Bear with me on this since it’s kind of a stream of consciousness post. Or blow past it. Whichever.
This, from John Cleese, got me thinking:
And he is right. Same with the US. We have a shared culture that goes bone deep. If people come here and don’t learn that culture, don’t live it, and wish only to live their lives the way they did elsewhere, they are not immigrants. Same as with those who, even if they are raised here, choose not to engage in the shared culture.
In the past, the ones that the leftists are so fond of bending to their message, immigrants (legally) came here. Even if they lived in groups, they interacted with the larger community. They learned the language. They changed their mode of dress to fit in.
Shared culture doesn’t mean that we all agree with each other. But we have an intuitive understanding of the basics of our society.
I’m not a baseball fan. But if I watch a game, I know the rules. Because it’s part of our culture. I know it’s kind of an odd example, but there it is. Culture goes into personal interactions–holding doors, saying ‘hi’, basic conversation with someone you just met, personal space (I’m a Midwesterner and I like my personal space).
I’ll admit that I haven’t set foot in a church in a long time. But I’m betting I can walk into any of them and figure out the nuances pretty quickly, because I have that background.
It is rare that I cannot find a commonality with someone who was raised or assimilated into my culture, my US culture. It’s comes from shared experiences.
As I’m typing this, I realize that I am trying to define the undefinable but I hope that some of it makes sense.
Midwest Chick's Place 
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