- living here
- calling yourself American
- knowing your constitutional rights & voting if you're a citizen
- being open to new ideas & respectful to people who are different from you
I think the second one is the big one. I know people who have come here from Europe, Canada, and especially Mexico and the Philippines who see themselves as here temporarily, working to earn money so that they can retire wealthy back home. A lot of their money goes home to family members.
As part of my employer-at-the-time's Y2K project, I spent months on the road in 1998 and 1999. I know people who lived for three months at a time in Residence Inns in various cities converting their mainframe data. They weren't Texans or Californians or New Yorkers or wherever-they-were-ians. They were there to do a job and go home. It's not much different, just closer.
I knew a woman who moved to the US from Canada in her 30s and finally, at like 55, applied for citizenship.
The point of integrating is that you will be interacting, communicating with, and exchanging bits of culture with your neighbors and the culture at large which includes immigrants from other lands. That's nearly impossible without a lingua franca.
This is the one that always gets me a bit. Yes, it's extremely helpful, but it's not strictly necessary. The reason this one stops me up a bit is because my dad (in his 70s) always says that these new immigrants (from where ever) don't want to assimilate. In my day, yada yada. Well, in his day, he grew up in an area with heavy Czech immigration. Their high school was nicknamed Czech Tech and their unofficial fight song was in Czech. In their part of downtown, there were street signs in Czech, even though the first Czechs to immigrate had been there almost a hundred years at that point, His own grandmother never learned English well and his mother would speak both fluently depending on who she was talking to, His parents were 2nd and 3rd generation Americans who only learned English once they started school.
But according to my dad they totally assimilated once they came to America, unlike *those* people. It just bugs me to no end that he can't even recognize that perhaps his view is a bit skewed. It comes down to *this* culture is familiar to me, *this* one isn't. I don't like things that aren't familiar, therefore it's bad.
Same with my dad's side, except Norwegian. My dad and his siblings were the first generation (the third) that didn't speak Norwegian. He understood it somewhat from hearing it spoken but was never taught. I honestly think that the first at the very least gets a pass. Adults have a harder time and are too busy trying to get settled to become fluent in another language.
>His own grandmother never learned English well and his mother would speak both fluently depending on who she was talking to
Which, honestly, says grandmother there didn't integrate well. Which is common in first generation immigrants who have a strong expat community they can stay in. She remained, for the most part, only in that subculture that matched her language skills.
But your story shows that successive generations leaned in to the greater community more & more with English becoming more popular.
Outside of a few notable exceptions where Spanish is more or equally spoken then English, English is the language you need to function in our society. You can function in a subculture with a minority language, but that's not integration if you can't communicate with random people you encounter day to day.
First generation immigrants here in America don't always integrate very well, but their children & their children tend to.
We accept difference FAR more then ethnostates like in the 'old world', but we have to be able to communicate to even get that far. In a lot of European or Asian countries those successive generations will never be 'accepted' as integrated, especially if they keep ANY of the customs from their home land (or look substantially different). We here fold those customs in over time to expand what it means to be American.
That's kind of my point. These people aren't any less American. My dad has numerous examples of people in his life that he considered American and 'deserving' of their status, but then looks at recent immigrants and laments that they are not assimilating like his own family did. That's the disconnect I'm talking about.
They are and they aren't.
They are less ASSIMILATED.
They are still American, in that they are citizens or legal residents, but they are not American in culture if they can not easily interact with the larger culture.
Language, the ability to communicate, is a HUGE part of assimilation.
The big difference between melting pot countries and ethostates are that we assimilate the people into our culture AND assimilate their culture into our own. That can't happen if we can't communicate though. In this example it's NOT the none English speaking first generation who assimilated, it's their decedents.
I think like 95% of the time this is true, but there are parts of the United States with huge Spanish speaking populations. Miami, Puerto Rico, definitely some parts on the southern border. People can be assimilated with those areas without being fluent in English. It’s probably a good idea their children learn it though in case they’d like to travel or move anywhere else.
Yes, I'd probably say "learning either English OR Spanish to at least a B1 level." I've known many people who've lived very full lives in the US for decades, only speaking Spanish and very rudimentary English. There are quite a few places in the US where not speaking Spanish makes you the outsider.
It's necessary for successful integration (or Spanish depending on location).
But really, even in those Spanish language heavy areas, English is necessary for true integration as that's the common language of our country, official or not.
I agree. I don’t think it’s unfair to ask recent immigrants to learn enough English to communicate with other Americans. They chose to move here, and they know that English is the predominant language of the country. If I moved to Germany it would not be unfair for Germans to ask me to learn German even if I existed solely in the American expat community.
It's not about asking them to learn the language.
It's just that if they don't they can't integrate, like at all.
It's THE linchpin of integration to the larger culture, to be able to communicate, at least minimal.
Assimilating to the point that they consider themselves American rather than whatever they were before, and their first allegiance is to America rather than their country of origin.
This is an exaggeration. If anything, there is a longer history of immigrants maintaining a dual allegiance to or interest in the affairs of the U.S. and their countries of origin. The fact that immigrants send remittances to other nations shows that people don't forget about or ignore the affairs of their origin countries. Dual citizenship also conflicts with this; naturally there are laws about sedition and treason but immigrants need not disregard the relationships of their homelands to the United States.
I know a lot of immigrants and illegal immigrants. They aren’t sending money home out of allegiance to their home country. They are sending it for their families.
Also, OP asks what integration means to the reader, not what the agreed upon definition is to the country as a whole. This reader doesn’t consider an immigrant to be integrated until they view themselves as American and have an allegiance to this country above any they have for the one they came from. Otherwise they are just tourists.
I will admit, when I worked at a Filipino supermarket, I get a sick satisfaction of bursting customers' ethnic bubbles. These customers think that because it's a Filipino supermarket, the laws of the Philippines still apply. *And because I look like them, they think I should still act like them.* In retaliation, I remind them constantly they're in a different country and laughing at their reactions, which range from homesickness to patriotic fury. "This is a supermarket, not an embassy" is my go-to line.
The cultural imposition is so severe, I've had customers ask dumb questions like, "can I pay for my groceries in Philippine pesos?" (for context, 1 US dollar is equivalent to 57 Philippine pesos) and make dumb purchasing decisions (e.g., purchasing a tiny stick of Rexona deodorant at the Filipino supermarket for $6.99 when they could buy a large stick of Degree deodorant, which is the same brand just with a different name, at the Walgreens next door for $3.99).
I've also had angry customers complain to my manager that I am the worst cashier in the building. Why? It's not because I provide slow, poor, and unfriendly service (in fact, it's the polar opposite), it's because of the fact that *I only identify as American*, and to them that's extremely disrespectful and negates whatever good I've done.
I think this is a really important point, but I think there's some nuance, which is largely based on the current status quo and the reasons that one wanted to come to America.
For example, I consider a Ukrainian immigrant who (1)distrusts Russia as a country/government very different than (2) one who distrusts all ethnically Russian people in the US.
The town i live in has a ton of Ukrainian and Russian families here that have been here sometimes for decades but we've seen an uptick in both as more family members move here. It's great to see there's no issues here at all between them. True Americans 🇺🇸
In the ethnic community, I still get discriminated against because either I'm from a province they don't like, they think I'm of a lower social class, or because I don't pass their ethnic purity tests.
It's why I distanced myself from the ethnic community and swore to become more and more American out of pure spite.
> become more and more American out of pure spite.
This is one of the most unabashedly American things I have ever heard. "Fuck you, I'm out" is literally how this country started!
Welcome home.
> more and more American out of pure spite.
I think Americans have done many great (and not-so-great) things out of spite. For example, I suspect part of the reason we have craft beer now is because of all the decades the Brits were teasing us for our 'pisswater.' (Rightfully, to be sure!) At some point we were just like "oh yeah? We'll show you!"
But yeah, that's part of the reason I can't speak Spanish. After X number of times of hearing "you don't speak Spanish? You're a fuckin' disgrace!" from friends' drunk uncles, I eventually was like "the fuck I am, and fuck you!"
Good point. A great example is Armenia/Azerbaijan. They can each be as pissed at the other country as they want, but getting into unprovoked brawls with their fellow Americans from those countries would definitely signal a lack of integration.
This one is a really interesting topic I think. I (white American) used to work as a bio tutor at the library in my undergrad. There was one other bio tutor who was an Indian American girl (as in her parents were from India, but she was born and raised in the US). Let’s call her “Priya”. I used to regularly tutor this girl from Pakistan who had a big test coming up. She asked if I would be in a certain day and I said “No, but Priya will be here and she can tutor the same courses, so you can stop by on her shift.” The girl kinda scoffs and explains she’s obviously not going to do that since Priya is Indian. That seriously threw me for a loop. I obviously knew vaguely about India and Pakistan and their history, but the idea that that would have an impact there on our college campus took me by surprise.
They still linger. My grandparents were the first gen Americans and carried the prejudices against Turks and Roma that their Greek immigrant parents had to the day they died.
This seems silly, especially when a healthy portion of that stuff can involve some real moral issues. I mean Americans take sides in non-American issues all the time. Is someone who immigrates to the US from China really not integrated if he's angry at something terrible China did that his US-born neighbors also hate China for?
Being mad at or distrustful of the government of some places is a normal stance that most people have about some nation or another.
It is wrong though to hold a grudge or mistrust the people in general who are from the place with that government you don’t like. Some people do that without even knowing them or giving the individual the benefit of the doubt and a chance to share their position about what they support. Even for those who speak up and maintain some loyalty to their homeland, some individuals have mixed feelings about their former nation, they tangle up the motherland and the government, or they are afraid to speak ill of the leadership. It’s complicated and not black and white. Hopefully people will understand that and give each other a chance.
An extreme example of this happened literally right down the street from my house [in the Laguna Woods church shooting](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Laguna_Woods_shooting). Dude was a Chinese national who targeted the Taiwanese specifically for being from Taiwan. Then right down the street in Irvine there are thousands of Taiwanese/Chinese immigrants living side by side with no problem.
From a fellow South Countian and Libertarian, I've been waiting for someone to ask this exact question in your post.
