How knowledgeable are you about ignorance?

.. but you said we already are? Each one of us. This post was edited by O-uknow at December 2, 2017 5:41 PM MST

Sort of like immigrants who come here and refuse to learn English.

https://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/troosevelt.asp

Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American … There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag … We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language … and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”



There does seem to be some controversy about the wording, who said it first, etc.---but I like the sentiment. This post was edited by tom jackson at December 3, 2017 8:36 PM MST

I don't want to go too far into this right now, but the insistence on one fixed identity seems overly rigid. Would refugees coming to the United States have to forego their culture?

What does, strictly speaking, "being American" even mean when there have been so many kinds of 'American' (pre- and post-colonization), when the nation can be very divided (politically, economically, socially, culturally), and when the government may be acting in objectionable or even 'non-American' fashion?

What I posted was said 110 years ago.  It was probably simpler back then.

We wouldn't need to "aspire" to a fixed identity; but we require the possession of certain knowledge and the taking of an oath for immigrants to gain citizenship status.

If you live in the USA, I would have no problem with requiring a resident to speak English.  Such a person would not have to "promulgate his esoteric cogitations," but he should be able to clearly "say what he thinks."

As to forgoing one's culture, if your culture is that important to you, why come here?  Maybe we have come to the point in time where there is a legitimate price for the privileges of living in America if we current Americans wish to preserve our democracy indefinitely.

And since our population has grown so much, perhaps we should re-define what the characteristics of an American citizen should be.

Stu!  You do have a sense of humor!  Shalom!  Welcome to the dark side.