As a 22 year old, I had a very important decision to make. Having been born in England to an American father and an English mother, I had to decide when I was 22 whether I chose to be an American or a British citizen. In that day you couldn’t be both; you had to choose. I chose to be an American citizen and was awarded with a much-prized “Certificate of Citizenship;” it wasn’t a hard choice. I love this country and am proud to be an American.
The rules have changed since then. Now an immigrant can retain both citizenship in their native country and in the United States. I’m “aggin” it. I believe people who leave their native land and arrive in America as their new home need to make a choice to become American citizens. I’m opposed to hyphenating nationality. All of us are from somewhere else before we, or our ancestors, came to America. For example, if you’re from Mexico and move to the United States and become a citizen you should be proud to be an American. You’re not a Mexican-American, you’re an American. If you don’t want to be “all in” as an American then leave and go back to your native country where you can be “all in.” Make a decision. Make a choice. Stop hyphenating your nationality. Can you be an “all in” American and continue your Mexican traditions and customs? Absolutely!
The famous “philosopher,” John Wayne, stated it as only he could, “The hyphenated American is ridiculous. But that’s what we have to put up with. I think that any person that’s in the United States is better off here than they would be where they came from.” I stand with John on this. Take your pick, fly your flag, make a choice, and be proud of it.
The same rule of thumb regarding hyphenating names applies to marriage. The hyphenated last name is unbiblical in that it flies in the face of “the two shall become one” definition of marriage. Think about this. The poor child who is given a hyphenated last name at birth marries someone with a hyphenated last name and so all four hyphenated names are now spliced together. Ridiculous to the extreme!
The hyphenating of last names at marriage was popularized by the feminist movement in the 70’s. For some women the rationale was they didn’t have a brother to carry on the family name so they wanted to preserve their family name by hyphenating it with their husband’s last name. In my book that’s faulty reasoning. Their family name could become their middle name. For other women they simply did not want to lose their maiden name or make it their middle name because they were co-equal partners with their husbands in marriage. Their hyphenated last names would reflect this co-equality. Balderdash! The hyphenated name flies in the face of the biblical teaching of headship and submission. As with nationality, take your pick, fly your colors, make a conscious choice when you marry. Will you become one with your husband and take his name and move under his love, leadership, provision and protection? Your last name tells the world your biblical position.
Yes, I know I’m a dinosaur but I’d rather be a dinosaur and biblical than culturally correct,
Irv