UK vs. US editions

[joanne0012]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "GulPlum" <plum at c...> wrote:
> For a nation of immigrants which used to use the term "melting pot" 
> to describe itself, the US is doing very badly at opening its 
> constituent ethnic groups to each other.

I don't understand why you say this.  The immigrant experience has changed very 
little in the past 100 years; my Haitian, Greek, and Hispanic neighbors are 
undergoing a process that is startlingly similar to what my great-grandparents 
went through when they arrived from Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe.  Laws 
have changed to reduce overt employment prejudice, and educational 
opportunities have probably improved.  But the experiences that make up 
assimilation -- education, language skills, and employment achievements are still 
parallel.  Grandma still doesn't want to learn English no matter how long she's 
been here, Dad works at a job that's 2 steps down from what he had back home, 
and everyone wants their kids to get the best possible education so they can 
make the  most of opportunities.  It takes a couple of generations to change 
cultural habits.