The Irish did not settle in Boston and join organizations like the Hibernian Society to preserve their heritage and culture . And even while Americans complain about how the current crop of immigrants are n't like their predecessors , they miss the irony : At the time , there were people who said the same thing about their ancestors ; the Germans were thought to not be like the English , the Irish were n't like the Germans , the Italians were n't like the Irish etc. . And the Chinese were n't like anyone who had come before them , and so they were labeled `` unassimilable '' by the Tom Tancredos of that era . Some things never change . When I was growing up in Central California , which is home to a large population of immigrants from Southeast Asia , thousands would gather to celebrate Hmong New Year . The local newspaper would do a feature . And , in the days that followed , someone would write an angry letter to the editor complaining that these people were n't melting into the pot . Yet , there is more melting going on than one might
SAN DIEGO , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- On the question of whether recent immigrants assimilate as quickly as previous waves , many Americans exhibit short fuses -- and even shorter memories . Ruben Navarrette Jr. . notes that immigrants have been criticized throughout history for not assimilating . They have convinced themselves that , instead of adapting to the customs of this country , new arrivals -- most of whom come from Asia or Latin America -- expect the rest of us to accommodate them . They go ballistic over little things -- Mexican flags , taco trucks , libraries that offer bilingual story time , or having to `` press one for English . '' Yet , even as they look down on new immigrants , many Americans look back fondly upon their immigrant ancestors . Legend has it that when grandpa arrived from Ireland , Germany , Italy or Poland , he jumped off the boat , immediately draped himself in the American flag , ripped out his native tongue , and abandoned his culture -- all while singing `` Yankee Doodle Dandy . '' Germans did not move to Milwaukee and make beer and cheese .