Why do people try to deny systemic racism by saying that “dirt poor POC immigrants succeed”?

[Anonymous]

I’m frankly tired of hearing this.

In 2023, legal immigrants coming to the U.S. to work full-time jobs are a selected bunch, not a random sample. If you’re coming here, especially with your family in tow, from India, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, the Philippines and many other countries, there’s a 95% chance you are college-educated, debt-free already in your home country coming here for a funded PhD program or medical residency that you were already accepted into, or a programmer job at a FAANG. If you aren’t already college-educated, you’re coming here as a full-pay international student who had to prove that you had thousands in your bank account in order to get a student visa. While in your home country, you had to pay immigration lawyers & navigate that bureaucracy. Then, you had to pay $1K+ for a flight & to arrange housing. You’re upper middle class or wealthy in your home country.

If you’re coming here undocumented, you had the willpower to pay for a spot on a boat, smugglers and to walk over a hundred miles.

If you’re a Black immigrant coming from, say, Ghana, you haven’t been “othered” your whole life due to your race. And many undocumented immigrants coming from Central America are white.

Saying “immigrants do great, so why can’t natives?” is like saying “private schools do great, why can’t public schools?” because private schools pick & choose their students, just like countries pick & choose immigrants.

[Anonymous]

What about the Vietnamese boat people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the Vietnamese boat people?

There are people coming from Vietnam on boats in 2023? If there are, they used money & connections to get a spot on that boat.

[Anonymous]

Holocaust refugees also had to scrounge up money to get tickets for their family to escape.

[Anonymous]

A LOT of minority immigrants were closer to aristocrats back home than day laborers. A lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the Vietnamese boat people?

You are missing the point. The undocumented people and refugees who make it to America despite extremely adverse circumstances are the most motivated (or lucky) members of their cohort. They are extraordinary in the sense that they are driven, determined, and willing to make extreme sacrifices. Those skills transfer and create a higher likelihood that they will be successful in the US. Plenty of Black Americans succeed in spite of systemic racism because of those same characteristics - grit, determination, etc. But the immigrant group has some self-selection at play. OP is saying that because is so hard for the disadvantage to get to the U.S., of those who actually get here there has an overrepresentation of people who would be successful no matter where they landed because of their innate characteristics. So there its unfair to compare these immigrant groups to the entire population of American-born POC.

[Anonymous]

Because they do succeed. It is not uncommon in Florida or Texas for first gen immigrants who crossed the Rio Grande to own a brick ranch house and several vehicles 10-15 years later.

The immigrants strive for the American dream and don't have the "gotta get mine" from the govt that keeps you down.

Come on over to Wicomico County Md. The Haitians and Hispanics own the local businesses. They were not living in Maryland 10-15 years ago.

[Anonymous]

I think immigrants are largely left out of the conversation on both sides.
The narrative you hear on the left is that all Black people are disadvantaged in the US due to generations of racism and discrimination. Recent Black immigrants clearly face challenges and bias, but obviously they haven't been affected by slavery, Jim Crow, etc. in the same way as Black Americans whose ancestors were enslaved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because they do succeed. It is not uncommon in Florida or Texas for first gen immigrants who crossed the Rio Grande to own a brick ranch house and several vehicles 10-15 years later.

The immigrants strive for the American dream and don't have the "gotta get mine" from the govt that keeps you down.

Come on over to Wicomico County Md. The Haitians and Hispanics own the local businesses. They were not living in Maryland 10-15 years ago.

You’re only looking at the ones who successfully made it across the Rio Grande & had the money to pay smugglers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about the Vietnamese boat people?

You are missing the point. The undocumented people and refugees who make it to America despite extremely adverse circumstances are the most motivated (or lucky) members of their cohort. They are extraordinary in the sense that they are driven, determined, and willing to make extreme sacrifices. Those skills transfer and create a higher likelihood that they will be successful in the US. Plenty of Black Americans succeed in spite of systemic racism because of those same characteristics - grit, determination, etc. But the immigrant group has some self-selection at play. OP is saying that because is so hard for the disadvantage to get to the U.S., of those who actually get here there has an overrepresentation of people who would be successful no matter where they landed because of their innate characteristics. So there its unfair to compare these immigrant groups to the entire population of American-born POC.

OP here agree 100%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not deny systematic racism, I do deny that nothing positive has happened with respect to race relations in this country. I for one am sick of the conversation, because it is no longer a conversation, it is just pure persecution of anyone who does not have the same skin color as the person claiming racism.

How do you make it through the day?

I ignore people like you. You are so painfully obvious, you are the one where everyone says, oh no, here she comes, run.

[Anonymous]

If you’re coming here, especially with your family in tow, from India, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, the Philippines and many other countries, there’s a 95% chance you are college-educated, debt-free already in your home country coming here for a funded PhD program or medical residency that you were already accepted into, or a programmer job at a FAANG

WTF? How many immigrants do you know?

-signed an immigrant who knows very very very very few like the ones you mentioned.

My own parents are uneducated, ES/MS level education from their home country.

Stop spouting stupid shlt you know nothing of. You live in a bubble surrounded by educated people. Chances are you don't know the struggling immigrants who manage to eek out a living, and their kids end up in state univ and go on to make good money. That is the VAST majority of immigrants, not the ones you describe.

Dumba$$ post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A LOT of minority immigrants were closer to aristocrats back home than day laborers. A lot.

WUT? How many immigrants do you know vs how many immigrants come in every year?

This is one of the dumbest thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If you’re coming here, especially with your family in tow, from India, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, the Philippines and many other countries, there’s a 95% chance you are college-educated, debt-free already in your home country coming here for a funded PhD program or medical residency that you were already accepted into, or a programmer job at a FAANG

WTF? How many immigrants do you know?

-signed an immigrant who knows very very very very few like the ones you mentioned.

My own parents are uneducated, ES/MS level education from their home country.

Stop spouting stupid shlt you know nothing of. You live in a bubble surrounded by educated people. Chances are you don't know the struggling immigrants who manage to eek out a living, and their kids end up in state univ and go on to make good money. That is the VAST majority of immigrants, not the ones you describe.

Dumba$$ post.

So they came here 30+ years ago. Nobody with an ES level education is being allowed in today 99% of the time.

[Anonymous]

This thread is about in 2023 not someone’s parents or grandparents. Ellis Island is closed.