Larry D. Lauer

I am British, But, is a film my honors students viewed at the British Film Institute (BFI) during a trip to London last spring.  The film depicts how many second and third generation immigrants are struggling with their personal identities.

Pakistani, Indian, Moroccan, and other immigrants in the film sound totally British but clearly look like natives of their family’s original country. And they often end up living  together in poor neighborhoods in London with little opportunities for jobs, and strong feelings of  hopelessness. And today’s social media and radical websites are very effective in attracting many of these disenfranchised young people to exciting revolutionary ideologies. Promises of hope and a new sense of purpose are quite compelling to those with little or no future.

The situation in Paris is even more explosive. The terrorist assassinations this week are a serious wake-up call for all freedom-loving people around the world. There are extremely poor neighborhoods on the fringes of Paris with many immigrants who by birth are French citizens but live in hopeless poverty with no future opportunities. It is not surprising that many will act out their negative feelings. Many will also buy into any radical ideologies that offer meaning, and will accept violence as the means for advancing them.

There might not be a short-term solution to this pervasive international problem. And a long-term solution will require those with means to help facilitate cultural assimilation, make many more jobs available, and establish a climate of progress and hope. In short, Cities will need assimilation plans, and leaders capable of generating excitement about implementing them.

Similar situations to London and Paris exist in the US. But historically the US is one of the best assimilation success stories we have in the world. Therefore, it is more important now than ever to make sure that current immigration issues do not threaten the nation’s historical melting-pot identity.

In the short-term, the challenge for all nations will be to prepare for additional attacks, defeat radical extremism wherever it exists, and deal as quickly as possible with their immigration issues thoughtfully and compassionately.

The challenge for communicators will be to carve out several simple messages: Explanations of how immigrant disillusion develops. Short-term advice about providing for personal safety. And more US melting-pot assimilation stories that can provide models to emulate.