David Brooks has an column in today's NYTimes on the question: "How racist is America?" His answer seems to be--getting less so, when you look at long range changes. I recommend it.
But he had an observation about how immigrants are doing better than you might expect, particularly if you focus on prejudice against foreigners. He noted that immigrants move to places of opportunity. The implication is it gives them an advantage over native-born, who tend to live where they grew up, or at least some natives are less mobile. You can pick holes in such a generalization: for example the Amish are notably mobile, and people flocked to North Dakota during the oil boom.
But I buy it. By moving from one country to another you break a lot of the habits and constraints you'd have if you remained. That's true for the vast majority of movers. But the majority of Americans aren't moving, even within the country.
I think it's true that our mobility has decreased over the years. I think a minor factor is the end of the draft, which broke some of the ties men had. (Though as a creature of habit myself I may be overestimating their role in life.)
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