel, WHO ARE WE?, p. 141
[3] - Swain, Carol, 2003, New White Nationalism; a Challenge to Integration, p. 58
[4] - www.amren.com
[5] - WHO ARE WE?, p. 8
By: Seyyed Hasan Salehzadeh
By looking on Bureau of American Census site, one may ask himself what does future say for US in terms of population. Is US a country that is going to be a fractious nation as some like J. Reider believe?[1] What do really people do in country which is going to have four hundred million people in not more than thirty years in future? A country with one-third of population includes minorities who have higher fertility rate than whites in spite of their low income. Are White Nationalists rights when they fear of future? Or is W.A.S.P. right to do and to have racist tendencies toward racial groups? How do minority groups endure social inequalities and its consequences? Is America going toward splitting up or fraction?
By looking on socioeconomic and political condition of minorities easily one can predict if such a condition had occurred in other countries certainly they would have split up. But why it has not happened in US yet? Maybe the answer is because they are immigrants so they do not suppose any right to claim against European white Anglo Saxons. If it is hypothetically true, up to what time it will continue? If in future the population of whites and non-whites would get equal, does the white supremacy in different dimensions of government would have legitimacy? Would Hispanics and African-Americans justify government majority of officials are whites? The answer is certainly "not". The power is something that undoubtedly each minority group would seek for among majority.
Many political and social scholars and thinkers predict some crises in American societies. Samuel Huntington, Professor of Harvard University who has written some books on politics such as "Clash of Civilizations" and "Who Are We?" in the latter has explained about the challenges of identity in American societies at present and future. He believes the rise of sub- national identities are equal to deconstruction of United States. He gives some clues of 1960s when some movements began declining of the values of American identities that their main core of them was liberal democracy that tended to unite Americans of different ethnicities and races. They defined America as a conglomerate of races, ethnicities and sub national cultures while some concepts as melting pot and tomato soup were rejected of Americans and instead the concepts such as mosaic and salad bowl were offered. As Huntington indicates the rise of different identities puts national identity at risk and deconstructs national unity.[2]
What will happen if the population of minorities increases so rapidly? According to accounts by American Bureau of Census the growth of population among minorities shows most percentage. The Hispanics with %3 and African- Americans with %2.2 have higher fertility rate than whites (1997). So the population of both Hispanics and African-Americans will grow in one and twice more than others. According to statistics on immigrants come legally and illegally from southern borders, especially from Mexico, the US government and Republicans seek for restriction, so the FR (fertility rate) will increase more than past because majority of immigrants are in fertility ages. By looking at maps of minorities it can be understood that most of Hispanics live in western and southern halves of the country as well as in some parts of northeastern and southeastern (Florida).The African-Americans generally live in eastern coasts of US in some states from Massachusetts to Texas as in west they live regularly in California, Arizona and Nevada. Asians and Pacific Islanders generally live in western half (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Washington and Oregon) as some portions live in northeastern and southeastern. Indian and Alaska natives mostly in west and southwestern states as New Mexico, Arizona, and California as in northern half in scattered way in different states from Dakota to Washington. As mentioned three main groups as Hispanics, African-Americans and Asians live in most populated in northern and southwestern parts of America. As majority of immigrants choose regions to live that residents are similar in race and language to live with no problem, so western parts of US are supposed to have most populated of Hispanics in forthcoming years. Some issues as job, language and security probably will put whites Hispanics against each other. Now in some parts in west, Hispanics request for their children to be taught Spanish as they are learning English. It should be considered as one of sparkles of separation. Maybe they are right to wish their children learn their mother tongue in schools as one formal language but here we discuss on national identity and unity not rights even though they are related directly together.
Whites are concern about what was discussed on population. During recent decades some groups claim not to be racist but favor the separation of races, even seek for removing and dismissing them from country increased. They are called White Nationalist. Their leaders sometimes by racial approach or ethnically confront minority groups. Some groups as W.A.S.P just support white protestant Anglo-Saxons and even oppose Jews, although they (Jews) are most influential in economy and politics. Some groups by religious approach confront other religions' followers such Muslims, Arabs and Jews. An African-American scholar, Carol Swain, who has written a book "New White Nationalism; a Challenge to Integration" gives some information about these groups and warns about their actions and targets as well. She is of minority group discusses against Affirmative Action as a factor that worsens the relation between whites and minorities and makes motives to real separation.[3] By some field researches she has explained the motivation and intention of anti- minorities' activists like interview with some activists such as Lisa Turner and Jared Taylor or some sites founded by these groups to issue and develop their thoughts like American Renaissance [4] that now is active and Jared Taylor manages this site in which every day you see news from north America and northern Europe on colored skins. The news is abridged and viewers are asked to put their comments .The viewers usually are from anti-minorities groups who write their comments against colored people.
As number of colored people increases the number of terrorist and racist groups increase in parallel. Some of them ask for separation of US as one them announced that tends to separate some states from northwestern like Washington, Oregon and Idaho to build a territory without any colored people in it. Some of nationalist groups have done military actions for some times. Although they were suppressed by states or federal policemen but the existence of such sentiments and tendencies in a country that seeks for harmony to unite all racial and ethnic groups is decisive and vital.
In general either such mutual sentiments or feelings are resisted against or not, the growth of disparities and oppositions in US is decisive. The leaders and officials in states and federal should find stronger norms to keep and continue national unity, as the present norms (American values such as flag, liberalism…) are not so reliable and as Huntington indicates they are important when US involves in such a crisis as 9/11[5], unless on other occasions the crisis will show itself again.
[1] -Rieder, Jonathan, 2003, The Fractious Nation?
[2] - Huntington, Samuel, WHO ARE WE?, p. 141
[3] - Swain, Carol, 2003, New White Nationalism; a Challenge to Integration, p. 58
[4] - www.amren.com
[5] - WHO ARE WE?, p. 8
posted by seyyed hasan at 3:50 AM
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