this is always a good joke but like many jokes needs nuance! the US actually has thousands of very rich cultures—most of them are just too non-white/POC/queer/non-christofascist to “count”
(“count” is in quotes because of course they count to everyone who isn’t a white nationalist)
Absolutely. "Legends" such as Madonna, who owes basically her entire career to standing on the shoulders of true giants, whose names are relegated to mainstream obscurity. Her whole oeuvre was just the store brand of music that actually came from somewhere and was about something. A less messy, politically bland repackaging, free from inconvenient politics and identities. Elvis for a new generation.
I never thought about it until now, but isn't this classic visualisation of Atlas carrying the world kind of wrong? He held up the sky and not the entire earth, right?
I love this allegoric meme.
According to the myth, Atlas, a Titan, was condemned to stand at the western edge of the earth and hold up the sky on his shoulders. Thus, he was Atlas Telamon, "enduring Atlas". He was probably an immigrant too.
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
America's immigration policy, while beneficial to itself, usually places a huge cost on the places these people come from. Attracting the most intelligent, and driven people from other countries means those left behind must work harder and with fewer resources. Usually these countries have to expend additional resources just to retain what skilled individuals they do have.
While this is happening, we're going to these places and building factories. Because everything is always on a downward slope, labor is cheap and available. We don't have to pay them minimum wage because they're not American. Sometimes nationals do come back to their countries, to run these factories and make it big back home with American money.