Green Paper: Heterogeneity vs Homogeneity — Why SADC Needs the [NRSA] Card (A Comparative Case Study on Social Categorization & Managing Diversity)
Behavioural attitudes that filter when predators and prey come into confrontation, characterize what Charles Darwin would hail as survival of the fittest. However, sometimes animals of the same species attack one another in order to establish dominance and thereby arousing internal conflicts, which are undeniably uprooted via serious, personal concerns. As such, immigration is a very extensive and sometimes controversial topic in the United States of America (USA) among humans of different ethnicity and origin. It has many economic, social, legal and even political factors of influence. However, this essay will examine social, public attitudes towards immigration policy in confronting the hostility directed at the proliferation of aliens in the USA and how addressing this at a social scope can help America to flourish holistically.
Counterarguments tend to focus on economic concerns since a prevalent, negative outlook towards immigrants is very much xenophobic. Many Americans that plea for strict immigration policies, have a misconstrual that immigrants will steal their jobs, and will dilute American values and culture. However, I believe that to tackle this issue in order to actualize an America that flourishes a cultural melting pot; one should to identify the errors of the American attitude towards immigrants, and thus foster a change in cultural norms that would value the additional resources that immigrants can be and bring to America.
My first source will use Blau’s theory on Heterogeneity which will begin to explain how the social structure of America is significant in delineating where and how hostility between these two factions occur. The focal point of this initial main argument comes from chapter two of Sobzcak’s New Americans : Recent Immigration and American Society : American Attitudes Toward Immigrants and Immigration Policy. The part of the chapter, concerning Blau’s theory, allows one to understand what Blau and many other sociologists describe as the out-group and in-group. The in-group are esteemed to be superior and the out-group is the inferior faction (immigrants) who work towards becoming members of the in-group (native born Americans). Blau distinguishes how Increased intergroup association results in increased “contact” and “competition” (Blau 19). Whereas increased contact is may lead to “liberal attitudes” from in-group members towards out-group members; increased competition causes hostile interaction e.g. manifestation of stereotypes, prejudice and even racism.
The second main argument which comes from Major Problems In American History, is deeply extracted from Victor Greene’s essay (chapter two), titled: Permanently Lost: The Trauma of Immigration. This essay is compelling in the sense that it clearly begins to shape my stance on the matter of immigration in America. Greene presents an argument which shows how much immigrants have lost by leaving their homes, the struggle of preserving their culture in a land which is not their own, as well as simultaneously working towards an upward mobility in the ranks of the in-group. The aesthetics of Greene’s essay outline the culture of Eastern Jews, Italians, Polish immigrants and even Mexicans and other Hispanics, with a focus of culture via poetry and song, and therefore showing the cultural enrichment that these non-natives bring to America. This source will allow me to establish the merits of my own stand, by showing how even white Americans (seemingly native citizens) cannot side-line the fact that they too technically fall under the same categorization. Only Native Americans are exempt. Hence, the conclusion here is to show the social benefits for intergroup interaction, at a cultural level which is consistent with social interaction.
The third source outlines my third argument on focusing on the source of indifference and hostility by Americans to immigrants. According to Hainmueller and Hopkin’s study, pre-existing, negative stereotypes to immigrants increases hostility directed by American citizens. Additionally, the study shows that white Americans have ethnocentric views and prejudice and are thus selective towards ‘worthy’ ethnic groups to be assimilated into American society. This connects with American norms and culture which are believed to have a strong influence on in-group / out-group relations. This culminates my greater argument that tackling immigration attitudes socially, can have a very impactful tune towards realizing an America that alters cultural norms that synchronize with a valued appreciation for immigrants, in the pursuit of healthy assimilation.
Works Cited
External author source: https://ukzn-dspace.ukzn.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10413/16551/Mngomezulu_Thabile_Daphney_2016.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