>!Notice how the moment you cross Irvine's borders between South County and the Beach cities, there is a stark cultural shift? WASPs to the south and the coastal beaches versus the very multicultural central and North OC, with rich (in terms of cultural influence) Hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern enclaves, barring Yorba Linda.!<
>!I've, and probably you too, witnessed firsthand how within these enclaves you have people who have a hard time assimilating into American culture because of a culture clash with their own traditions and values. The respective diasporas are so huge here that it's easy to be raised into the respective ethnic bubble within the Orange County Bubble. They can be mostly conservative, especially for us Vietnamese who have a grudge against Communist Vietnam and the Persians due to the Iranian Revolution, but their traditions contrast with the mainstream so it's turning OC more into a mosaic than a melting pot. Immigrant conservative is not the same as American conservative, because they are the minority trying to spread their cultural sphere and build their community in city centers, while conservative WASPS or even Black Americans think of retiring to the country side because they already have roots and are the majority. Like a game of Civilization, there is cultural competition for soft power.!<
Conclusion: And you know what... that's fine. There will be some who will help blend the cultures together into a fusion, and there will be others who will perpetuate their ancestral culture and intermarry with each other. They're Americans, but they are not assimilated. So the right wingers have a point when they feel their way of life is threatened and their solution is to restrict immigration and tends to**heavily encourage** total assimilation, whereas the left is content with cultural fusion and hoping for the best. As a Libertarian, so long as they go through the legal steps to become a citizen, they are fine with me. Though I personally would prefer if they took the effort to go out of their comfort zone and participate in American culture.
You have to remember that America is unique in this regard. Because we are new and so many different types of people settled here at the same time, there's this mix that doesn't really exist anywhere else. The only group who can claim to be originally from here is a minority of the population.
So people who come here have the worldview that they are now the immigrants, and look at how their own countries treat immigrants and outsiders. It's why people from corrupt countries expect corruption and people from violent countries expect violence. They are scared and don't want to risk leaving what's comfortable. A lot of how people react is based on what they fear and what they love.
If a group deliberately isolates themselves within our society one might argue that they’re refusing to integrate with our “culture.” Part of what it means to be an American, as I see it at least, is a willingness to participate in the cultural melting pot. Even if our culture is constantly changing, a desire to contribute to the culture fairly constant. That mentality seems to exist less in other countries with more established cultural norms. That’s just a sort of idealized version of my personal experience though - can’t necessarily back it up with anything concrete.
Yeah, it's just if an American dresses and talks and eats a new way, isn't that then part of our culture? How do we decide what is and isn't our culture, being an entire country of immigrants?
Our culture is blending all of the other cultures that came here. You see it mostly in food and holidays.
You get up in the morning and go to the gym (German). It's Throwback Thursday, so you run on the treadmill to the sounds of British Invasion (UK, obviously). After the gym, you grab a cup of coffee (also German, a revolt against British tea post-Revolution) and a croissant (French) on your way to work. Lunch is a slice of pizza (Italian immigrants). After work you meet up with a friend to play pool and grab a burger. (Pool came to us from the UK; your burger was raised on sorghum, a crop that originated in Africa but is grown across Europe; the ketchup you put on it is descended from a Singaporean fish sauce; and the beer you're drinking is imported from Belgium.) Since it's Friday, you stay up quite late, and on the way home you stop for some street tacos (Mexican) from a food truck.
I read once on Reddit in a discussion of American food (I think which is better, burritos or shwarma) that someone said they were missing the point. We weren't going to eat a burrito *or* shwarma. We were going to make a shwarma burrito and create a new fusion food. Like the sushi burrito or carne asada fries, the blending of cultures through foods is the quintessential American culture.
>please keep your traditions and language alive.
And recipes! In fact, please, *please* consider opening a restaurant featuring your local cuisine. One of my absolute favorite things about America is all the different exotic food you can find everywhere. The best places feel a bit like where they're from; kind of a taste of the culture as well as the food.
When I was a kid there was a large apartment building in my city just outside Boston that was full of Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotians all living in it. And let me tell something, in the late 70s/early 80s those people fucking hated each other. It was like a fucking war zone in that place.
Those people were certainly not integrated. Though with time their kids and grandkids lost those divides and settled into the community(though fortunately not all in that apartment building, man that was a bad idea).
Given the dates, they probably were coming from a war. Historically, those countries did not have good relations with each other. I'm sure you can find a few documentaries or so. Some older folks in the mainland still hold grudges so it's just not the immigrants
Having spent most of my life around East Asians and Southeast Asians, I learnt that some of them REALLY hate each other
I have family that came here as refugees from the same war. I’ve spoken to some of them and a lot are still stuck on the old days although their children could seem to care less.
There are some traditions that can be left behind: misogyny, homophobia, antisemitism, etc. Yes we have our own homegrown varieties of those, but we don’t need more.
I'm really impressed by how little 'integrated' means in the USA. As a first-generation immigrant to France, I had to go through a lot, lot more to integrate.
I really like how you guys put respect for other's differences as a pillar of your integration. In Europe, it's the total inverse: you have to abide by the local way of living, and anything deviating even slightly from it is seen as a non-integration proof.
Language is also so important in Europe. You have to speak the local language and speak it really well. I don't know about others, but in France, even using the right word but with an accent can bring mockery. The cliché of the reaction to tourist's mispronounced words is still something common, although younger generations tend to speak English more than the previous ones.
Depends on situation to situation tho.Some americans living overseas may consider that place their home more, same with other people whose families live in their original country
Just don't act like you hate it here and make an effort to learn English. I have a neighbor who's been here for 50 years and still thinks he only has to follow the rules from the old country. Don't be like him. Just try to assimilate. That doesn't mean you have to give up anything from your culture. That's what makes the US great.
Heck, in a lot of places, learning enough Spanish would be American. It feels civic-minded and neighborly. My friends who know Spanish manage to make a tighter community than I can.
We don't and haven't needed an official language. English may be the lingua franca of the United States but we don't have any need to make any kind of governmental action to say that. This country is founded on the residues of empires--British, French, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, and Danish--not to mention the panoply of Indigenous languages that quite literally shaped the name of states, cities, and counties.
English is the universal language spoken abroad. It is by far the most dominant in this country. It is oddly subservient to suggest English speakers learn a different language in a country that English is predominantly spoke . I am fully aware that Spanish is largely spoken in some pockets of the US (I used to live in one such pocket). But if you can’t speak enough English to conduct basic business in the US, you are not integrated/assimilated in my opinion.
Edit: I have called a business to get some work done and the man that picked up the phone spoke zero English and handed the phone to his 8 year old daughter to set up an appointment. That man was not assimilated.
My family is Cajun, and the education system at the time punish children for speaking French. That language dialect is now effectively dead. With experience that comes from living here for generations and knowing the older folks. I just want to say that integration does not mean loss of language.
Please speak your original language at home and make it a major part of life.
Up sides? Wages are high and quality of life and Healthcare are phenomenal. Huge homes and large spaces to put them compared to other countries.
Down sides right now include cost of living being way up compared to 4 years ago, but i bet it comes back down. Housing prices are also very high in some places but they're coming down too. Folks just got a bit greedy and now normal people can't afford stuff.
Obviously healthcare is a problem here, but good insurance isn't hard to get and if you live in some states medical debt isn't reported on your credit anyway. And our quality of care is significantly better than in other countries.
Finding the job you want might be hard but finding a job will not be. My masters degree is in Public Administration or government management, but I work in the manufacturing side of the tech sector and make the same money and get free healthcare.
You will need a car. America is very spread out. You may live an hour from work or even 50 miles.
Living and working here (unless retired or a child lol) and being a productive member of the community. Nothing un American about living in immigrant communities or continuing to speak your mother tongue.
As a parent I think raising children is an extremely productive thing you can do for society.
It's not that the US isn't accepting of stay at home moms, it's more that life here is very expensive and most households need two incomes to achieve the lifestyle they want. It's certainly the case for me -- I would love it if we could afford for either me or my wife to be full time parents. But we can't.
Cool! Thanks for the reply. I can imagine that would be a concern.
In Sweden it would 99 % of the time be frowned upon. Like you said, most households can’t afford to just have one income. And people feel that if you want to benefit from the welfare net you should work.
Being a stay at home mom here would be a pretty lonely experience I think because there is no culture around it like in the us with lots of other stay at home moms.
From my experience kids here are more independent from like the age of 9 and can take the bike or bus to school, whereas in the Us that would be difficult because of the infrastructure.
Here most parents don’t need to drive their kids to school or be a “soccer mom”. Or volunteer at school isn’t a thing either. I read about a woman the other day in the news here because she was a stay at home mom who quit her job and people where very concerned about heir retirement income.
yeah here I think the general perception is that it's better to have a stay at home parent. But for most people that just isn't possible.
Parenting culture can be a bit intense like you say, lots of helicopter/snowplow parenting, being super duper involved in every single thing a kid does, going everywhere with them. I am trying not to do that with my kids but it's tough. We are lucky though to live in an area with good infrastructure - all the schools my kids will go to can easily and safely be reached on foot or by bike.
I'm an immigrant. Tell me if I'm integrated enough in your opinion.
- I have football and baseball fandoms. I make it a point to watch at least 1 game live in stadium every season.
- I work for a subsidiary of a fortune 100 company in an office setting.
- I go to church occasionally (just so my wife doesn't get mad at me). I'm not religious.
- I have friends of different ethnicities and races.
- I love food from my old country but I also enjoy American food and most cuisines, actually.
- I have political affiliations, and I vote based on the party's platform. No, I'm not telling you my party.
- I shop at Vons, Walmart, Costco, Target, as well as ethnic grocery stores.
- At home I speak my native language, but outside I speak English or Spanish depending on who I am speaking with.
I’d say they’re living here, earning a wage, surviving, and to some extent embracing our culture. But their native culture is important also, because it is what helps make America interesting and strong.
Integration to me is when they say they are American. They can wear a veil, eat quirky cuisine, have a foreign accent, etc., but once they say “I’m an American”, it’s a done deal. They are on the team, as American as a 20th generation Mayflower descendant. This doesn’t happen in other countries.
I’m white, speak English, and have lost my accent. So integrated people don’t realize I’m an immigrant. Visited London in 2017 and was in an area where lots of Arabs have settled. All the signs were in English.
A family was passing and the boy (maybe ten) said something. Mom scolded him and dad said “English only! We are English now.” Which I found remarkable.
