Namaste my fellow Americans, I bow to you with respect.

I have not yet recovered from the Trump Tsunami and the words uttered by Trump during the campaign brought back some nasty old memories.

Not too long ago, in Columbus, Ohio, my dad and I were riding up the elevator of a hospital to visit my mom who was undergoing heart surgery.  As we stopped at a floor, four tall young men joined us, and in that crowded space started verbally haranguing my dad. They, all of them white, started with nastiness that included the “n” word and crude “immigrant” innuendos. Terrified in that small elevator, I was hoping the doors would open soon. My dad however stayed calm and did not respond in part due to fear of any escalation with his dear daughter near him; and in part, as he explained later, “they did not know any better.”

From their language use it was very apparent these men were unschooled in basic civility. My dad exhibited his culture—his value system in which magnanimity is a social virtue.

My dad, who is no longer with us, was a handsome man of about average Asian height.  And, like many from South India, was darker with curly hair. These men had labeled my dad as “immigrant” and “black” as a prelude to their crude behavior. Never mind that he was also a US citizen who had been invited in the sixties to fill a big need in this country. He had devoted his life to educating thousands of American students and was a very well respected member of the Physics faculty. With two doctoral degrees in Physics—one from Cambridge, England and one under a Nobel Prize winner in India, he was subjected to the worst of American culture.

America has to find its “culture” again. Culture comes with an understanding of one’s societal obligations to set the course of civility and take actions that can be passed on with pride to the next generation.

This obligation was very crudely and deliberately set aside when Trump actively sought to disrespect Hillary Clinton, his debate partner for the highest office, by unsettling her and placing her husband’s paramours in the audience. How was that even relevant to the debate on policy?  Why did the organizers even think this was okay? This is just one example that illustrates the recent American spiral from “culture” to “crudity.”

Indiscriminate labeling of individuals and groups by Trump’s followers also warrants further reflection by all of us who are Americans. Hence I wonder:

“Exactly when does the label ‘immigrant’ cease to apply and when does a person acquire the label as an authentic ‘American citizen’?”

This invisible point of transition seems to be a milestone, deserving of the reciprocity of respect that my father as an American citizen did not get in the elevator, and my son did not get in his middle school lunchroom on occasion.

Perhaps the transition depends on the actual number of previous generations lived here in the US? If the respect accorded to one indeed depends on the number of previous generations lived in America, then those African Americans who “immigrated” here a long time ago should get more respect than those from Europe that came more recently. But, as we all know, that is not the case.

Because in the end, this is not about a system of earned and deserved rights. “Immigrant” is a label to disparage those who are different. It’s used by individuals identifying with the white stereotype to justify expressing indiscriminate rage and hatred against fellow Americans; and, tragically, it’s used by institutions to legitimize prejudice and discrimination. This phenomenon has not only been stoked during the recent election; it is also likely to be reinforced by planned appointments at the highest level.

But wait; say some of my open-minded white American friends.

“Our comments do not apply to ‘you’ but to those ‘other illegal immigrants’. You know, the kind from Mexico for example. These ‘illegals’ live off of taxpayer dollars.  These people do not contribute. And, now we have the ‘other Islamists’.”

So let us reflect on that. Individuals coming to the US are often desperate and some come illegally. Eleven million or so strong, they form about only 3.4 percent of the population. That is, just three out of every hundred! The institute on Taxation and Economic Policy reports that these undocumented 11 million are paying an estimated amount of $11.64 billion in state and local taxes, on average, an estimated 8 percent of their incomes. They purchase goods stoking the economy. According to UCLA research the resulting economic activity is $150 billion. Thus, assuming that this minority group does not contribute is false. They would contribute more if allowed to fully participate.

Even so, responsibility for encouraging such immigration also rests on promoters—businesses looking for a competitive edge by exploiting cheaper resources, drug and human traffickers, and others who break the law. Go after such illegal activity and any other terrorists by all means.

But railing against individuals as “immigrants” has created a culture of intolerance and demeans many. “Illegal immigrants” are not distinguishable from the forty percent or more of non-white Americans. And as mentioned above “illegal immigrants” are not destroying the economy either. So labels are simply stoking prejudices that subject a respectable forty percent of the population, including folks like my dad, to indignities.

Culture demands that your immigrant first-generation ancestors and mine be treated with the same respect. And, all their offspring—you and I—show each other respect. The ancient gesture for this is by bringing palms together and saying “Namaste”. It simply means “let my heart and yours come together in peace.”

It does not matter when “you and yours” or “I and mine” became a citizen; it does not matter whether we look, sound or act differently; we still respect each other. The millennials get this. They obtain their cultural education often in the context of peers who are increasingly non-white. They know about “stronger together”.  Those under 45 years of age indeed voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton. We do not have to wait for all those older than 45 who resist the inevitable to pass on before change happens.

We just need to define our culture. Namaste America.

Jay (guest contributor). Jay is an engineer and academic who has previously been a high-tech entrepreneur for many years. Her current interests are using data science for social good.

 

Tags:  activism culture election identity immigrants inequality love multicultural politics race relationships social expectations tolerance trump