For people who study immigration to the United States,
there have been clear historic cycles of anti-immigrant sentiment.
In 1798 the brand-new federal government passed laws to keep out European radicals. This was followed by Chinese exclusion,
anti-Catholicism,
restrictions on eastern and southern Europeans, national origin quotas, English-only,
Japanese internment, OperationWetback, etcetera, etcetera. Today’s cycle is just another iteration. Or is
it?
The modern world is driven by media, more so than ever
before in the history of humanity. It was very hard to hear the high priest
yelling from atop the ziggurat.
Today the high priest is in your pocket.
The strength of the United States as a producer of services is it’s brand, or as academics call it “soft power”. This is a plain truth for anyone who
works in a service industry. Image
matters. In many cases image, and
the relationship that follows, is practically the only thing that matters. Substance behind image is becoming less
important—or so the recent U.S. elections would indicate.
The current cycle of anti-immigrant hysteria is marring
the image of the United States. Kennedy
and Reagan’s “city on a hill” looks pretty shabby right now. The statute of liberty is an
over-priced tourist trap, not an ideal, in 2017.
Like all of the past waves of anti-immigrant fear
mongering, this one will pass, one way or another. The question is, what will
be left of the brand?
Given the long history of dirty wars, black sites, and WMDtesting and use, the
brand of the United States has proven remarkably resilient. Much of this, I would
posit, has been due to the fact that the money seems to pour here. People seem
willing to ignore a transgression or two or three for a couple pieces of gold
or some cheap land. Here’s the
rub.
The West has been settled, the economic boom of the 1950’s
and WWII global destruction is long gone, and the world economy is likely
entering a period of low growth. The concentration of wealth and the crumbling of the “job”
likely mean that money will not gush for most people. Land is not cheap. If the
United States can’t wash away its sins with indulgences, its brand
becomes increasingly relevant.
Your services are valued if you are. If the United States
appears to the world as a grumpy old white man walling in his wealth, that will
be hard to sell. That is not sexy. That is not beyonce.[1]
In the era of the image, public political temper tantrums, like the earlier
waves of xenophobia, may have a much more damaging effects.
[1] beyonce: (adj.) the state
of being cool and sexy in everything one does; having the air of infinite poise
and sex appeal
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