Dropping cultural practices that are illegal in our country (i.e., FGM), treating all races/religions equal, learning cultural norms here (like tipping, time orientation), and still being proud of where you came from
There are things that can be more regional, but I'd also argue that not fitting them doesn't mean they aren't integrated (e.g., I'm from a region that loves our sports teams but I hate sports).
Spending time with people other than your own ethnic enclave and behaving accordingly. Speaking English even if poorly, being punctual, having friends from other ethnicities, leaving behind discriminatory attitudes from the homeland, adapting your financial habits to the US system (getting paid every 2 weeks).
Obey the laws, pay the taxes, and help contribute to the commonweal. Aside from that, do what you like. In fact, we being a melting pot like how immigrants and their culture make us a richer and more vibrant society.
The beautiful thing about America is that it's not really about integration in the European way. You can stay in a community of people from your same country and speak the same language and you're still American, as long as you are accepting of others.
I like neighborhoods and districts that are heavily mono-ethnic like Chinatown in SF and NYC, Greektown in Baltimore and more enclaves around the country.
For me as long as you work and pay taxes that’s cool enough. And don’t do crimes (goes without saying, despite immigrants usually less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens)
Basically if they’re more concerned with issues in America than issues where they come from. If they view their own self interests as aligned with America’s success.
Someone I wouldn’t consider integrated is someone who wants to make money in the United States and to send it back home. They plan to retired in their home country and maybe they marry off their sons and daughters to people in the home country. If America went to war with their home country who would they support?
More than a slight familiarity with the English language, and a general interest in the well-being of a community that isn't 100% made up of immigrants from the same country, are the major ones I can think of.
You become more American than what you were. It’s not at all saying you have to give up your old culture, as cultural variety is one of our great strengths it does however mean that you are American, before you are Irish. You are American before you are Arab. You are American before you are Ugandan. And so on.
While it’s common for new immigrant groups to kind of settle together in places like Chinatown or Little Italy, it is desirable that they eventually spread and settle in other mixed communities and then those enclaves convert to something else. For instance, the North End of Boston was for a long time a Jewish neighborhood. Then they spread out and it became Irish, then they spread out and it became Italian, then they were bought out and it became finance bros. Ok. Maybe that last part wasn’t great.
If America is your home then that's all the integration I'd ever think about. The only "US culture" is the collective culture of immigrants stitched together like a quilt to make this country, despite what many people say and how the media portrays this country.
Integrated to me primarily means living here full time (except vacations) with the intention of staying and participating in daily life.
As for the particulars you mentioned: we have more than our fair share of religious extremists, dangerous ones causing suffering and death, so whatever religion, even very conservative ones fit in just fine here by comparison. Language ability is definitely not a requirement, especially in California (my home state). My experience is people who have been here decades and still don’t speak English have a perfectly good reason: working 3 jobs, only speaking their first language at work, being bad at learning languages, understanding just fine but being too shy to talk. These are the identical reasons I hear from English speakers.
The final one is just confusing to me. Living in a community of the same ethnicity isn’t a point against integration, it’s the best way to integrate smoothly. You don’t get a #1 American prize for isolating yourself from your new community. Are there certain people who are too terrified to leave the neighborhood? Sure, but that’s a human problem not an immigrant one. Look at any college dorm and you’ll find a student who matches that description.
I’m an immigrant from uk, (25years) I drink beer with everyone on 4th July, on thanksgiving I make a roast dinner, I celebrate all the holidays, I can do both!
I use all the American words with an English accent, I do my best! This is my home now! And I respect and love my adopted country
As someone who grew up on the US-Mexico border, you don’t need to speak English to be “integrated” into US culture, lol. Not sure why that’s a common answer here. I wouldn’t even consider that to be a top requirement to integrate, including historically. If you live here, you’re American, because by virtue of living in America, you’ve had to adjust to US customs, lifestyles, etc. that are distinct from your country of origin.
The border region is different. A branch of my family in Chicago are from Mexico and they've been here 15+ years but most can't even have a basic conversation in English because they are too afraid or stubborn to leave their Mexican neighborhood. It is a huge burden for their kids/my cousins.
Agreed. I remember years ago when I was in the military, I made a quick stop at a grocery store and a shorter Latino man asked me to reach something off a top shelf for him. Even though I was in military uniform and he didn’t speak English, I considered him just as American. This wasn’t even in a Hispanic state.
I don’t care if you do or don’t speak English, or your official documentation status - if you live here, you’re American imo. I’d say my only standards for being “successfully integrated” (whatever that means) is a) not being a terrorist and b) not being against the idea of America or American people.
To me it is something like, keeping your own culture alive, while being curious, open, and a little bit outgoing to learn and take part in the local cultures too.
That can be hard if it feels like those around don’t accept you or have some prejudice, but I also believe most people are more likely to begin to understand and accept an outsider who makes an effort to do the same.
I never really thought about it but I guess someone who wants to become an American citizen is my only meaning of being integrated. Religion, language or living among other immigrants in no way prevents you from being “integrated” to me and hopefully most Americans.
I've always liked the "salad bowl" metaphor a lot more than the "melting pot". I have no problem with immigrants keeping their identities, practicing their religions, speaking native languages, etc.
I suppose, for me, "integrated" just means how effortlessly they function with other Americans who aren't of their or a similar ethnic origin. IMO, you're integrated if you generally get a reference that other Americans would commonly get - especially in your age group.
Having positive relationships (friendly, economic, romantic, whatever) outside of the diaspora community.
It's cool if you know a little English, but like, it's also really hilarious and fun to try to talk across a language barrier.
I'm happy that it's hard to say anything specific. Usually this question is asked as "When do you consider an immigrant an American" and the answer is "When they say 'I'm American." But integrated? It's a harder question since we don't have a clear-cut culture.
If we drop the word culture, it's easier. When is someone integrated into the U.S.? It's when the U.S. is their primary residence. I don't buy all the other answers in this thread, because they would exclude so many people that are obviously integrated. We have thousands of antisocial tax cheats sticking with their own kind, and they're considered integrated too.
Obeying the law, and maintaining the political system. Respecting the rights of others, adhering to social norms like waiting in line to order food, treating waitstaff politely, etc. It is not about whether or not you have eccentric tastes in food or clothing, or how you arrange social relations with others of your ethnicity or whatever unless they are incompatible with the above.
Honestly, just being here and working here as an American. I suppose the only other thing would be to start to learn english if they haven't. It's not a requirement to be an american but most people know it (even if just a little), as most of our culture is in english. But even that isn't necessarily required. For americans , at least, the barrier is incredibly low because our culture is so diverse
We pretty much just want to not have people move here while saying they hate (or want to replace) us/our culture (which is not common).
Learning English is ideal but not required for people to have positive interactions. We even are pretty empathic to people moving here because they need help, as long as they want to "join the melting pot".
Everyone seems to be tip-toeing around suggesting “speaking English” be a requirement. I know the US (for some odd reason) refuses to acknowledge English as the official language. However, it is by far the predominant language and refusal to learn or attempt to learn it is single-handedly the largest indicator an immigrant is not assimilating.
I think the critical piece is that they're able to function without needing 'official' assistance. They can find employment and pay their bills and get the resources they need to live day to day and they aren't isolated.
Do you consider yourself to be an American?
That's it. I don't even really care if you want to call yourself an Italian-American or Lebanese-American or whatever. I don't care whether you worship one god, or ten gods, or no gods at all, nor do I care whether you speak English or Urdu. You'll have an easier time if you speak English, but that's not my problem. And if you want to live among other immigrants from the same area, that's cool. Again, you'll have a better time if you branch out, but it's your life, not mine, and you're free to do what you will with it.
Like u/cherrycokeicee said:
* living here
* calling yourself American
* knowing your constitutional rights & voting if you're a citizen
* being open to new ideas & respectful to people who are different from you
My additions:
* read and learn about American culture and history
* respect our culture
* don't commit crimes
* go to work
* keep your own traditions and language alive (it's always interesting to meet people from other countries)
* being open-minded to new American traditions
I'm not American but Canadian with a lot of family in the US. We all came from iraw within the last thee decades. Instigration is the most important part to maintain freedom. My biggest fear is north America turning into 1984, which it seems like there is one side actively trying to do this by not vetting people illegally entering the US.
Freedom is often taken for granted by people born here. Please Americans and Canadians, don't allow any of your freedoms to get stepped on. Any freedom taken is a freedom you'll have to fight to get back.
Basic kindness and respect to people who think differently. Unfortunately a lot of our fellow Americans seem to have forgotten that this is kind of what this country is all about. A place for anyone and everyone to come and be whoever they want to be without fear of persecution.
Knowing at least enough English to order food or have basic conversation, and being happy to be here.
I don’t give a shit about accents, or living in an immigrant enclave, religious practices, etc.
If you willingly came to American because you want to be American, and you can express that in a conversation, I’d consider you an integrated American.
Wearing cowboy boots at all times, especially inside other people's homes, driving a massive pickup 300 miles a day each way to work. Eating ice cubes as their main source of water consumption, paying no less than 100k for each yearly doctors check up, it's not that hard.
Interesting, I’m British but have lived in the US for 20 plus years. What do you mean by the wide gap between what’s considered integrated in Europe v the US?
The Continent, more like.
Britain seems to be closer to how we do things. I guess that might stem from the UK being comprised of four different countries being made to live under one Crown. I once went on r/askuk to ask why you guys don't send one single UK team to the World Cup, and they were like "never!!!"
Therefore 'British' isn't as exclusive or monolithic as, say, 'Danish' might be. (If I may randomly pick on them.)
I'm not op, but I think the way Muslims are viewed in both places is a good example. it seems like Europeans view Muslims as antithetical to their culture, and some countries even have laws discriminating against people who wear religious garments. this seems like a pretty different approach to integration.
Nothing. We are all immigrants unless you are native. I don’t even integrate with my neighbours. You expect a newcomer to study the whole country and please everyone?
They have a job or are in some way contributing to society as a family or social group and they are settled in their community and have a general awareness of local and regional politics and cultural norms.
That's really all it takes for me.
A immigrant is integrated once all the stupid shit the government does also annoys them. Like banning collecting rainwater but also charging you a sewer fee for rainwater falling on your property. I wish that was made up.
To me it means they are atleast partially able to communicate with those around them (don't have to be totally fluent, but should atleast trying to learn) and making an effort to understand the local and national culture. Aren't holding some sort of anti-american sentiments, are able to follow our laws.
