White Americans Come First

White Americans Come First Given that, during World War II, many Jewish people were either currently living in Europe or were themselves European immigrants to the U.S., I assumed they were automatically included in the white majority and received the same privileges. However, Jewish people have an interesting position in America’s demographic makeup, being a minority group that exists within the racial majority. I was surprised and confused by America’s treatment of Jewish people during World War II, specifically those who wished to immigrate to America. I assumed that because these were white immigrants, America would welcome them in as fellow members of the white majority, but this was not the case. When reading about Samuel Dickstein’s …show more content…
I have heard this argument tossed around our family dinner table for several years: “Black people aren’t successful because they don’t work hard enough. They just protest to get more handouts and abuse the system. Asians do it right. They come here (legally), find jobs, send their kids to college, and they don’t complain.” This ridiculous sentiment (shared by almost every male in my family, and I suspect other members of the white majority) echoed in my head as I read Takaki’s discussion of the “model minority” and arguments against affirmative action. First, this argument assumes that because Asians “followed the rules” they did not face discrimination, which Takaki proves is not the case. Chinese immigrants were trapped in a “Chinese ethnic labor market composed mainly of restaurants and laundries” and were not eligible for citizenship until 1943 (Takaki, 2008, pp. 359-361). Both Japanese aliens and Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor, in a process eerily similar to the placement of European Jews in ghettos. To argue that Asian immigrants are “comparatively more accepted” because they have worked for it negates the discrimination they have had to overcome (and continue to face). My second issue with the argument of a “model minority” is that it is logically unsound; the idea that …show more content…
Suddenly, as the entire country was under attack, race no longer seemed to matter. America seemed to realize that winning the war would require the effort of the entire country. It was clear that discrimination would continue on American soil, but exceptions would be made for those fighting for America abroad. Minorities were being asked to protect a country that never protected them. Although all minorities were affected by the war, I was especially interested in Takaki’s discussion of America’s treatment of the indigenous population during and after the war. I knew that Native Americans had enlisted to fight for the United States during World War II, but I was unaware of their pivotal role in our success. Takaki (2008) notes the Navajo “code talkers” and their major contributions to the American military’s victory in the battle of Iwo Jima (p. 369). Despite their vital role in the war, once Native American soldiers returned to the United States, they continued to face crippling poverty and poor living conditions. I cannot imagine how it would feel to fight for a nation that had a long history of breaking treaties and killing my own people; I was struck by Native Americans’ insistence on protecting their country, even if it meant fighting for the people that oppressed them. I imagine it was traumatic for them at the conclusion of the war, as Americans continued to treat them as