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I find it so incredibly ironic that it was immigrants, fleeing countries utterly lacking in comfort, wealth, or happiness, in search of a better life for themse
by rubicon33 7y ago
I find it so incredibly ironic that it was immigrants, fleeing countries utterly lacking in comfort, wealth, or happiness, in search of a better life for themselves and their children, that helped build the comfortable industrialized nation of the United States.
It seems life - human existence - is cyclical and has amnesia. We forget too quickly what real discomfort is. Or at least, fail to strike a proper balance.
- somatic 7y agoAmerica was founded by pioneers. Immigrants didn’t start coming for their “better life” until the mid-19th century.
- wavefunction 7y agoAmerica was indeed founded by immigrants seeking a "better life" whether that was Puritans fleeing persecution or economic opportunists. It's not like anyone immigrated to America simply to "pioneer" for pioneering's sake.
- dsfyu404ed 7y agoOf all the groups that immigrated to the US the Puritans would be about the last group I'd say anything positive about.
- somatic 7y agoBy that standard you could say that every decision made by everyone is made in pursuit of a better life. Which is true, sure, but it obfuscates certain arguably important points.
- mch82 7y agoI don’t understand how the motivations of pioneers and later immigrants are different. What do you mean by this distinction?
- dsmk 7y agoI think it's pretty clear. Pioneers were white.
- rubicon33 7y agoYou'll notice, I didn't say that immigrants "founded" America. I said immigrants "helped build" what it is today.