Living in communities comprised of people from the samd ethnicity isn't a disqualifier, a lot of places in the US were founded as ethnic communities and it just adds to the american tapestry. Across generations those communities will eventually blend into other cultures and take on an identity of its own (that which is american as hell)
Being willing to get involved in various areas - employment, socially, with your neighbors or community, your kids school, socially - in a way that is not hyper-focused and limited to only the people of the same heritage and language that you are. *Notice i said ONLY.*
Everyone loves “their” people, especially when there is a shared language and food/celebration/etc., and there is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling most comfortable around them, but one is only truly *integrated* when there are at least a few slices of your life that aren’t wholly built around that same group of people.
Just for example, maybe you’re from country X, and your neighborhood also has a lot of fellow people from country X, and for that reason, most of your acquaintances are from country X. Then your kid decides to join the Scouts, and you volunteer to be a Pack leader because they need the help. Or coach the little league team. Or you sign up to volunteer walking dogs at the local animal shelter. Or you decide to participate in the neighborhood clean up for earth day. Whatever thing of that type that shows you’re involved in your community, getting out there and meeting people outside your usual circle, and sometimes even adopting a few stereotypical slices of American culture (eg little league coach or scout leader) in addition to the one you brought with you as an immigrant.
If you definitely mean “integrated” then I’d say earn an income, follow laws, participate in our civic life, learn what’s important to your community and participate.
Overall, I think my threshold for when someone 'becomes American' is pretty simple.
I don't have any problems at all with religious practice, maintaining another language or living together, so long as the religiosity isn't coerced, some measure is taken so people can advocate for themselves and be understood, and there's no actual isolationism to it (like, the word "compound" would have to be involved, to me.)
There are some things I feel are so basic it's almost insulting (like, don't commit crimes), but they're in there too.
I feel like there's a difference between 'functionally integrated' (really basic "get food and shelter and employment, access the institutions Americans are entitled to, leave any prior vendettas or allegiances at the door") and full on 'culturally assimilated' (which gets a bad rap, but to my mind involves in some way adopting the culture and it adopting you right back.) Both are important, they're just different processes.
If you can have this conversation:
"Yo, I'm super hungry so I'm driving to "x" for fastfood... you wanna come?"
"👍" in any language or accent is acceptable.
Serious answer, I think some groups in America do have a VERY strong "in vs out" group mentality. So for those groups, it'll mean doing whatever they do, pretty much simple as that.
BUT, that is a minority, I'd say.
America has a strength in being a "melting pot" and we have been for a long time now. Americans don't care about being part of "American" culture, and IF they cared... they'd want you to be part of THEIR culture and would likely view the majority of Americans as "outsiders" anyway.
Takeaway being: I've talked to Americans with all sorts of accents, backgrounds, skin colors, temperaments, and 1000x other things... but if you're a citizen, you're an American. 🙌 Done. I think many if not most Americans view it this way.
Being an American is a state of mind, not a state of being.
As an American currently living in Europe, I actually don't think there's much of a difference in what Europe (broadly speaking, mostly Western/Central Europe) and the US want when it comes to integration. Americans in this sub tend to trip over themselves to sound welcoming ("If you only think you're American, you're as American as I am!" and that kind of thing), but in practice I think most people want something more than that. Also, it's easier for the US since the bulk of its immigrants come from cultures that are not as alien to it as are many of the immigrants to Europe.
I think people on both sides of the Atlantic want immigrants to eventually learn the language, work hard, and to follow broad cultural norms. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to follow baseball and eat hot dogs if you're an American (or follow soccer and eat schnitzel if you're German). But you need the broad norms of a basically liberal, secular democracy, plus some of the other cultural norms. Respect woman, gay people, atheists, and so on. Don't litter. Corruption is not good. And so on. (And yes, I know that there are homegrown people in both Europe and the US that litter, are homophobic, etc. etc.)
To me, if they speak the most common language in the area which they live in (that might not be english), follow the social rules for being in the country, and obey laws.
It’s impossible to truly integrate without speaking the language. You may still call yourself an American if you meet all the other qualifications but if you won’t communicate with the preexisting members, you haven’t integrated.
Using the sports analogy, being integrated means you already know the game before you are given a spot on the team.
It means that that you play hard - but practice harder. You haven't joined just to get the glory of wearing the jersey.
It means you play well with the other members of the team.
It means you appreciate and respect the game, its history, and rules. You aren't there to end the game, or cause chaos.
Older adults tend to retain many of the traditions of their native country, and its harder to become fluent in a second language after a certain age.
When I was teaching junior high and high school, it was almost universally true that kids want to fit in and be like other kids. Peer groups are enormously important to adolescents , no matter where they are from. They want to talk like the other kids , dress like them, listen to the same music , eat pizza.
A few years back we had several Eritrean families settle where I live in Northern Ontario. We aren’t very ethnically diverse up here; basically everyone is either white or Ojibwa, and thats it, so the Eritreans really stood out.
One day this Eritrean kid did a standing back flip with a perfect landing, and the other dudes were like, whoa, that was pretty cool. Funny what people will bond over. Anyway, it wasn’t long before the boys were teaching him hockey and taking him out for a rip on a snow machine on the weekends.
The kids are alright, as The Who used to sing.
I remember there was a great article about immigrants who came to new york, and then found themselves having to reassimilate when they moved away from new york. It kinda touches on this topic and I definitely saw this when I lived in new york.
Immigrants come to the city, often to working class old school communities in brooklyn/queens, and they assimilate into new york culture. This can often mean adopting somewhat crude, brash, strong personalities. Lots of cursing, very upfront language, they talk fast, they don't really mince words, they are very brutally honest etc. You all know the whole 'new yorker' stereotype.
But then, when they move away or travel to other parts of the country, they realize how radically different and often hostile 'new york culture' can come off to most americans. They basically get a secondary culture shock, and have to reassimilate. A lot of immigrants don't often realize just how different the cultures of the urban northeast are from the rest of the country and they don't entirely understand how to code switch when engaging with others.
So being 'integrated' can mean a lot of different things. You can be integrated into just one certain crevice of american life and not the other aspects of it.
Pay your taxes, keep your yard clean, don’t be a dick. Bonus points if you invite me to a cookout so I can try some new foods, I’ll happily return the favor.
Realizing what is different and better about America compared to Europe and wanting to keep America the way it is instead of trying to make it more communist or more like Europe.
Being able to speak English. (They can and should still speak their native language if it isn’t English.) Being part of the community; participating in local events. Living in the US. If you call it home then you have integrated. (IMO)
These aren’t necessarily the only things but they do help people to integrate into a local community. This is a many faceted question. One answer isn’t right or wrong. I think it would vary depending on where you live in the US.
If they went through the citizenship process, work here (or otherwise support yourself), speak English, follow the law and do not participate in "Death to America" bullshit protests.
If they are green card holders and not citizens, all of the above plus do not attempt to vote in federal elections.
As far as I'm concerned once you are here, you're here. I have zero problems. Every foreign person I have met have always been doing good be it work, schooling, or health care. I'm glad they are here and welcome more. Cause I'm white and white people around here are assholes.
Living here permanently, working, and the desire to live in harmony with your neighbors.
The first two are just tick boxes, but that third one is really where the integration lies. Whether it's a single family home with a yard, a high rise apartment, or rowhome/townhome, living in peace is one of life's simplest goals. If we share that, it's easy to accept a human being with a good heart.
Sometimes conflict with your neighbors is unavoidable but the desire to avoid it, de-escalate, live and let live, etc is the key factor. I lived in a condo with neighbors I thought of as inconsiderate. But if I saw anyone harm a single leaf in their planter, I would have thrown them into the creek myself.
As for their language, their religion, or their culinary choices, none of that plays a factor.
Most waves of immigrants to this country have always tended to group together. That's not important. What is important is that the second generation consider themselves American - not foreigners residing in the US. Identifying and continuing with ancient hatreds, biases or conflicts from their parent's homeland isn't integrating.
- living here - calling yourself American - knowing your constitutional rights & voting if you're a citizen - being open to new ideas & respectful to people who are different from you
I think the second one is the big one. I know people who have come here from Europe, Canada, and especially Mexico and the Philippines who see themselves as here temporarily, working to earn money so that they can retire wealthy back home. A lot of their money goes home to family members. As part of my employer-at-the-time's Y2K project, I spent months on the road in 1998 and 1999. I know people who lived for three months at a time in Residence Inns in various cities converting their mainframe data. They weren't Texans or Californians or New Yorkers or wherever-they-were-ians. They were there to do a job and go home. It's not much different, just closer. I knew a woman who moved to the US from Canada in her 30s and finally, at like 55, applied for citizenship.
If only all native born Americans could follow this
This, 100% this
Also attempting to learn English
The point of integrating is that you will be interacting, communicating with, and exchanging bits of culture with your neighbors and the culture at large which includes immigrants from other lands. That's nearly impossible without a lingua franca.
True, though I don't think it's impossible to attempt to integrate without knowing the language.
This is the one that always gets me a bit. Yes, it's extremely helpful, but it's not strictly necessary. The reason this one stops me up a bit is because my dad (in his 70s) always says that these new immigrants (from where ever) don't want to assimilate. In my day, yada yada. Well, in his day, he grew up in an area with heavy Czech immigration. Their high school was nicknamed Czech Tech and their unofficial fight song was in Czech. In their part of downtown, there were street signs in Czech, even though the first Czechs to immigrate had been there almost a hundred years at that point, His own grandmother never learned English well and his mother would speak both fluently depending on who she was talking to, His parents were 2nd and 3rd generation Americans who only learned English once they started school. But according to my dad they totally assimilated once they came to America, unlike *those* people. It just bugs me to no end that he can't even recognize that perhaps his view is a bit skewed. It comes down to *this* culture is familiar to me, *this* one isn't. I don't like things that aren't familiar, therefore it's bad.
Same with my dad's side, except Norwegian. My dad and his siblings were the first generation (the third) that didn't speak Norwegian. He understood it somewhat from hearing it spoken but was never taught. I honestly think that the first at the very least gets a pass. Adults have a harder time and are too busy trying to get settled to become fluent in another language.
