MARKET WATCH COLUMNIST
“All God’s Children,” Ellis Henican Column, amNewYork, December 18, 2009
Where America is going, New York already is.
With the whites outnumbered!
And if the people in America will just ask nicely, we’d be happy to explain to them what their future holds.
Think Elmhurst!
The U.S. Census Bureau caused quite a stir this week, predicting America’s demographic tipping point.
More precisely: the year that white people will be an official minority group.
It’s 2050, the bureau said.
This hasn’t happened quickly. By 1675, whites already outnumbered the Indians 10-to-1 in what became the United States.
But the Census Bureau’s new prediction is actually eight years later than its last one. The rotten economy is keeping some immigrants home.
But not all of them. And with ethnic disparities in birth and death rates, the un-whitening of America is coming soon enough.
Then what?
This whole idea – whites the new minority – is deeply alarming to some.
You already can hear the questions bubbling up across dinner tables and on talk radio.
Will today’s minorities insist on taking over? Will centuries of resentment be turned back on whites?
Will everybody have to eat arroz con pollo and kimchi? Will America elect a black president?
Wait, that last one’s already happened, as you might have noticed – and look, the world didn’t immediately crash and burn.
That may be the real message in these new numbers – and the real message in the experience of New York.
Things change. People adjust.
The city is already majority-minority, to use a common but peculiar phrase. Whites now make up something like 44 percent of New York City, with blacks and Latinos sharing the No. 2 spot, followed by growing slices of Asians and “others.”
As usual, Queens leads the diversity trend.
One hundred and thirty eight languages are spoken between Astoria and Far Rockaway, the top 12 being English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Italian, Greek, Russian, Tagalog, French, Punjabi, Gujarati and Arabic.
The people aren’t all inviting each other home for dinner. But the vast majority are working. The vast majority mostly get along. And the vast majority wouldn’t have it any other way.
Oh, and don’t worry. The kimchi’s great.
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very interesting column. I think the idea that minorities will “take over” and “dominate” are just the same simple minded ideas that were present throughout our history. Xenophobia is certainly nothing new. there are certain things that obviously need to be adjusted. for example, should we continue to have affirmative action? if so how should it be structured? these are legitimate questions and concerns. people certainly shouldn’t be ostracized for asking them. the problem arises when the “us” versus “them” mentality pops up. then it becomes about emotion, rather than substance.
the fact is this, our immigration policy is outdated. and we need skilled immigrants in our country. American students are not going into science, math and technological fields in higher education. they prefer liberal arts.
whereas the vast majority(nearly 70%) of all foreign students that are admitted into American colleges in engineering programs choose to stay and work in the United States. they are a tremendous boost to our economy, and certainly enrich our society rather than destroying it.
not going to get into the legal vs undocumented argument. while related and a valid point of contention, should be looked at, if not separately, at least much differently than legal immigration.
by the way, i really liked your appearance in the O’Reilly show. apparently the idea that law should not be based on the emotions of the masses are lost on some pseudo “intellectuals”. brilliant stuff.
You’re right on, Ellis. I, like you am white. We’re in numerical decline, it’s a fact, and–hey, actually it’s okay. Kind of profound, but not many dare to face it in print.