Becoming "totally" American

The Census shows that 32.8 million Latinos resided in the 50 states, representing over 12 percent of the total U.S. population. Of these, 21,681,000 were Mexicans; 1,360,000 were Cubans; and 4,756,000 were from Central and South America; and, there were 2,099,200 other Hispanics; also, there were 3,000,000 Puerto Ricans supposedly living in the mainland. And, 39.1 percent or 12.8 million of the Hispanic population in the United States was foreign born. And, there were 10.8 million Asians and Pacific Islanders living in the United Sates, or 4% of the total population. Thus, quite obviously, there is a significant migratory movement affecting the country. As such, the United States has sustained significant waves of immigrants and migrants from other countries and its territories. The people from other countries have a primary goal set in their minds, which is to become totally American. And, becoming a total American usually entails giving up the individual’s attachment to his country of birth and acquiring a capitalistic mindset. Thus, the “foreigner” who arrives at the shores or cross the borders of the United States usually has a well-formed vision and expectancy of what he most likely will find in the States. And, surely, his vision is not to become an itinerant traveler, as he wants a fixed, permanent home, and a substantially improved future for his children. And, of course, there are those individuals who arrive at the United States with no specific goals and tend to end up in the fringes of society. Thus, the person who decides to “leave” everything behind, and start a gainful life in a new environment with a purposeful beginning, has a clear advantage over someone who does not want to become detached from and is emotionally attached to his country.