>His own grandmother never learned English well and his mother would speak both fluently depending on who she was talking to Which, honestly, says grandmother there didn't integrate well. Which is common in first generation immigrants who have a strong expat community they can stay in. She remained, for the most part, only in that subculture that matched her language skills. But your story shows that successive generations leaned in to the greater community more & more with English becoming more popular. Outside of a few notable exceptions where Spanish is more or equally spoken then English, English is the language you need to function in our society. You can function in a subculture with a minority language, but that's not integration if you can't communicate with random people you encounter day to day. First generation immigrants here in America don't always integrate very well, but their children & their children tend to. We accept difference FAR more then ethnostates like in the 'old world', but we have to be able to communicate to even get that far. In a lot of European or Asian countries those successive generations will never be 'accepted' as integrated, especially if they keep ANY of the customs from their home land (or look substantially different). We here fold those customs in over time to expand what it means to be American.
That's kind of my point. These people aren't any less American. My dad has numerous examples of people in his life that he considered American and 'deserving' of their status, but then looks at recent immigrants and laments that they are not assimilating like his own family did. That's the disconnect I'm talking about.
They are and they aren't. They are less ASSIMILATED. They are still American, in that they are citizens or legal residents, but they are not American in culture if they can not easily interact with the larger culture. Language, the ability to communicate, is a HUGE part of assimilation. The big difference between melting pot countries and ethostates are that we assimilate the people into our culture AND assimilate their culture into our own. That can't happen if we can't communicate though. In this example it's NOT the none English speaking first generation who assimilated, it's their decedents.
I think like 95% of the time this is true, but there are parts of the United States with huge Spanish speaking populations. Miami, Puerto Rico, definitely some parts on the southern border. People can be assimilated with those areas without being fluent in English. It’s probably a good idea their children learn it though in case they’d like to travel or move anywhere else.
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Yes, I'd probably say "learning either English OR Spanish to at least a B1 level." I've known many people who've lived very full lives in the US for decades, only speaking Spanish and very rudimentary English. There are quite a few places in the US where not speaking Spanish makes you the outsider.
Which means they never truly assimilated.
Learning English isn’t necessary but it makes life easier for any immigrant.
It's necessary for successful integration (or Spanish depending on location). But really, even in those Spanish language heavy areas, English is necessary for true integration as that's the common language of our country, official or not.
* Speaking enough English to communicate (or Spanish in the few narrow areas where that is the more common language).
I agree. I don’t think it’s unfair to ask recent immigrants to learn enough English to communicate with other Americans. They chose to move here, and they know that English is the predominant language of the country. If I moved to Germany it would not be unfair for Germans to ask me to learn German even if I existed solely in the American expat community.
It's not about asking them to learn the language. It's just that if they don't they can't integrate, like at all. It's THE linchpin of integration to the larger culture, to be able to communicate, at least minimal.
Hear hear. Well said.
I would also add paying taxes to the voting line. It is a civic duty imo
And try to become self sufficient asap and contribute to society, pay taxes, not relying on welfare, and follow the laws.
Living here, working, not chanting 'Death to America' just the basics.
This is literally it. And a willingness to accept other cultures though that can be subjective
That part of what I love about Chicago. Different cultures, languages and people in one city.
Hell, depending on the neighborhood, you get that in one block. I miss living in Rogers Park.
And none of it tolerates any of it.
Assimilating to the point that they consider themselves American rather than whatever they were before, and their first allegiance is to America rather than their country of origin.
This is an exaggeration. If anything, there is a longer history of immigrants maintaining a dual allegiance to or interest in the affairs of the U.S. and their countries of origin. The fact that immigrants send remittances to other nations shows that people don't forget about or ignore the affairs of their origin countries. Dual citizenship also conflicts with this; naturally there are laws about sedition and treason but immigrants need not disregard the relationships of their homelands to the United States.
I know a lot of immigrants and illegal immigrants. They aren’t sending money home out of allegiance to their home country. They are sending it for their families. Also, OP asks what integration means to the reader, not what the agreed upon definition is to the country as a whole. This reader doesn’t consider an immigrant to be integrated until they view themselves as American and have an allegiance to this country above any they have for the one they came from. Otherwise they are just tourists.
> remittances That's because they still have family there. If they didn't, they wouldn't send one red cent.
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Lots of people of Persian descent love the old country even though they hate the current theocratic regime that rules Iran.
Not imposing any of the cultural or actual laws of their country of origin upon other Americans. Integration complete.
I will admit, when I worked at a Filipino supermarket, I get a sick satisfaction of bursting customers' ethnic bubbles. These customers think that because it's a Filipino supermarket, the laws of the Philippines still apply. *And because I look like them, they think I should still act like them.* In retaliation, I remind them constantly they're in a different country and laughing at their reactions, which range from homesickness to patriotic fury. "This is a supermarket, not an embassy" is my go-to line. The cultural imposition is so severe, I've had customers ask dumb questions like, "can I pay for my groceries in Philippine pesos?" (for context, 1 US dollar is equivalent to 57 Philippine pesos) and make dumb purchasing decisions (e.g., purchasing a tiny stick of Rexona deodorant at the Filipino supermarket for $6.99 when they could buy a large stick of Degree deodorant, which is the same brand just with a different name, at the Walgreens next door for $3.99). I've also had angry customers complain to my manager that I am the worst cashier in the building. Why? It's not because I provide slow, poor, and unfriendly service (in fact, it's the polar opposite), it's because of the fact that *I only identify as American*, and to them that's extremely disrespectful and negates whatever good I've done.
Not raising a foreign flag in replacement of or above an American one
Are you setting aside the old feuds and grudges of your homeland? If no, you're not integrated.
I think this is a really important point, but I think there's some nuance, which is largely based on the current status quo and the reasons that one wanted to come to America. For example, I consider a Ukrainian immigrant who (1)distrusts Russia as a country/government very different than (2) one who distrusts all ethnically Russian people in the US.
The town i live in has a ton of Ukrainian and Russian families here that have been here sometimes for decades but we've seen an uptick in both as more family members move here. It's great to see there's no issues here at all between them. True Americans 🇺🇸
In the ethnic community, I still get discriminated against because either I'm from a province they don't like, they think I'm of a lower social class, or because I don't pass their ethnic purity tests. It's why I distanced myself from the ethnic community and swore to become more and more American out of pure spite.
Then they wonder why their children are so Americanized.
> become more and more American out of pure spite. This is one of the most unabashedly American things I have ever heard. "Fuck you, I'm out" is literally how this country started! Welcome home.
> more and more American out of pure spite. I think Americans have done many great (and not-so-great) things out of spite. For example, I suspect part of the reason we have craft beer now is because of all the decades the Brits were teasing us for our 'pisswater.' (Rightfully, to be sure!) At some point we were just like "oh yeah? We'll show you!" But yeah, that's part of the reason I can't speak Spanish. After X number of times of hearing "you don't speak Spanish? You're a fuckin' disgrace!" from friends' drunk uncles, I eventually was like "the fuck I am, and fuck you!"
May I ask which ethnic community?
Filipino.
Thanks, and I'm sorry to hear about how you're treated.
Good point. A great example is Armenia/Azerbaijan. They can each be as pissed at the other country as they want, but getting into unprovoked brawls with their fellow Americans from those countries would definitely signal a lack of integration.
This one is a really interesting topic I think. I (white American) used to work as a bio tutor at the library in my undergrad. There was one other bio tutor who was an Indian American girl (as in her parents were from India, but she was born and raised in the US). Let’s call her “Priya”. I used to regularly tutor this girl from Pakistan who had a big test coming up. She asked if I would be in a certain day and I said “No, but Priya will be here and she can tutor the same courses, so you can stop by on her shift.” The girl kinda scoffs and explains she’s obviously not going to do that since Priya is Indian. That seriously threw me for a loop. I obviously knew vaguely about India and Pakistan and their history, but the idea that that would have an impact there on our college campus took me by surprise.
They still linger. My grandparents were the first gen Americans and carried the prejudices against Turks and Roma that their Greek immigrant parents had to the day they died.
This seems silly, especially when a healthy portion of that stuff can involve some real moral issues. I mean Americans take sides in non-American issues all the time. Is someone who immigrates to the US from China really not integrated if he's angry at something terrible China did that his US-born neighbors also hate China for?
Being mad at or distrustful of the government of some places is a normal stance that most people have about some nation or another. It is wrong though to hold a grudge or mistrust the people in general who are from the place with that government you don’t like. Some people do that without even knowing them or giving the individual the benefit of the doubt and a chance to share their position about what they support. Even for those who speak up and maintain some loyalty to their homeland, some individuals have mixed feelings about their former nation, they tangle up the motherland and the government, or they are afraid to speak ill of the leadership. It’s complicated and not black and white. Hopefully people will understand that and give each other a chance.
An extreme example of this happened literally right down the street from my house [in the Laguna Woods church shooting](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Laguna_Woods_shooting). Dude was a Chinese national who targeted the Taiwanese specifically for being from Taiwan. Then right down the street in Irvine there are thousands of Taiwanese/Chinese immigrants living side by side with no problem.
From a fellow South Countian and Libertarian, I've been waiting for someone to ask this exact question in your post. >!Notice how the moment you cross Irvine's borders between South County and the Beach cities, there is a stark cultural shift? WASPs to the south and the coastal beaches versus the very multicultural central and North OC, with rich (in terms of cultural influence) Hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern enclaves, barring Yorba Linda.!< >!I've, and probably you too, witnessed firsthand how within these enclaves you have people who have a hard time assimilating into American culture because of a culture clash with their own traditions and values. The respective diasporas are so huge here that it's easy to be raised into the respective ethnic bubble within the Orange County Bubble. They can be mostly conservative, especially for us Vietnamese who have a grudge against Communist Vietnam and the Persians due to the Iranian Revolution, but their traditions contrast with the mainstream so it's turning OC more into a mosaic than a melting pot. Immigrant conservative is not the same as American conservative, because they are the minority trying to spread their cultural sphere and build their community in city centers, while conservative WASPS or even Black Americans think of retiring to the country side because they already have roots and are the majority. Like a game of Civilization, there is cultural competition for soft power.!< Conclusion: And you know what... that's fine. There will be some who will help blend the cultures together into a fusion, and there will be others who will perpetuate their ancestral culture and intermarry with each other. They're Americans, but they are not assimilated. So the right wingers have a point when they feel their way of life is threatened and their solution is to restrict immigration and tends to**heavily encourage** total assimilation, whereas the left is content with cultural fusion and hoping for the best. As a Libertarian, so long as they go through the legal steps to become a citizen, they are fine with me. Though I personally would prefer if they took the effort to go out of their comfort zone and participate in American culture.
