Stirring the "Melting Pot"

In the past year, more children were born in the United States to people of color than to whites. Evidence has shown that by the middle of the 21st century, other races will outnumber whites. It seems, based on these facts that we are on the verge of a new minority in the United States. Now, I’m not for a minute complaining of the increasing amount of people of color in our country, or offering to champion increased immigration restrictions. I for one embrace the diversity that our country is so rich with. However, I wonder if come 2050 the paradigm will shift once our Anglo brethren are outnumbered across the nation. Will scholarships and job opportunities become easier to secure for those of Caucasian background because of new affirmative action legislation? Will advocacy groups march in force to ensure the rights of the ginger are protected? Are we going to recommend that our schools offer English classes so our kids have foreign language exposure? These may sound like foolish questions posed by an ignorant soul, but look deep at where things are going in the US today, and ask yourself, are they really that absurd?

One round-trip around a radio dial in Texas will show you the influence of our shrinking English-speaking population. Go to any new retail establishment and look at the department signage hanging from the ceiling to see that it is now required to be in two languages. Search the help wanted ads, and see that most positions now encourage bilingual skills. My last job position virtually required me to speak another language. I sit at my cubical, and hear full conversations in Spanish. I say all this with a bit of a laugh though, because if you were to visit our neighbors to the north, you’d see that most, nay nearly all, people speak two languages. My point is that America is behind the power curve as it is when it comes to open-mindedness regarding language. In our arrogance we expect everyone in our country to automatically speak English, and at the same time when we travel to other countries we expect them to speak our language as well.

America is heading a new direction with a growing population of blacks, Hispanics, and other races, and in our lifetimes we will see that whites are not going to be the majority any longer. The diversity and flavor that has defined America’s culture and language however comes from our roots as the new home and land of opportunity for those seeking a new life, and should always remain that way. I just hope that when we’re the new minority we’re not subject to the oppression and difficulty we gave their predecessors…