Bobby Jindal: US Should Insist Immigrants 'Adopt Our Values'

[SummerSnow]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/bobby-jindal-legal-immigrants-standards

BySARA JERDEPublishedAUGUST 30, 2015, 11:55 AM EDT

Republican presidential candidate and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday that the United States should "insist" legal immigrants "adopt our values."

ABC host Martha Raddatz asked Jindal if he, born to legal immigrant parents, was troubled by the "derogatory things" other GOP candidates have said.

The term "anchor babies" to refer to children who are automatically granted citizenship despite the citizenship status of their parents has been used by some presidential candidates, including Donald Trump and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Jindal himself said last week that he was also "happy to use" the term.

On Sunday, Jindal told Raddatz that his parents have never taken the United States for granted.

"And I think this election is largely about the idea -- the idea of America is slipping away in front of us. When it comes to immigration policy, what I’ve experienced and seen is that a smart immigration policy makes our country stronger; a dumb one makes us weaker. We’ve got a dumb one today," Jindal said.

"Yes, we need to secure our border. Stop talking about it," he continued. "I think we need to insist that folks who come here come here legally, learn English, adopt our values, roll up our sleeves and get to work."

Raddatz interrupted Jindal and asked him to clarify what the difference was between "American values" and those of immigrants.

"Look, what I worry about is you look to Europe, the contrast is -- you’ve got second, third generation immigrants that don’t consider themselves part of those societies, those cultures," Jindal said. "We in our country shouldn’t be giving freedoms to people who want to undermine the freedom for other people. I think we need to move away from hyphenated Americans. We’re not African-Americans or Asian-Americans, Indian-Americans, rich or poor Americans: we’re all Americans."

* So all groups should just forget their culture? Wow Piyush you're sure kissing alot of ass*

[uriel1972]

1. Sigh...

Who gets to decide what values are "OUR" (USA's) values?
I doubt it's the people of the USA.
Why should immigrants have to "adopt" these "values" when natural-born citizens don't?
Hmmm, maybe that's the next step.
First indoctrination camps for immigrants, then a system of indoctrination for everyone else. 1984 come 2016 anyone?

[gratuitous]

11. Pertinent questions

Do immigrants have to adopt the Republican values of war crimes and torture? Screw your fellow man? I got mine and fuck you? When you break the law, lie and blame everyone else? Preach "values" for everyone else, but practice all those vices and more in your own life?

Jindal seems to have decided that he can't beat the stupid party, so he's joined it. And like any recent convert, he's the loudest singer in the choir.

[liberal N proud]

2. Ignorance is stupidity

I live in Cleveland and there are second and third generation eastern European decedent's who speak in a non-english language amongst their families and friends, practice the culture of their ancestors. There are a lot of ethnic festivals in this city as there are all over the US.

[Fred Sanders]

3. Canada opted to interpret their Constitution as encouraging multiculturism, not the American "melting pot".

Tolerance versus assimilation.

Which approach to a society full of diverse cultures and nationalities, both lands inhabited almost exclusively by immigrants, has been proven by history to work the best in liberal democracies?

[Scootaloo]

4. Soon as I see Jindal seek acceptance in the Choctaw or Natchez, I'll give a damn

[doc03]

5. Republican values n/t

[Historic NY]

6. Does that mean Americanizing your name after a tv show character...

changing your religion and have a portrait painted making you to appear to be a different ethnic origin.

[tanyev]

9. "If you've recently immigrated, name your children Sheldon or Penny."

*not intended to be a factual Bobby Jindal quote

[Gothmog]

7. You mean change their names to a character on the Brady Bunch?

[hatrack]

8. So they should all watch Duck Dynasty, have lots of guns, drive pickups, wave really big flags?

As we all know, Piyush, there's only one set of limited values that denote "true" values or "our" values - and I'm sure you'd be delighted to fill us in, just as soon as you urge the President to stop talking about climate change.

Asshole.

[onenote]

10. Funny how he never includes Irish-Americans or Italian-Americans when he gives his examples.

[JI7]

13. yup, i wish someone would ask if we should get rid of Irish Day Parades

Italian festivals etc. if he had a problem with Reagan being proud of his irish roots.

i wonder if he feels more white when he says the things he does. as if the brown comes off of him.

[SummerSnow]

32. Found the perfect image and caption..

[Syzygy321]

12. I assume he means values like

(1) free speech (don't try to murder people who draw Mohammed)

(2) male/female equality (don't control your wife and female children with coercion and violence the way you did in the old country - they have American rights. They don't have to put up with your shit unless they choose to.)

(3) freedom of religion: (You can convert from anything to anything. So can your kids. Tough nougies if ya don't like it.)

(4) Rule of law: (You may have been accustomed to a corrupt government where citizens felt justified in eagerly scamming the gov agencies that were eagerly scamming them first. Don't do it here.)

(5) Raise kids right: support your kids in getting ahead through education and career, not nursing grievances against the Satanic West and joining ISIS or bombing marathons.

****

I am assuming he meant that, because that's what I would mean.

I don't expect immigrants to become fully Americanized in their own lifetimes, but by the second or third generation, if your imported culture is still inflicting old-world religious coercion on immigrants' kids and grandkids, and if systematic female disenfranchisement is still prized and demanded by males within your cultural islands, that's not okay. Thise are American women and children trapped on those islands, and they deserve the same choices as the non-cultural-island-dwellers among us.

