If Uneducated White Guys Are Behind — Improve Yourself

Don’t Blame Immigrants for Working Harder than You

Photo by Victoire Joncheray on Unsplash

I’m tired of white guys whining about trailing others in the new economy, especially white males without college degrees.

What did you think would happen if you decided not to go to college? That the world would sit idly by as you did nothing to improve yourself through education to meet it?

It’s a bit rich for this same demographic to be upset about immigrants ‘taking their jobs.’ Or them being terrified of immigrants generally.

Do you know what immigrants do? They improve. They go to school. They push themselves. They work harder than you. They outwork and outstudy you because they don’t have a choice. Nothing was given to them.

They’ve had to fight for all that they have. Many are jealously guarding it with their sweat and sometimes blood. Maybe they endured a harrowing journey to reach America, or their parents did.

But most wouldn’t be in the USA unless where they originated wasn’t worse.

My wife Sasmita immigrated to the US in 2012 from India. She came here with 150 plus credits and was teaching college-level Pashto language courses in New Delhi.

When she arrived, the US government said only three of her college credits from India counted. She was forced to begin college again if she wanted to survive in the competitive American job market.

For the next nine years, Sasmita worked and went to school full-time, while also raising our two children. In May 2023, she graduated with a Master's in early childhood education. Sasmita now teaches 3rd grade in a bilingual elementary school.

Her story of dogged determination is repeated in variations across the immigration landscape.

Why should you, a white guy, without a college degree receive sympathy because your MO is showing up and having the world handed to you?

You were born on third base, but pretend you are still on the team bus. Go ahead bemoan globalization. Yes, the world is becoming more automated. No, your manufacturing job might be unsafe since robots can do it.