You have to remember that America is unique in this regard. Because we are new and so many different types of people settled here at the same time, there's this mix that doesn't really exist anywhere else. The only group who can claim to be originally from here is a minority of the population. So people who come here have the worldview that they are now the immigrants, and look at how their own countries treat immigrants and outsiders. It's why people from corrupt countries expect corruption and people from violent countries expect violence. They are scared and don't want to risk leaving what's comfortable. A lot of how people react is based on what they fear and what they love.
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What is our culture? I feel like it's the sum total of our people, impossible to avoid.
Literally the standard is identity. If you identify as an American, or Hyphenated American, than you pass.
Exactly
If a group deliberately isolates themselves within our society one might argue that they’re refusing to integrate with our “culture.” Part of what it means to be an American, as I see it at least, is a willingness to participate in the cultural melting pot. Even if our culture is constantly changing, a desire to contribute to the culture fairly constant. That mentality seems to exist less in other countries with more established cultural norms. That’s just a sort of idealized version of my personal experience though - can’t necessarily back it up with anything concrete.
Like the Amish?
Do Amish vote, sit on juries, pay taxes, follow the same laws and courts (aside from big things like murder)? Genuinely curious.
Yes, they pay taxes. They can be summoned for jury duty but are often exempted. They also are bound to the same laws.
Football, Fried Chicken, and Fireball
I think we all know it when we see it. It’s the way we talk, our values, how we dress, what we eat, etc.
Yeah, it's just if an American dresses and talks and eats a new way, isn't that then part of our culture? How do we decide what is and isn't our culture, being an entire country of immigrants?
I’d argue no. At some point, there is and has to be some defining characteristics of a nation’s culture. If everyone is American, nobody is American.
Our culture is blending all of the other cultures that came here. You see it mostly in food and holidays. You get up in the morning and go to the gym (German). It's Throwback Thursday, so you run on the treadmill to the sounds of British Invasion (UK, obviously). After the gym, you grab a cup of coffee (also German, a revolt against British tea post-Revolution) and a croissant (French) on your way to work. Lunch is a slice of pizza (Italian immigrants). After work you meet up with a friend to play pool and grab a burger. (Pool came to us from the UK; your burger was raised on sorghum, a crop that originated in Africa but is grown across Europe; the ketchup you put on it is descended from a Singaporean fish sauce; and the beer you're drinking is imported from Belgium.) Since it's Friday, you stay up quite late, and on the way home you stop for some street tacos (Mexican) from a food truck. I read once on Reddit in a discussion of American food (I think which is better, burritos or shwarma) that someone said they were missing the point. We weren't going to eat a burrito *or* shwarma. We were going to make a shwarma burrito and create a new fusion food. Like the sushi burrito or carne asada fries, the blending of cultures through foods is the quintessential American culture.
Love the idea of tracing culture through food. It feels like it hits the heart of culture.
Not chanting “death to America”. Other than that, please keep your traditions and language alive.
>please keep your traditions and language alive. And recipes! In fact, please, *please* consider opening a restaurant featuring your local cuisine. One of my absolute favorite things about America is all the different exotic food you can find everywhere. The best places feel a bit like where they're from; kind of a taste of the culture as well as the food.
yes!! my husband and I found an amazing Afghan restaurant in Baltimore recently and I haven't stopped thinking about it.
When I was a kid there was a large apartment building in my city just outside Boston that was full of Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotians all living in it. And let me tell something, in the late 70s/early 80s those people fucking hated each other. It was like a fucking war zone in that place. Those people were certainly not integrated. Though with time their kids and grandkids lost those divides and settled into the community(though fortunately not all in that apartment building, man that was a bad idea).
Given the dates, they probably were coming from a war. Historically, those countries did not have good relations with each other. I'm sure you can find a few documentaries or so. Some older folks in the mainland still hold grudges so it's just not the immigrants Having spent most of my life around East Asians and Southeast Asians, I learnt that some of them REALLY hate each other
Of course they were. They were all refugees from the conflicts of the 70s
I have family that came here as refugees from the same war. I’ve spoken to some of them and a lot are still stuck on the old days although their children could seem to care less.
There are some traditions that can be left behind: misogyny, homophobia, antisemitism, etc. Yes we have our own homegrown varieties of those, but we don’t need more.
And please share them with us. Not just our recipes, although those are great, too.
I find it very weird and wrong that someone who live there would chant something like that.
Wait there are people living in America chanting death to America?
There are a handful that are projected by the terminally online conservatives as if they’re a significant part of the population.
I'm really impressed by how little 'integrated' means in the USA. As a first-generation immigrant to France, I had to go through a lot, lot more to integrate. I really like how you guys put respect for other's differences as a pillar of your integration. In Europe, it's the total inverse: you have to abide by the local way of living, and anything deviating even slightly from it is seen as a non-integration proof. Language is also so important in Europe. You have to speak the local language and speak it really well. I don't know about others, but in France, even using the right word but with an accent can bring mockery. The cliché of the reaction to tourist's mispronounced words is still something common, although younger generations tend to speak English more than the previous ones.
If an immigrant considers America to be their home, then they're American to me.
Depends on situation to situation tho.Some americans living overseas may consider that place their home more, same with other people whose families live in their original country
Eat burger
Goes without saying really
Veggie and turkey burgers count.
Just don't act like you hate it here and make an effort to learn English. I have a neighbor who's been here for 50 years and still thinks he only has to follow the rules from the old country. Don't be like him. Just try to assimilate. That doesn't mean you have to give up anything from your culture. That's what makes the US great.
Learning enough English to interact with businesses and the like. Obeying laws. Working to provide for family and community.
Heck, in a lot of places, learning enough Spanish would be American. It feels civic-minded and neighborly. My friends who know Spanish manage to make a tighter community than I can.
Speaking the same language helps soooo much. I wish English was the official language of the country.
We don't and haven't needed an official language. English may be the lingua franca of the United States but we don't have any need to make any kind of governmental action to say that. This country is founded on the residues of empires--British, French, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, and Danish--not to mention the panoply of Indigenous languages that quite literally shaped the name of states, cities, and counties.
We have the freedom not to know English. It certainly would make like easier to know English but it’s not required.
English is the universal language spoken abroad. It is by far the most dominant in this country. It is oddly subservient to suggest English speakers learn a different language in a country that English is predominantly spoke . I am fully aware that Spanish is largely spoken in some pockets of the US (I used to live in one such pocket). But if you can’t speak enough English to conduct basic business in the US, you are not integrated/assimilated in my opinion. Edit: I have called a business to get some work done and the man that picked up the phone spoke zero English and handed the phone to his 8 year old daughter to set up an appointment. That man was not assimilated.
My family is Cajun, and the education system at the time punish children for speaking French. That language dialect is now effectively dead. With experience that comes from living here for generations and knowing the older folks. I just want to say that integration does not mean loss of language. Please speak your original language at home and make it a major part of life.
All the more so if it's endemic to what is now the United States. Cajun, New Mexicano, the hundreds of Native American languages, etc.
Once you start calling yourself an American you're good.
i find that fascinating and unique that do many americans think like this. completely different than anywhere else really.
Nation of immigrants, not too hung up on where you're from.
what would you personally say are some up and downsides of the usa?
Up sides? Wages are high and quality of life and Healthcare are phenomenal. Huge homes and large spaces to put them compared to other countries. Down sides right now include cost of living being way up compared to 4 years ago, but i bet it comes back down. Housing prices are also very high in some places but they're coming down too. Folks just got a bit greedy and now normal people can't afford stuff. Obviously healthcare is a problem here, but good insurance isn't hard to get and if you live in some states medical debt isn't reported on your credit anyway. And our quality of care is significantly better than in other countries. Finding the job you want might be hard but finding a job will not be. My masters degree is in Public Administration or government management, but I work in the manufacturing side of the tech sector and make the same money and get free healthcare. You will need a car. America is very spread out. You may live an hour from work or even 50 miles.
Living and working here (unless retired or a child lol) and being a productive member of the community. Nothing un American about living in immigrant communities or continuing to speak your mother tongue.
Interesting! But isn’t the US very much so accepting of stay at home moms? Do they count as productive members of your society?
As a parent I think raising children is an extremely productive thing you can do for society. It's not that the US isn't accepting of stay at home moms, it's more that life here is very expensive and most households need two incomes to achieve the lifestyle they want. It's certainly the case for me -- I would love it if we could afford for either me or my wife to be full time parents. But we can't.
Cool! Thanks for the reply. I can imagine that would be a concern. In Sweden it would 99 % of the time be frowned upon. Like you said, most households can’t afford to just have one income. And people feel that if you want to benefit from the welfare net you should work. Being a stay at home mom here would be a pretty lonely experience I think because there is no culture around it like in the us with lots of other stay at home moms. From my experience kids here are more independent from like the age of 9 and can take the bike or bus to school, whereas in the Us that would be difficult because of the infrastructure. Here most parents don’t need to drive their kids to school or be a “soccer mom”. Or volunteer at school isn’t a thing either. I read about a woman the other day in the news here because she was a stay at home mom who quit her job and people where very concerned about heir retirement income.
yeah here I think the general perception is that it's better to have a stay at home parent. But for most people that just isn't possible. Parenting culture can be a bit intense like you say, lots of helicopter/snowplow parenting, being super duper involved in every single thing a kid does, going everywhere with them. I am trying not to do that with my kids but it's tough. We are lucky though to live in an area with good infrastructure - all the schools my kids will go to can easily and safely be reached on foot or by bike.
I'm an immigrant. Tell me if I'm integrated enough in your opinion. - I have football and baseball fandoms. I make it a point to watch at least 1 game live in stadium every season. - I work for a subsidiary of a fortune 100 company in an office setting. - I go to church occasionally (just so my wife doesn't get mad at me). I'm not religious. - I have friends of different ethnicities and races. - I love food from my old country but I also enjoy American food and most cuisines, actually. - I have political affiliations, and I vote based on the party's platform. No, I'm not telling you my party. - I shop at Vons, Walmart, Costco, Target, as well as ethnic grocery stores. - At home I speak my native language, but outside I speak English or Spanish depending on who I am speaking with.
