As a result, the putative dominant culture has to accommodate the newcomers in ways that it had not done previously. Garcia points out that many corporations are changing their image and marketing directly to the "ethnically savvy" sensibilities of these groups and the "new American consumer" in general. It is not just niche marketing, but a growing understanding - and acceptance - of the morphing perspectives of Americans in general. In a very real sense, the shifts taking place in America right now - where European non-Hispanic whites will eventually be outnumbered, where Hispanics have overtaken African-Americans as the nation's largest minority, and where immigrants of all kinds are reshaping neighborhoods, schools, and churches. Even where I live in the north woods of Wisconsin I see the tip of the iceberg Garcia describes. I can be treated by a Russian radiologist or a Nigerian internist or an Indian general practitioner when I'm sick, while our church features a Spanish-language service,and our family has a number of friends from different ethnic and racial backgrounds (and hey, while my sister in law is of Chinese ancestry her family has lived in Equador for several generations, and now she lives in Oklahoma).

Like many Americans, I probably eat more salsa than ketchup although I enjoy both condiments. I don't watch Oprah, but I recognize her power as a cultural icon and of the sports-posters that adorn my son's bedroom walls only a few of the images are white; in his mind, at least, his Dirk Nowitski jersey is interchangeable with his Ben Wallace jersey. That is not to say that there aren't disparities of income, or that discrimination does not exist in many places across the country. Instead, it is to say that there are significant changes manifesting themselves in the fabric of American life, and Garcia argues that the "new mainstream" represents a sizeable reason for them. Only in his mind, the shifting demographics represented by this collection of foreigners, trendsetters, outsiders, and iconoclasts is not a threat to the American way of life but instead "is in fact its most likely salvation."

Garcia's main premise is that America, as a nation of immigrants, has been constantly renewed and remade by the "new blood" that flowed across its borders. He argues that "diversity and dollars have become symbiotic and intrinsically linked." Or to put it another way, "the mainstream is going multicultural." Here is the reality behind his perspective: statistics project that by 2008, the combined buying power of African Americans, Asians, and Native Americans will account for 14.3 percent of the nation's total, or $10.6 trillon, up from 10.7 percent of the total in 1990. Moreover, the projected increases in buying power for all minority groups far outstrips the projected increase for whites. In other words, minority groups are expected to not only have more purchasing clout, but also to see more significant increases in buying power than whites, which means they'll theoretically have more flexibility in terms of purchase "new" things, and both factors make them attractive customers.