Racist lawyer rant is really just the tip of the iceberg
A New York attorney drowned in a maelstrom of negative criticism actually spoke for a lot of North Americans last week.
Schlossberg, infamous viral video celebrity after his “get out of my country,” if you want to speak Spanish and not English rant inside a Manhattan restaurant, offered a mea culpa yesterday.
Schlossberg may catch social and media pushback about his public performance although his opinions are shared by millions of U.S. citizens.
A mindset shared by many involves this idea that immigrants should pursue assimilation; the process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group.
In this case, Schlossberg wanted Spanish speaking restaurant employees to disengage their native tongue for good old English. The attorney even threatened a call to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents if workers continued speaking Spanish to customers.
Schlossberg, 42, apologized Tuesday after spending almost a week wrapped in controversy and infamy.
“What the video did not convey is the real me. I am not racist.” Schlossberg, who called his behavior “inappropriate”, said.
“Seeing myself online opened my eyes — the manner in which I expressed myself is unacceptable and is not the person I am,” Mr. Schlossberg wrote.
Perhaps, although for that really ugly moment, Aaron Schlossberg represented himself as a person of intolerance, a bully entangled by racist behavior.
Schlossberg delivered a tired opinion that, “It’s America and people should be speaking English here.: My guess is that they’re undocumented and I will be calling ICE .... If they have the balls to come here, live off my money...I pay for their welfare and their ability to be here.”
Truth be told, Schlossberg arrives as the tip of the iceberg in a nation of immigrants that looks down their noses at Spanishspeaking arrivals. Millions of people share Schlossberg’s opinion although they prefer to deliver their bigotry in private settings.
A preference exists here for Schlossberg’s harsh personal opinions then those people who smile in your face then engage in prejudice as soon as your back turns.
The United States government remains incapable of delivering a solution to immigration issues, preferring to force millions of immigrants into shadows. Approximately 800,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) residents have achieved incredible successes with their one significant break, yet, political leaders keep them guessing about their future.
A certain criminality exists with DACA recipients who attend school, find gainful employment and accept rules and regulations expected from all U.S. residents. Schlossberg expressed his deplorable thoughts about immigrants being on welfare and this ginormous lie that they pay nothing into the U.S. tax system.
Sure, learning English seems like a smart maneuver for integration into U.S. society but by no means should any immigrant give up culture, language and other ethnic connectors that gives them identification.
Assimilation exists as a way for people to lose their heritage and all the wonderful customs that connect with their homeland and relatives.
Assimilation is for losers, people willing to dismantle or destroy their pasts despite the fact that their yesterdays hold amazing value that once lost can never be recovered.
Social observers say Spanish-speaking second-generation immigrants will learn English which is wonderful but smart people hold onto their original languages. It’s cool to hear people speaking Italian although most offspring from those original arrivers have minimal or no knowledge of their ancestors language.
The city’s Columbus Park hosts numerous summer festivals which showcase cultures from Ecuador, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, etc. Great experiences await those people willing to immerse themselves in the culture of these beautiful and interesting neighbors.
So, whether you arrived from Haiti, Poland, Russia or Mexico, please, hold onto your past. Say no to assimilation or be prepared to lose yourself and your past.