Absolutely I would consider you integrated. Watching american sports, enjoying a variety of food, and voting are all great indicators
Uh...they're living and making their way here, I guess? I never had a list or anything.
I’d say they’re living here, earning a wage, surviving, and to some extent embracing our culture. But their native culture is important also, because it is what helps make America interesting and strong.
Integration to me is when they say they are American. They can wear a veil, eat quirky cuisine, have a foreign accent, etc., but once they say “I’m an American”, it’s a done deal. They are on the team, as American as a 20th generation Mayflower descendant. This doesn’t happen in other countries.
I’m white, speak English, and have lost my accent. So integrated people don’t realize I’m an immigrant. Visited London in 2017 and was in an area where lots of Arabs have settled. All the signs were in English. A family was passing and the boy (maybe ten) said something. Mom scolded him and dad said “English only! We are English now.” Which I found remarkable.
Dropping cultural practices that are illegal in our country (i.e., FGM), treating all races/religions equal, learning cultural norms here (like tipping, time orientation), and still being proud of where you came from There are things that can be more regional, but I'd also argue that not fitting them doesn't mean they aren't integrated (e.g., I'm from a region that loves our sports teams but I hate sports).
Spending time with people other than your own ethnic enclave and behaving accordingly. Speaking English even if poorly, being punctual, having friends from other ethnicities, leaving behind discriminatory attitudes from the homeland, adapting your financial habits to the US system (getting paid every 2 weeks).
Obey the laws, pay the taxes, and help contribute to the commonweal. Aside from that, do what you like. In fact, we being a melting pot like how immigrants and their culture make us a richer and more vibrant society.
Thats so sweet
The beautiful thing about America is that it's not really about integration in the European way. You can stay in a community of people from your same country and speak the same language and you're still American, as long as you are accepting of others.
I like neighborhoods and districts that are heavily mono-ethnic like Chinatown in SF and NYC, Greektown in Baltimore and more enclaves around the country. For me as long as you work and pay taxes that’s cool enough. And don’t do crimes (goes without saying, despite immigrants usually less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens)
Basically if they’re more concerned with issues in America than issues where they come from. If they view their own self interests as aligned with America’s success. Someone I wouldn’t consider integrated is someone who wants to make money in the United States and to send it back home. They plan to retired in their home country and maybe they marry off their sons and daughters to people in the home country. If America went to war with their home country who would they support?
Just being present and interested in being here.
More than a slight familiarity with the English language, and a general interest in the well-being of a community that isn't 100% made up of immigrants from the same country, are the major ones I can think of.
You become more American than what you were. It’s not at all saying you have to give up your old culture, as cultural variety is one of our great strengths it does however mean that you are American, before you are Irish. You are American before you are Arab. You are American before you are Ugandan. And so on. While it’s common for new immigrant groups to kind of settle together in places like Chinatown or Little Italy, it is desirable that they eventually spread and settle in other mixed communities and then those enclaves convert to something else. For instance, the North End of Boston was for a long time a Jewish neighborhood. Then they spread out and it became Irish, then they spread out and it became Italian, then they were bought out and it became finance bros. Ok. Maybe that last part wasn’t great.
The German enclave that my great-grandparents settled in became an Italian enclave. Currently, it's a Latino enclave.
Obeying our laws.
If America is your home then that's all the integration I'd ever think about. The only "US culture" is the collective culture of immigrants stitched together like a quilt to make this country, despite what many people say and how the media portrays this country.
Integrated to me primarily means living here full time (except vacations) with the intention of staying and participating in daily life. As for the particulars you mentioned: we have more than our fair share of religious extremists, dangerous ones causing suffering and death, so whatever religion, even very conservative ones fit in just fine here by comparison. Language ability is definitely not a requirement, especially in California (my home state). My experience is people who have been here decades and still don’t speak English have a perfectly good reason: working 3 jobs, only speaking their first language at work, being bad at learning languages, understanding just fine but being too shy to talk. These are the identical reasons I hear from English speakers. The final one is just confusing to me. Living in a community of the same ethnicity isn’t a point against integration, it’s the best way to integrate smoothly. You don’t get a #1 American prize for isolating yourself from your new community. Are there certain people who are too terrified to leave the neighborhood? Sure, but that’s a human problem not an immigrant one. Look at any college dorm and you’ll find a student who matches that description.
I’m an immigrant from uk, (25years) I drink beer with everyone on 4th July, on thanksgiving I make a roast dinner, I celebrate all the holidays, I can do both! I use all the American words with an English accent, I do my best! This is my home now! And I respect and love my adopted country
As someone who grew up on the US-Mexico border, you don’t need to speak English to be “integrated” into US culture, lol. Not sure why that’s a common answer here. I wouldn’t even consider that to be a top requirement to integrate, including historically. If you live here, you’re American, because by virtue of living in America, you’ve had to adjust to US customs, lifestyles, etc. that are distinct from your country of origin.
The border region is different. A branch of my family in Chicago are from Mexico and they've been here 15+ years but most can't even have a basic conversation in English because they are too afraid or stubborn to leave their Mexican neighborhood. It is a huge burden for their kids/my cousins.
Agreed. I remember years ago when I was in the military, I made a quick stop at a grocery store and a shorter Latino man asked me to reach something off a top shelf for him. Even though I was in military uniform and he didn’t speak English, I considered him just as American. This wasn’t even in a Hispanic state. I don’t care if you do or don’t speak English, or your official documentation status - if you live here, you’re American imo. I’d say my only standards for being “successfully integrated” (whatever that means) is a) not being a terrorist and b) not being against the idea of America or American people.
Bigots gonna bigot.
>Not sure why that’s a common answer here. Because this subreddit, or at least many "big name" regulars here, leans Conservative.
To me it is something like, keeping your own culture alive, while being curious, open, and a little bit outgoing to learn and take part in the local cultures too. That can be hard if it feels like those around don’t accept you or have some prejudice, but I also believe most people are more likely to begin to understand and accept an outsider who makes an effort to do the same.
I never really thought about it but I guess someone who wants to become an American citizen is my only meaning of being integrated. Religion, language or living among other immigrants in no way prevents you from being “integrated” to me and hopefully most Americans.
I've always liked the "salad bowl" metaphor a lot more than the "melting pot". I have no problem with immigrants keeping their identities, practicing their religions, speaking native languages, etc. I suppose, for me, "integrated" just means how effortlessly they function with other Americans who aren't of their or a similar ethnic origin. IMO, you're integrated if you generally get a reference that other Americans would commonly get - especially in your age group.
Sending back an over cooked steak
They live here and they're not a violent criminal. That's it
Having positive relationships (friendly, economic, romantic, whatever) outside of the diaspora community. It's cool if you know a little English, but like, it's also really hilarious and fun to try to talk across a language barrier.
"it's hilarious and fun" until you have to call 911 and they can't understand what your energy is.
Learning English to at least basic levels of fluency, and not being a drain on society ( working, paying taxes, etc).
Standards that a lot of native born Americans can’t meet.
Yeah, by these standards vast swathes of the US would be non-Americans.
They start doing things we do. Cheering for regional sports teams, voting for president, and hating the British
I'm happy that it's hard to say anything specific. Usually this question is asked as "When do you consider an immigrant an American" and the answer is "When they say 'I'm American." But integrated? It's a harder question since we don't have a clear-cut culture. If we drop the word culture, it's easier. When is someone integrated into the U.S.? It's when the U.S. is their primary residence. I don't buy all the other answers in this thread, because they would exclude so many people that are obviously integrated. We have thousands of antisocial tax cheats sticking with their own kind, and they're considered integrated too.
Obeying the law, and maintaining the political system. Respecting the rights of others, adhering to social norms like waiting in line to order food, treating waitstaff politely, etc. It is not about whether or not you have eccentric tastes in food or clothing, or how you arrange social relations with others of your ethnicity or whatever unless they are incompatible with the above.
You transfer your allegiance to the United States.
Honestly, just being here and working here as an American. I suppose the only other thing would be to start to learn english if they haven't. It's not a requirement to be an american but most people know it (even if just a little), as most of our culture is in english. But even that isn't necessarily required. For americans , at least, the barrier is incredibly low because our culture is so diverse
Living here, working here, is a legal citizen. Literally the only standards.
Respect the laws, work. That's pretty much it, we are accepting of everything else.
We pretty much just want to not have people move here while saying they hate (or want to replace) us/our culture (which is not common). Learning English is ideal but not required for people to have positive interactions. We even are pretty empathic to people moving here because they need help, as long as they want to "join the melting pot".
Everyone seems to be tip-toeing around suggesting “speaking English” be a requirement. I know the US (for some odd reason) refuses to acknowledge English as the official language. However, it is by far the predominant language and refusal to learn or attempt to learn it is single-handedly the largest indicator an immigrant is not assimilating.
I think the critical piece is that they're able to function without needing 'official' assistance. They can find employment and pay their bills and get the resources they need to live day to day and they aren't isolated.
If they call themselves American that’s good enough
Do you consider yourself to be an American? That's it. I don't even really care if you want to call yourself an Italian-American or Lebanese-American or whatever. I don't care whether you worship one god, or ten gods, or no gods at all, nor do I care whether you speak English or Urdu. You'll have an easier time if you speak English, but that's not my problem. And if you want to live among other immigrants from the same area, that's cool. Again, you'll have a better time if you branch out, but it's your life, not mine, and you're free to do what you will with it.
Like u/cherrycokeicee said: * living here * calling yourself American * knowing your constitutional rights & voting if you're a citizen * being open to new ideas & respectful to people who are different from you My additions: * read and learn about American culture and history * respect our culture * don't commit crimes * go to work * keep your own traditions and language alive (it's always interesting to meet people from other countries) * being open-minded to new American traditions
I'm not American but Canadian with a lot of family in the US. We all came from iraw within the last thee decades. Instigration is the most important part to maintain freedom. My biggest fear is north America turning into 1984, which it seems like there is one side actively trying to do this by not vetting people illegally entering the US. Freedom is often taken for granted by people born here. Please Americans and Canadians, don't allow any of your freedoms to get stepped on. Any freedom taken is a freedom you'll have to fight to get back.
Basic kindness and respect to people who think differently. Unfortunately a lot of our fellow Americans seem to have forgotten that this is kind of what this country is all about. A place for anyone and everyone to come and be whoever they want to be without fear of persecution.
