Tax Dollars at Work and Play

I had free Tai food the other day.  And all I had to do was endure an hour of anti-White racial agitation to get it.

Mai Nguyen is the founding director of the Asian/Hispanic/Native American Center at Wright State University and the founding president of Ohio Consortium of Multicultural Centers in Higher Education (OCMCHE).  In reckless disregard for irony, Ms. Nguyen, a refugee from Vietnam, has made a nice living for herself giving lectures on how evil White people treated Asians.  Waylaid by an Asian friend, I found myself listening to one of these lectures at the government’s Asian Pacific Island something-or-other.  Hey, free food!

The bête noire of the Ms. Nguyen, is – wait for it – immigration restriction, and in particular the Immigration Act of 1924, although she does take time to discuss the WWII internment of Japanese.  Her narrative was one of immigrant flows from a succession of Asian countries, each in turn provoking nativist backlash and restriction.

Several thoughts come to mind.

The audience was comprised mostly of Asians (though not entirely; I surprised at the number of Caucasians in attendance).  Since they had security clearances, they were, to a man, American citizens in good standing.  So whatever our restrictions on Asian immigration, those restrictions were definitionally not offenses against these Asians or their ancestors.  So why should they be upset?

But of course, I’m not that naïve.  I know exactly why they’re upset:  they racially identify with the greater transnational Asian community.  On the one hand, in the context of the present state of American culture and politics, this is entirely understandable.

On the other hand, it aggravates the perils of immigration under our present circumstances.  Leave aside the problematic implications of celebrations of ethnic pride for American unity in general.  Here we have a group of people who, by virtue of their above-average intelligence, orderliness, and industry, have been quite successful here in America.  Yet instead of celebrating that success, nor even opposing the real and ongoing discrimination they face in most college admissions to the benefit of blacks and Hispanics, they instead nurture hatred against its historic (i.e., white) majority because, once upon a time, we tried to keep our own country.

What’s in this for me and my children?  How does it benefit them to allow immigration to enlarge a group that is growing in both economic power and hostility to whites?

Mmm . . . I’m not sure that the usual people will like the potential application of this logic.  Forget I said anything.

The Thai food was catered.  Thai food isn’t really to my tasted, but you can’t argue with free.  Our plates were prepared by young Thai girls of limited English proficiency.  I spoke with one:

How long have you been in the U.S.?

Five years.

How do you like living here?

Eh . . . [Non-committal head movements.]

This was obviously a family restaurant.  I’m curious as to her visa status, or indeed her lawful presence here.  I’m also wondering how much personal choice she had in coming or remaining.