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| Re: What's Sonia Sotomayor's racial background? (456940) | |||
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Re: What's Sonia Sotomayor's racial background? |
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Posted by Stephen Bauman on Tue Jun 2 08:55:32 2009, in response to Re: What's Sonia Sotomayor's racial background?, posted by LuchAAA on Mon Jun 1 19:54:31 2009. we're both middle class guys from Queens, who have lived through the makeover of Queens over the last twenty years, and we each have our own point-of-view. The way I see it, the Russians in America assimilate fast, even though they faced more obstacles than any Hispanic group in America. They have a better attitude, and it shows in their abilitiy to learn English, and blend into America's middle class.Ability to learn English is generational. I've patronized the same pharmacy for the last 15 years. It's owner and staff are Chinese. A couple of assisted living apartment houses were built nearby. Many elderly Russians moved in. The pharmacy hired a clerk who speaks Russian. She's needed. The Russian Medicare generation does not speak English; their children do. Immigration into the US was virtually nil between 1924 and 1965. This 40 year gap meant that those whose perspective dates from after 1965 have not witnessed the assimilation process of the earlier immigrations. I heard about it from my parents. I knew my grandparents were dysfunctional in English despite living 50 years in this country. If you are part of the post baby boomer generation, you probably grew up ignorant of this history. Perhaps the major difference in our circles is that I know the assimilation history the earlier immigration. I see very little difference between that history and what is presently unfolding. I'd love to know what Russian newspapers you can find in Flushing. I have not gone on a hunt for them. Here's a link to Russian language media in the world. You will find 4 Russian language newspapers published in NYC/Brooklyn, listed for the US. This does not include Novoe Russoe Slovo (New Russian Word - Hoboe...) which is as old as the hills. I've seen a few of these papers in the Russian food store that popped up like a dandelion to service the nearby residents. If you're looking to find some newspapers to polish up your Russian language skills, I'd suggest you try your local public library's reading room. I'd be willing to bet, sight unseen, that the branch on 63rd Drive has quite a collection. |
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