Mass exodus
The history of this country has been defined by mass exodus, at different periods. And the outcome is the great nation we have and enjoy today, so it was not that bad. Not bad at all, we got the best country in the freaking world. I care not if the left complains about it, we have the best country in the whole world. Period.
Mass exodus has been a blessing to the ethnic, religious and cultural make up of this country, so don't give me for a second more that one that a mass exodus of Cubans will unstabilize the equillibrium of Earth. Let's get real here.
In another posting I talked about how a large amount of Cubans coming to this country could be employed in the reconstruction of the big swatch of land destroyed by the hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Many Cubans settle in the most unexpected locations of this country and usually they do well. Well enough to hear most of them saying "I am the American Dream". From truck drivers, to baseball players, to surgeons, farmers, gas station attendants and every walk of life in between. I won't talk about the illegal immigrants (political refugees) that came in the Mayflower. I won't talk about who preceeded them, Columbus and the Spanish and Cubans (there were a few already born in the island) who settled in Northern Florida in 1565 where they laid down and built Saint Augustine. Let's not mention Key West, Tampa or Ybor City, other than but en passant.
The mass exodus I want to really mention are the waves of immigration that brought people to an already crowded place, New York. The Irish. The Polish. The Germans. The Italian, the Jews, the Russians, the Asians, everybody. They did well and they gave a lot to this country and this city and this country.
Then you have the Cubans. Since 1959, they have been coming to this country in great waves, during the sixties, the seventies, the eighties and after, in a mass exodus that has never stopped. And they have done well enough to be considered a social phenomenon in the history of this country. Now, look around. Everything you have around you is the product of the men and women that came here before you did. So, history has to stop because it will cause a traffic jam?
Because it will overcrowd the cities temporarily?
First, let's be real.... how many people is a mass exodus? Do you really think that everybody from Cuba is going to come here? There's a lot of people who are not going to leave whatever they have whenever they are. That doesn't happen. Don't be silly!
Will all of them choose to settle in the same city? I don't think so.
Don't you think that they will bring something of value to this country, as are abilities, qualifications, new blood to certain communities and the willingness to improve their lives? Now, before some academic starts telling me that they are doing badly here, I will tell all of you that everything is relative. Maybe they are not doing as well as you do, but you're no golden rule to measure social advancement. They are doing better than they were doing in Cuba and give them a generation and you will see how far they go.
Next time you hear "mass exodus" don't panic. Most likely you or your ancestors were part of one.
And maybe from time to time you catch yourself humming Bob Marley's tune...
Mass exodus has been a blessing to the ethnic, religious and cultural make up of this country, so don't give me for a second more that one that a mass exodus of Cubans will unstabilize the equillibrium of Earth. Let's get real here.
In another posting I talked about how a large amount of Cubans coming to this country could be employed in the reconstruction of the big swatch of land destroyed by the hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Many Cubans settle in the most unexpected locations of this country and usually they do well. Well enough to hear most of them saying "I am the American Dream". From truck drivers, to baseball players, to surgeons, farmers, gas station attendants and every walk of life in between. I won't talk about the illegal immigrants (political refugees) that came in the Mayflower. I won't talk about who preceeded them, Columbus and the Spanish and Cubans (there were a few already born in the island) who settled in Northern Florida in 1565 where they laid down and built Saint Augustine. Let's not mention Key West, Tampa or Ybor City, other than but en passant.
The mass exodus I want to really mention are the waves of immigration that brought people to an already crowded place, New York. The Irish. The Polish. The Germans. The Italian, the Jews, the Russians, the Asians, everybody. They did well and they gave a lot to this country and this city and this country.
Then you have the Cubans. Since 1959, they have been coming to this country in great waves, during the sixties, the seventies, the eighties and after, in a mass exodus that has never stopped. And they have done well enough to be considered a social phenomenon in the history of this country. Now, look around. Everything you have around you is the product of the men and women that came here before you did. So, history has to stop because it will cause a traffic jam?
Because it will overcrowd the cities temporarily?
First, let's be real.... how many people is a mass exodus? Do you really think that everybody from Cuba is going to come here? There's a lot of people who are not going to leave whatever they have whenever they are. That doesn't happen. Don't be silly!
Will all of them choose to settle in the same city? I don't think so.
Don't you think that they will bring something of value to this country, as are abilities, qualifications, new blood to certain communities and the willingness to improve their lives? Now, before some academic starts telling me that they are doing badly here, I will tell all of you that everything is relative. Maybe they are not doing as well as you do, but you're no golden rule to measure social advancement. They are doing better than they were doing in Cuba and give them a generation and you will see how far they go.
Next time you hear "mass exodus" don't panic. Most likely you or your ancestors were part of one.
And maybe from time to time you catch yourself humming Bob Marley's tune...
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