A Unique Breed

Imagine a place where the most adventurous, creative, hard-working, and outgoing people would come together from all over the world.  Add to this group a few key ingredients like mutual respect, collaboration, and honesty.  Now imagine that this collection of fine people live together for generations, mixing their good traits and their collaborative spirit into an ever growing population.  I am not describing an imaginary Utopia.  I am describing the United States of America.  We Americans are a unique breed.

In 2005, a Johns Hopkins University psychologist name John Gartner wrote an book called “The Hypomanic Edge” in which he concluded that the brains of Americans shared a unique quality when compared to average people of other countries.  This trait, which he called “ hypomania”, characterized his subjects as uniquely optimistic, impulsive, and driven.  These are the very traits that caused most immigrants to declare that they would not tolerate the life offered to them by their native countries.  These are the traits that cause people to drop all that they know of their native lands and set out for something better in a place called America.  These are the traits that allowed these unique individuals to start from virtually nothing and make their life in a strange new land.  As it turns out, America is uniquely filled with hypomaniacs.
 

You may wonder how these highly adventurous and competitive folks didn't eventually attack one another once they landed on this new soil.  This is addressed by conservative commentator Michael Medved in his 2008 book, “The 10 Big Lies about America”.  Medved suggests that it is not greed, dominance, or power that has drawn these poor foreigners to American soil; rather it is a desire for free religion, fair labor practice, and honest business ethic.  According to Medved, most immigrants came to America so they could own a home and raise a family in a place where their hard work and honesty actually paid off!  They most certainly didn't come here to fight.  They could have done that where they came from.  Throughout our history, U.S. immigrants have been the most honest and hard-working people on earth.

Immigrants arrive at Ellis Island

We could argue that the American immigration system has worked because of our tight border security and our strict system of screening those who enter here.  This would simply be untrue.  Until 1875, we had virtually no immigration laws whatsoever.  Until 1925, immigrants were screened solely for good health and enough money to get them situated for a week or so.  During this period, only 2% of immigrants were deported, usually due to illness or mental disability.  I believe it is fair to argue that most of our ancestors came to America during this pre-1925 era.  I know mine did, and they were hypomaniacs.

Given this background, I would strongly argue that any immigrant family who manages to come to America, work hard, raise a family, and get their children through high school with decent passing grades deserves to become a U.S. Citizen.  I believe they have shown the fortitude of an American.  I believe they have passed the same test that my ancestors passed.  For these people, it is not an American dream - they have done the work necessary to make it into a reality.  A successful and honest immigrant belongs in America because they are wired to make the right difference in an honest and fruitful way.  They are driven to do the right thing.  For over 200 years we have collected on this soil to do these things together.  We are the super society - pulled together because our ancestors had the drive and the decency to earn their way.  We are a unique breed.

Tony F.   2013