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Honestly, now this is all I can remember about Vivek's culture warring. Sad!
How do you feel about pro-import the world to compete with your children? Maybe no slots at our top research institutions should go to Americans who are American, but this will translate into a better America via culture. Then again, what if this were but a guise to continue importing the rest of the world to compete with your roofer's kids, too? Same old, same old.
I agree with a significant creedal or ideological element in the American spirit. I also don't believe I'm opposed to America, the nation and its people, improving in some way. I agree that America should try to brain drain places where or when appropriate. Yet many people before Vivek have said they want to brain drain the world of its genius and that being American is something more than blood, soil, or whatever fairy dust is in the air. Others have made defenses of certain visas or programs as important or valuable things for the nation. Had he made a limited defense of his preferred program he might been booed but forgotten. Instead, he said we Americans must change because of and motivated by a specific, topical visa discourse. Not the nationality that needs to change, but the culture-- for the race with China. Nobody bought it as, in my opinion, they shouldn't have. They still shouldn't.
Say what you will about black Americans, but at least they've spilled blood for the country. That's not something adequate software engineers are going to do even if we double our efforts or import them wholesale. Not even if they did improve the culture.
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