Ya know: I can't effing believe I am in the position of "defending" this Jindal clown.

I just find the poutrage about "gasp! He wants them to abandon their CULTURE! How awful!" to be totally manufactured nonsense.

My final word to immigrants and immigrant communities:

You are welcome here! Cook anything you want; wear anything you want; speak any language you want, pray to any skyman you want. But respect your wife, your atheist, beer-drinking pole-dancing neighbor, and our Bill of Rights. And if you abuse your daughter in the name of your stupid culture, go to prison ya bastard.

[JI7]

14. why would you assume he meant what you mean ? did you know he tried to push the anti gay bill

on to louisiana ?

he has a history of criticizing only people of color. notice he always complains about asian americans, african americans etc.

but will he call for people to do away with irish day parades, italian parades etc ?

[Syzygy321]

17. Don't know a thing about him -

I never listen to those (R) people!

And. never understand why other democrats do!

[Waiting For Everyman]

15. A very good post.

I don't know what Jindal meant, but I applaud your thoughts on it.

Additionally, I do think that it is very unlikely for one to be treated as an included equal while making a big show of "otherizing" oneself. I'm a big fan and supporter of the individualists of this world, but I also understand human psychology, and I think people have to be thoughtful about choosing the ways they want to blend in, and the ways they want to stand out. (That goes for long-time Americans too, of course.)

Celebrating one's heritage is something I support too, but the difference comes I think when there is little or no perceivable blending in at all. People can do what they want, but I just don't think that's a good strategy for minorities or immigrants. It always was, and always will be true that being accepted means to some degree identifying with those one wants to be accepted by. That is true anywhere.

The immigrant groups to the US in the past who were the most fully accepted are the ones who made a point of trying to bland in the most, the quickest. That is not really surprising.

Today, it's especially important if nothing else, to be very strong on adopting our Constitutional values, as you stated. Anybody who has a big problem with those should be settlling someplace else, I would think, because it is no secret that the US is founded on those principles, and that is not negotiable.

[Jappleseed]

16. Oh look at the high and mighty.

My dad was tortured and my aunts raped being taught how not to be what they were. We placed my ancestors in schools and mistreated and killed them. This is something that happened recently even into the 70's. This is something that still deeply effects my people.

We kill black people for the color of their skin. We rape, bomb, piss on the poor and do so many other shitty things to people. We celebrate the slavery of millions with flags. We support apartheid governments, poison the air, the ground, the water. We torture, and kill families just because of where they are at a certain point in time or who they are next to.

Yet it is they who need to be better?

No fuck anyone who thinks it is not us who have to be better.

[Syzygy321]

18. And I was burned inside one of those

woman-hating cultural islands in America.

Your story does not invalidate my story.

Do you actually disagree with anything I wrote .... or did you agree but still wanted to act iall njured and morally righteous?

[Jappleseed]

21. I disagree.

Act? Fuck rightwing views on morality.

[Syzygy321]

22. Considering that I am defending

respect, equality, and freedoms for
all...

yup, you are acting.

Enjoy the indignation, silly one.

[RandiFan1290]

28. Buh bye!

[Warren DeMontague]

23. i agree, and I would add - respect for the reproductive freedom and choices of others

And not losing your shit because the pole dancing neighbor watches HBO or porn in the privacy of her own home (that 1st amendment, again) or because your neighbors on the other side are gay and now a married couple.

Unfortunately it's not just "those" fundamentalists who have trouble with such basic, liberty-friendly American values.

[Ilsa]

25. If only that's what Jindal meant,

this wouldn't be an issue.

But he might also have meant "leave your democratic socialist, LGBT, non-Christian, Feminist ideas at the border."

So, maybe you are not defending him.

[marmar]

30. I suspect he means.....

1. Starting unprovoked wars of choice based on lies

2. Denying your heritage to make yourself more acceptable to racist assholes who'll never accept you

3. Accepting the Christian bible in the classroom

[KG]

19. sorry, piyush, no matter how hard you try, you'll never be a WASP.

[LuvNewcastle]

20. Jindal is the token at the country club.

He thinks he's an honorary white person because he acts like the other Republicans, but I guarantee you, they don't see him that way.

[Facility Inspector]

24. no

they never will.

[SummerSnow]

33. Lol, he's darker than Obama. I bet he hates that.

[PatrickforO]

26. What values are those, Bobby? n/t

[Vogon_Glory]

27. Most US Hispanics Are Assimilating Nicely

Contrary to right-wing BS, most US Hispanics are assimilating nicely. While most first- and second-generation Hispanics do speak Spanish, second-generation Hispanics tend to be fluent in English and their children (Third-generation Hispanics) speak Spanish badly if at all.

One of the cases in point is Bobby Jingle's (Writer's note: I learned the nickname from a particularly loathsome, obnoxious right-wing troll and decided that it needed more exposure) dear friend Ted Cruz. Crus is also a second-generation Hispanic and he admits himself that his Spanish is lousy.

[marmar]

29. So speaking Spanish badly is assimilating "nicely"?

WTF?

[Lee-Lee]

31. My dad, the immigrant, says the same things

He enlisted in the US Navy at 18 under a special program that let Filipinos join.

My parents met after her retired, but he insisted I simply be raised "American". In some ways I am glad for that, in other ways it troubles me that I don't know more about the traditions from both sides of my family (although on my moms side it had more to do with her being estranged from that side of the family and wanting to avoid all of it).