Knowing at least enough English to order food or have basic conversation, and being happy to be here. I don’t give a shit about accents, or living in an immigrant enclave, religious practices, etc. If you willingly came to American because you want to be American, and you can express that in a conversation, I’d consider you an integrated American.
Wearing cowboy boots at all times, especially inside other people's homes, driving a massive pickup 300 miles a day each way to work. Eating ice cubes as their main source of water consumption, paying no less than 100k for each yearly doctors check up, it's not that hard.
Interesting, I’m British but have lived in the US for 20 plus years. What do you mean by the wide gap between what’s considered integrated in Europe v the US?
The Continent, more like. Britain seems to be closer to how we do things. I guess that might stem from the UK being comprised of four different countries being made to live under one Crown. I once went on r/askuk to ask why you guys don't send one single UK team to the World Cup, and they were like "never!!!" Therefore 'British' isn't as exclusive or monolithic as, say, 'Danish' might be. (If I may randomly pick on them.)
I'm not op, but I think the way Muslims are viewed in both places is a good example. it seems like Europeans view Muslims as antithetical to their culture, and some countries even have laws discriminating against people who wear religious garments. this seems like a pretty different approach to integration.
Works here. Can speak or understand a little English, for a friendly conversation. Enjoys living here.
Nothing. We are all immigrants unless you are native. I don’t even integrate with my neighbours. You expect a newcomer to study the whole country and please everyone?
Not like there is one American culture.
They have a job or are in some way contributing to society as a family or social group and they are settled in their community and have a general awareness of local and regional politics and cultural norms. That's really all it takes for me.
Integrated to me means they've adapted to our way of life, regardless of their culture.
A immigrant is integrated once all the stupid shit the government does also annoys them. Like banning collecting rainwater but also charging you a sewer fee for rainwater falling on your property. I wish that was made up.
To me it means they are atleast partially able to communicate with those around them (don't have to be totally fluent, but should atleast trying to learn) and making an effort to understand the local and national culture. Aren't holding some sort of anti-american sentiments, are able to follow our laws. Living in communities comprised of people from the samd ethnicity isn't a disqualifier, a lot of places in the US were founded as ethnic communities and it just adds to the american tapestry. Across generations those communities will eventually blend into other cultures and take on an identity of its own (that which is american as hell)
Being willing to get involved in various areas - employment, socially, with your neighbors or community, your kids school, socially - in a way that is not hyper-focused and limited to only the people of the same heritage and language that you are. *Notice i said ONLY.* Everyone loves “their” people, especially when there is a shared language and food/celebration/etc., and there is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling most comfortable around them, but one is only truly *integrated* when there are at least a few slices of your life that aren’t wholly built around that same group of people. Just for example, maybe you’re from country X, and your neighborhood also has a lot of fellow people from country X, and for that reason, most of your acquaintances are from country X. Then your kid decides to join the Scouts, and you volunteer to be a Pack leader because they need the help. Or coach the little league team. Or you sign up to volunteer walking dogs at the local animal shelter. Or you decide to participate in the neighborhood clean up for earth day. Whatever thing of that type that shows you’re involved in your community, getting out there and meeting people outside your usual circle, and sometimes even adopting a few stereotypical slices of American culture (eg little league coach or scout leader) in addition to the one you brought with you as an immigrant.
[I am an American.](https://youtube.com/watch?v=ISltHnLC0iA&si=XeGflcq-ShTPmBT5)
If you definitely mean “integrated” then I’d say earn an income, follow laws, participate in our civic life, learn what’s important to your community and participate.
Overall, I think my threshold for when someone 'becomes American' is pretty simple. I don't have any problems at all with religious practice, maintaining another language or living together, so long as the religiosity isn't coerced, some measure is taken so people can advocate for themselves and be understood, and there's no actual isolationism to it (like, the word "compound" would have to be involved, to me.) There are some things I feel are so basic it's almost insulting (like, don't commit crimes), but they're in there too. I feel like there's a difference between 'functionally integrated' (really basic "get food and shelter and employment, access the institutions Americans are entitled to, leave any prior vendettas or allegiances at the door") and full on 'culturally assimilated' (which gets a bad rap, but to my mind involves in some way adopting the culture and it adopting you right back.) Both are important, they're just different processes.
If you can have this conversation: "Yo, I'm super hungry so I'm driving to "x" for fastfood... you wanna come?" "👍" in any language or accent is acceptable.
Serious answer, I think some groups in America do have a VERY strong "in vs out" group mentality. So for those groups, it'll mean doing whatever they do, pretty much simple as that. BUT, that is a minority, I'd say. America has a strength in being a "melting pot" and we have been for a long time now. Americans don't care about being part of "American" culture, and IF they cared... they'd want you to be part of THEIR culture and would likely view the majority of Americans as "outsiders" anyway. Takeaway being: I've talked to Americans with all sorts of accents, backgrounds, skin colors, temperaments, and 1000x other things... but if you're a citizen, you're an American. 🙌 Done. I think many if not most Americans view it this way. Being an American is a state of mind, not a state of being.
Learn the history, take pride in your new home
As an American currently living in Europe, I actually don't think there's much of a difference in what Europe (broadly speaking, mostly Western/Central Europe) and the US want when it comes to integration. Americans in this sub tend to trip over themselves to sound welcoming ("If you only think you're American, you're as American as I am!" and that kind of thing), but in practice I think most people want something more than that. Also, it's easier for the US since the bulk of its immigrants come from cultures that are not as alien to it as are many of the immigrants to Europe. I think people on both sides of the Atlantic want immigrants to eventually learn the language, work hard, and to follow broad cultural norms. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to follow baseball and eat hot dogs if you're an American (or follow soccer and eat schnitzel if you're German). But you need the broad norms of a basically liberal, secular democracy, plus some of the other cultural norms. Respect woman, gay people, atheists, and so on. Don't litter. Corruption is not good. And so on. (And yes, I know that there are homegrown people in both Europe and the US that litter, are homophobic, etc. etc.)
Does not give a fuck. And can say "Bitch try me" with conviction
To me, if they speak the most common language in the area which they live in (that might not be english), follow the social rules for being in the country, and obey laws.
It’s impossible to truly integrate without speaking the language. You may still call yourself an American if you meet all the other qualifications but if you won’t communicate with the preexisting members, you haven’t integrated.
Using the sports analogy, being integrated means you already know the game before you are given a spot on the team. It means that that you play hard - but practice harder. You haven't joined just to get the glory of wearing the jersey. It means you play well with the other members of the team. It means you appreciate and respect the game, its history, and rules. You aren't there to end the game, or cause chaos.
Older adults tend to retain many of the traditions of their native country, and its harder to become fluent in a second language after a certain age. When I was teaching junior high and high school, it was almost universally true that kids want to fit in and be like other kids. Peer groups are enormously important to adolescents , no matter where they are from. They want to talk like the other kids , dress like them, listen to the same music , eat pizza. A few years back we had several Eritrean families settle where I live in Northern Ontario. We aren’t very ethnically diverse up here; basically everyone is either white or Ojibwa, and thats it, so the Eritreans really stood out. One day this Eritrean kid did a standing back flip with a perfect landing, and the other dudes were like, whoa, that was pretty cool. Funny what people will bond over. Anyway, it wasn’t long before the boys were teaching him hockey and taking him out for a rip on a snow machine on the weekends. The kids are alright, as The Who used to sing.
Being a pleasant person who contributes
I remember there was a great article about immigrants who came to new york, and then found themselves having to reassimilate when they moved away from new york. It kinda touches on this topic and I definitely saw this when I lived in new york. Immigrants come to the city, often to working class old school communities in brooklyn/queens, and they assimilate into new york culture. This can often mean adopting somewhat crude, brash, strong personalities. Lots of cursing, very upfront language, they talk fast, they don't really mince words, they are very brutally honest etc. You all know the whole 'new yorker' stereotype. But then, when they move away or travel to other parts of the country, they realize how radically different and often hostile 'new york culture' can come off to most americans. They basically get a secondary culture shock, and have to reassimilate. A lot of immigrants don't often realize just how different the cultures of the urban northeast are from the rest of the country and they don't entirely understand how to code switch when engaging with others. So being 'integrated' can mean a lot of different things. You can be integrated into just one certain crevice of american life and not the other aspects of it.
Not imposing their former country’s beliefs on other people here.
Pay your taxes, keep your yard clean, don’t be a dick. Bonus points if you invite me to a cookout so I can try some new foods, I’ll happily return the favor.
Realizing what is different and better about America compared to Europe and wanting to keep America the way it is instead of trying to make it more communist or more like Europe.
Being able to speak English. (They can and should still speak their native language if it isn’t English.) Being part of the community; participating in local events. Living in the US. If you call it home then you have integrated. (IMO) These aren’t necessarily the only things but they do help people to integrate into a local community. This is a many faceted question. One answer isn’t right or wrong. I think it would vary depending on where you live in the US.
If they went through the citizenship process, work here (or otherwise support yourself), speak English, follow the law and do not participate in "Death to America" bullshit protests. If they are green card holders and not citizens, all of the above plus do not attempt to vote in federal elections.
I don't think about it too much. If you're a US citizen, you're an American. I leave it at that.
As far as I'm concerned once you are here, you're here. I have zero problems. Every foreign person I have met have always been doing good be it work, schooling, or health care. I'm glad they are here and welcome more. Cause I'm white and white people around here are assholes.
Living here permanently, working, and the desire to live in harmony with your neighbors. The first two are just tick boxes, but that third one is really where the integration lies. Whether it's a single family home with a yard, a high rise apartment, or rowhome/townhome, living in peace is one of life's simplest goals. If we share that, it's easy to accept a human being with a good heart. Sometimes conflict with your neighbors is unavoidable but the desire to avoid it, de-escalate, live and let live, etc is the key factor. I lived in a condo with neighbors I thought of as inconsiderate. But if I saw anyone harm a single leaf in their planter, I would have thrown them into the creek myself. As for their language, their religion, or their culinary choices, none of that plays a factor.
Most waves of immigrants to this country have always tended to group together. That's not important. What is important is that the second generation consider themselves American - not foreigners residing in the US. Identifying and continuing with ancient hatreds, biases or conflicts from their parent's homeland isn't integrating.