That makes sense, it takes a bit of prep to move to a different country. I hope you do well while you are here. Michigan State is a good university (if a bit cold in the winter, pack warm clothes).

Discrimination exists everywhere. Unfortunately, 100% of human beings alive today are imperfect, and sometimes that imperfection expresses itself as discrimination. If it is institutionalized or government supported, then the point of view that cries "oppression" is very valid. If it is sporadic or if it is private, then basically, we just have to deal with it. There will always be intolerant people (which is bad), and no amount of legislation will change that.

Members of a minority group have a choice. They can do what they can to integrate into society, to give society no opportunity to discriminate, or they can rebel against the system.

Many people of Asian descent live in the United States. They are hired at very high levels and are well respected in most communities. Why? Because they adapt to our society and learn to speak, read and write English. They weren't always treated well, in fact many Asians were effectively slaves when they were brought here from China in the 1800s (shame on those who allowed that to happen), but they've overcome that early start and have integrated into society in a way that preserves their heritage and still allows them to succeed.

People of Hispanic descent have lived in the United States a longer period of time, and came here as free people, and yet have chosen not to integrate as well into society (especially in the Southwest where they have large populations). As such, they (generally speaking) don't have careers that are as good as the Asians, and aren't as well accepted into society. Part of that is simply because they (again generally speaking) don't learn English and don't learn to adapt to the United States society.

People of other cultures have integrated into U.S. society with varying degrees of success, but it is always the ones who have the lowest level of integration who are crying "racism" and "oppression".

Now of course, there are exceptions to all of these groups. The point is that those who try to meet the majority in the middle will do well (generally speaking). Those that don't simply won't because there are always others who will.

I feel bad for the minorities in France. I believe that the largest failing was by Jacques Chirac who told them not to bother integrating into society. He told them that they would be accepted under his idea of diversity. Unfortunately, he expected too much of his people. His ideology was based on an ideal world, not a real world, and as such, it failed. Had he instead said something like "welcome to France, dress and act like Frenchmen at work, but retain your heritage at home..." these immigrants would be more likely to have succeeded. The next to blame would be the immigrants themselves, who when faced with discrimination, didn't take the necessary steps to integrate to avoid discrimination (very difficult, but when one is an immigrant, it is pretty obvious that this is necessary). The French people simply wanted to be French people. They didn't want their society to change (and still don't). It isn't reasonable that it should for immigrants, so although they perpetrated the discrimination, they aren't really that much to blame for it (at least no more than any other society who has to deal with immigrants from a different culture, although they do carry blame for their intolerance).

-- Jeff

ps Zteccc was a company that I used to own (Z-Tec Computer Consulting). I started using it for all email addresses and as an online handle many years ago. It replaced my prior "handle" of HS (which many sites rejected as too short) or Stranger (which was too common).

pps Edited for typos.

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"Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." --Ronald Reagan