I Had To Say That... Even If You Do Not Like It

Jesse & Kathy - When I am having my Russian friends, somebody will always say: well, this is America. We all understand what they mean by that. This is something that only immigrants get, not necessarily Russians, but other immigrants as well. There is some common feeling among immigrants about Americans, about them being so naive and so trustful. Or self centered.

'....people are basically good and given a chance they will act honorably'. This is so typical for Americans. Pretty much the rest of the world knows that people are opportunists and will act honorably only if there is absolutely no other way. It is not that if you put a jar with money in the street one will grab the money and one will not. That's why in Russia you will not see it. People are not born with the ethics and honor. They become honorable and ethical under the right circumstances. If the circumstances are not right, they do not become that. Freedom is the responsibility in the first place. Released criminals often get back very soon. They got the opportunity, they can't handle the freedom. Many immigrants never learned to handle it. So, given the opportunities, they just can't act honorably as they don't know how.

I guess this is part of what America is about. If America was judgemental and distrustful, it would not be America.

Bill -  We are now trying to figure how to deal with kicking people out, not in. And , by the way, when people want illegals out, they never ask if they are from the oppressed country or just for monetary gain. Interesting, I did not really think of it before.

Bill, the further we go, the more interesting stuff we learn.

Thanks for visiting.

 Dawn - Nothing is simple with immigration. Sending criminals out sounds so logical, that it even sounds right, That's what everyone is saying: first - secure the borders, second - ship the criminals out. The problem with this is that when someone breaks the law and has to go to jail, they have to go to jail. If you ship out a criminal, then you make this the safe heaven for criminals. You come and commit a crime and ten you are sent home.

The problem with this scenario is that it has been done so many times with Mexican criminals only to see them back here in just a short time.

When Americans arrest Russian Mafia people and send them to the jail, do you think that they will sit a single day in a Russian jail if you send them back?

It still does not feel right, but simply sending back people who committed crimes here may not be the solution.

Jesse & Kathy -You are absolutely correct about the time it takes for people to embrace the freedom. It is something that does not have the pre-defined meaning. Every country, including the most oppressive declare that they have freedom. And they do. They are free to do something. Every freedom is limited.

When I worked in the Social services, I had clients who were getting very upset when they had to make a choice. I would tell them that they can so this, or that and that they needed to make a choice. Each choice was to somehow reflect on them in the future. We were not used to many choices. In a limited choices situation it was only a matter of the right choice or the wrong choice. This is not freedom. This is walking on the mine field. Step here and you live, step here and you die. But we were calling it freedom. So, when they were faced with multiple choices, which seemed similar, they would turn to me and tell me to pick 'the right' choice. I had difficult time explaining to them that they have to make those choices. Some would question what I was paid for, if I could not make a choice for them. The attorneys there were giving you the right advice what to do. The whole culture was that you were told what to do. The doctor never would discuss with you what his plan was and give you any option. He/she would simply tell you what you do. You did not have a say. This is a rather black and white society, and a culture of simple choices, which, as noted, were either right, or wrong.

Old habits are the most difficult to change. After a couple of years in the Bronx, we finally got to Brighton Beach. This was quite an experience. Signs in Russian, Russian language everywhere. A short Mexican guy in a local grocery watching an old Russian lady looking at tomatoes and then, with the smile from ear to ear, saying in plain Russian: "Бери, дура! Завтра дороже будет" (Buy now, you, stupid. It will be more expensive tomorrow). It looked like Russia in a bit more civilized way, but definitely Russia. hey watch Russian TV, they do not quite understand what is happening here, they get exited by the elections in Russia, and their news are still the Russian news.

Basically, they never really immigrated. They simply created their little (or not so little) Odessa, which is safe, with food, care, and everything else what is important for older people. I guess their children is a different story. But I always thought that if my mom were alive and would go with us, this would have been the ideal place for her.

We never had Russian radio, or Russian TV. We were not looking for Russia with better sausage. In the midst of Perestroika I had so high hopes for changes, and when we got a bit of freedom, I started writing for underground newspapers, I wanted to be the part of new country. In Moscow I used to go to Pushkin Square - a center of political activity in Moscow. I was debating, and then once three guys took me aside and told me very nicely that this was not my country, and I better leave. Then it happened again, then again... then many times again in various situations, and it finally got to me that no matter what I do, I am a foreigner in my own country. Living with the fear of pogroms, not being able to protect my family and knowing that there will be no protection from the law enforcement.

I was dreaming all my life of a country, where you do not need to know a big honcho so that you will not get in jail, where you needed to be one of 'theirs' to be able to buy something in the store, where you have to shake hands with people that stole from you, where you do not need to learn the skill to bribe (i failed this miserably). It is a miracle that I found this here. I was born for this country, but somehow in the wrong place. In major things I am an American. In some small things I am still in between. I will never make it all the way through, and that's fine. I really feel myself at home. I know families where husband is completely American, and wife lives in the past, goes back and forth, unhappy, unhinged. Very tough. I am blessed that I did not have that problem. My wife may have a heavy accent, but this is our home and no nostalgia, and never been. I may be missing some friends, some people there, some memories of my childhood, but not the political machine run by a "progressive" KGB General and his cronies.

Jimmy- I think you are rght, it is different immigration now. Century ago these were people who were coming to become Americans, and they were trying to do it as fast as they could.

Now people come to set there little something (Italy, Saigon, Moscow, etc.). They are demanding, they did not came to assimilate, no, they are leaches, came to suck out of America.

Just recently a young lady told me that of course, she would keep her green card, but she would not become a citizen.

Things are often upside down. Because of PC? Maybe, but this is a shame. They want to come here, so we have to set the rules. You take it or leave it, but not come here and set your rules. I can't believe all that discussion of learning a language, and how difficult it is. Hey, 120 years ago people were coming here and learning language OK, and nobody was running after them offering free English language classes. So, what, English was easier then?

As an immigrant, I can state that every one can learn a language, and everyone has proved it by learning their own language once in their life. What is difficult - accent. It is very difficult to get rid of the accent. Hey, nobody is asking for that. The rest of that is simply laziness. Why people do that. because nobody is serious to send them home if they do not learn. If they would know that they have only one year to learn a language, they would learn it in a year. If they would know that they have 6 months, they would learn it in 6 months. If you tell them that you are so understandable, they will not learn it after living in this country for 20 years.

I am not kidding, I know that for the fact.

Gary -Thanks for visiting. As for illegals, I have a lot of respect for many of them. If you are comparing legal immigrants to illegal immigrants, you may be surprised how taxing for the system are legals. It takes a couple of weeks for illegals to start working, and it sometimes takes forever for legals to start working. Why? Because the illegals are not eligible for the programs like Medicaid, Food Stamps, Section 8 housing, SS Disability, etc. So, all they have is work their way up.

Isn't working hard something that America wants? So, why not look at people who proved that they are hard working people, and let them become citizens?

Karen - I think that most often the immigrants are abused by their compatriots. At least this is the case with Russians in Brooklyn. Russian home attendants working for Russian ladies are treated as slaves, that I know.

Would Americans (meaning those who are not from those countries) treat them the same way?

Also, immigrants affect the way people around them. When Russians started coming to Brooklyn in large numbers, they started bribing building superintendents to get into a 'better' building. Two years later you can forget about getting into any building without paying the super at least $500. Russians 'taught' them that.

I remember American personnel in the American consulate in Moscow. They were often rude and obnoxious, just as Russians around them.

Bill - Wow! Strongly disagree with my position and still awarding the featured status? Isn't that surprising?

I appreciate this very much.