We Must See Both Sides Of The Coin

Suzannah Beiner is a sophomore at Sebring High School and a new columnist with Highlands Today. Recently she wrote an column titled, "U.S. Not Always Inviting To Immigrants." Her perspective was very introspective and certainly well written.

She brought out many valid points of ethnocentric behavior that who, what, and where we are better than who, what, and where someone else is. This behavior often leads to groups assimilating who have the most in common with each other. This commonality may be a group with ATV's, a Ford, Chevy, or ball team, or it could be country of origin. Some groups believe that America should change to the new arrival group's native language and their ethos instead of those groups assimilating into America. The argument against unfair mistreatment of Muslims, as in the Japanese being held in camps in America during our war with Japan, is a valid observation and concern.

The Cubans, Irish, Germans and many other groups have actually assimilated better than some Americans due to a difference in skin color and the determination to remain "different" by both the persecuted and those who persecute. Indeed, grace for all people should be our goal. Research has shown that third generation immigrants usually learn English and assimilate as Americans instead of remaining isolated in their ethnic groups. In some areas of our country, ethnocentric behavior remains to the extent that these groups are anti-American. They believe that America should assimilate to them. This brings me to another point that may, at first, appear vague.

Before 9-11 I was flight instructing in Miami. I received a call from a person who left a voice recording on my home telephone to schedule flight training. His last name was difficult to understand on the voice message and it sounded something like "Attic." I returned his call and he as very pleasant. I apologized that my airplane was down for maintenance and that I would not be able to fly with him for another week. He was very understanding and said that he would get back with me at a later date. I did not hear from him again.

The person that I was apologizing to turned out to be Mohammad Atta, a major participant in flying airliners loaded with innocent passengers, mothers, fathers, and their children, into more innocent people into the tall buildings in the middle of New York City which was the World Trade Center.

Prior to 9-11 Atta was observed walking around Belle Glade Airport looking over agricultural spraying and dusting airplanes. Those airplanes have a tail wheel configuration. Those airplanes could be used to spray harmful chemicals and biological agents to infect and kill large populations of innocent Americans if flown in the wrong hands. Those airplanes have a tail wheel configuration and I specialize in tail wheel training!

The article written so well by Suzannah Beiner is on target when she says, "Moving past our fears, accepting changes with grace, making friends and building bridges are the marks of great Americans." It might also do us well to keep in mind that there are those, from an ethnocentric point of view, minority or not, who believe the only good American is a dead American. Mohammad Atta had a way of having us move past fear, accept change with grace, and he appeared to be a friend indeed with his empathy and understanding.

Sometimes we must see both sides of the coin, as we stand it on edge, to maintain its balance.