You ever hear someone call America a "Nation of Ideals" or use the term "civic nationalism"? That's Magic Dirt™, the idea that all it takes to be an American is to say you are. Not blood, but soil: Magic soil.
It's an offshoot of Equality, the dominant religion of the West. It's the belief that we're all tabula rasa--blank slates--and evolution stops at the neck.
Put it this way: kudzu, nutria, and fire ants are rightfully seen as invasive species that destroy their local ecosystems. There was no magic dirt that made them get along and assimilate with everything else. No, they just eat, reproduce, and smother their environment to death.
However, try to apply that to immigrants, and all of a sudden that's different.
You ever hear someone call America a "Nation of Ideals" or use the term "civic nationalism"? That's Magic Dirt™, the idea that all it takes to be an American is to say you are. Not blood, but soil: Magic soil.
It's an offshoot of Equality, the dominant religion of the West. It's the belief that we're all tabula rasa--blank slates--and evolution stops at the neck.
Put it this way: kudzu, nutria, and fire ants are rightfully seen as invasive species that destroy their local ecosystems. There was no magic dirt that made them get along and assimilate with everything else. No, they just eat, reproduce, and smother their environment to death.
However, try to apply that to immigrants, and all of a sudden that's different.