Lalami’s writing about assimilation encompasses the many different perspectives that we assign to the word. She begins her paper by bringing up a memory she had on a plane, in which the passenger she was speaking to believed that the Koreans that lived in his city should assimilate. This then steps into the word assimilation itself. For the longest time assimilation has meant in her words that, “Immigrants are expected, over an undefined period, to become like other Americans, a process metaphorically described as a melting pot.” (Lalami). However, she then goes on to speak about how in reality, assimilation has become interpreted in ways farther from the truth of the original definition. When speaking about the different perspectives she says, “For some, assimilation is based on pragmatic considerations, like achieving some fluency in the dominant language, some educational or economic success, some familiarity with the country’s history and culture. For others, it runs deeper and involves relinquishing all ties, even linguistic ones, to the old country. For yet others, the whole idea of assimilation is wrongheaded, and integration — a dynamic process that retains the connotation of individuality — is seen as the better model.” (Lalami) She further speaks about the far-right idea that assimilation is essentially cutting all ties to where they originated from in order to truly be considered a US. citizen. Mentioning statements from far-right commentators such as Ann-Coulter who spoke about the presence of a certain amount of immigrants leading to a crime, stating ” the shooting in Minnesota would never have happened in Australia because ‘‘they have fewer than 10k Somalis. We have >100k.’’” (Lalami) Such ideations are quite toxic and they’re often the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks about the word. Lalami also mentions how assimilation in regards to the United States, is vastly different than it is seen around the rest of the world. Mentioning her time in Morrocco saying, ” I never heard members of Parliament express outrage that French immigrants — or ‘‘expats,’’ as they might call themselves — eat pork, drink wine or have extramarital sex, in plain contradiction of local norms.” (Lalami). Overall, Lalami goes over the different perspectives and meanings given to the word which allows for the reader to get the fullest sense of the meaning and struggles that have become associated with the word.
Lalami, Laila. “What Does It Take to ‘Assimilate’ in America?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/08/01/magazine/what-does-it-take-to-assimilate-in-america.html?mcubz=0.
