As a Whitewater native, I appreciate this piece. I haven't lived there in over 10 years, but the description and feeling ring so true. Even when I was in high school in the late 90s, we were having assemblies about "cultural awareness" in order to prevent fighting between groups of students of different cultures (specifically white and Latin-o/a/x). And yet, Whitewater remains standing.
Whitewater is in Walworth County, where the county seat of Walworth village has been home to the Kikkoman soy-sauce factory for the last 40 years. It was a reasonable place to locate it due to its proximity to both the soybean fields of Wisconsin and the wheat fields of Iowa and Kansas. Many of the executives at the Kikkoman plant are from Japan and move their entire families to Wisconsin for their 5- to 10-year assignments here. Walworth schools offer an excellent course in Japanese as a second language, in which many native Japanese kids are available as tutors. Yowza, what a deal!
But, since these are fairly well-to-do executive families, for some odd reason nobody complains about the massive wave of JAPANESE immigrants in Walworth County.
This is brilliant and useful. I'm in the UK, but we've followed the American example of austerity, crappy services, corporate power, blaming immigrants and the poor, and a government who care not a jot for the down-and-out, and only slightly more for the rest of us.
As a Whitewater native, I appreciate this piece. I haven't lived there in over 10 years, but the description and feeling ring so true. Even when I was in high school in the late 90s, we were having assemblies about "cultural awareness" in order to prevent fighting between groups of students of different cultures (specifically white and Latin-o/a/x). And yet, Whitewater remains standing.
Oh that's fascinating (re: the cultural assemblies). I'm so glad that the way I talked about Whitewater rang true for a native.
I’m here. Will continue supporting the work you do.
That means so much, Shervyn. Thank you.
Whitewater is in Walworth County, where the county seat of Walworth village has been home to the Kikkoman soy-sauce factory for the last 40 years. It was a reasonable place to locate it due to its proximity to both the soybean fields of Wisconsin and the wheat fields of Iowa and Kansas. Many of the executives at the Kikkoman plant are from Japan and move their entire families to Wisconsin for their 5- to 10-year assignments here. Walworth schools offer an excellent course in Japanese as a second language, in which many native Japanese kids are available as tutors. Yowza, what a deal!
But, since these are fairly well-to-do executive families, for some odd reason nobody complains about the massive wave of JAPANESE immigrants in Walworth County.
Oh this is fascinating context, thank you!
Loved this essay!!
Oh jeez, thank you!
This is brilliant and useful. I'm in the UK, but we've followed the American example of austerity, crappy services, corporate power, blaming immigrants and the poor, and a government who care not a jot for the down-and-out, and only slightly more for the rest of us.
It's been a bummer to watch you all follow our model more and more each decade.