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to understand what we as a nation are about, but why should the US observe cinco de mayo? or bastille day? or other countries holidays?
Because they are fun opportunities to get drunk and eat good food...Why should we celebrate St. Patrick's Day or Oktoberfest or Mardi Gras? Because life is too short to not have celebrations.
I mean really there are only two real holidays unique to the US---the 4th of July and Thanksgiving(which is actually celebrated in Canada as well)--unless you're talking about holidays which result in a day off but not much more like MLK Day or President's Day.
And the US doesn't officially observe Cinco De Mayo or Bastille Day--if people want to celebrate those, they are free to do so. It doesn't mean that everyone buying Coronas on May 5th are doing so in some sort of allegiance to Mexico.
what many people forget is that there is a difference between diversity and multiculturalism.
diversity is good for the country. when i was growing up in the 60's, this country was considered the melting pot of the world. people from all over could come here and be accepted into the american society, as long as they followed the laws of this country.
multiculturalism on the other hand is bad for the country. we have one culture here, and that is the american culture. granted it is made up of many cultures from around the world, but we should celebrate what makes america great. to have to be forced to honor the cultures of other countries is not what america is about. it is one thing to learn about those cultures, to understand what we as a nation are about, but why should the US observe cinco de mayo? or bastille day? or other countries holidays?
Because those other countries are us. For as long as there have been Europeans in the 'New World' there have been celebrations of their countries of origin.
Did you know that the very first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in this country in 1737? Does the fact that many cities still hold St. Patrick's Day parades mean that the Irish have not assimilated into American society?
And where in this country is anyone 'forced' to celebrate Cinco de Mayo or St. Patrick's Day or Columbus Day or Bastille Day or any other 'day?'
They are acknowledgements, nothing more. Are you saying that it is wrong to acknowledge the contributions made by each of these different groups many of whose 'children' have fought in our wars, served as our elected officials, built our cities...?
Scots-Irish settlers played a key role in the settling of the Appalachia region and the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, they were also the early settlers in Pennsylvania.
Chinese immigrants built the Transcontinental Railroad and made contributions to the economic development of cities in the western United States.
African slave labor formed the economic backbone of the Southern plantation system. African slaves taught Southern planters how to grow rice and their labor in the cultivation and harvesting tobacco, cotton, rice, and several other crops provided the cash upon which the wealth of many early settlers in the South was built. The music of African slaves is the basis of American music was built, The Blues, Gospel Music, Jazz, Rhythm and and yes, even hip-hop, Many country artist and many early Rock "N Roll artist directly credit the Blues as being a major influence on their music. African slaves labor built what is now Wall Street, the Capitol building and much of early Washington D.C.
Polish immigrants provided labor for the factories of the Midwest during the industrial revolution.
The first European settlers or Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, California, were Spaniards. Their culture forms the basis of the original cultures of the Southwestern United States. They were the first Europeans to begin agricultural and economic development of these areas. Many of their cultural influence in terms of art, food, music, and architecture still influence these areas.
Post World War II German immigrants are in large part responsible for the basis of the American space program.
There isn't any group in America that hasn't contributed to scientific, technical, artistic, literary, or economic advancement of the United States. Every group of American has served this country honorably on the on the battlefield.,
American Indians taught European settlers how to grow corn and how to hunt local game. Without these skills the European settlers probably wouldn't have survived in North America. They also taught them how to trap beavers and other animals for fur an important economic factor in the 18th and 19 centuries. American Indians also served as guides to the earliest Euorpean explorers of the Western United States. They are the group and culture that has been in this country longer than any other.
All these and more are the products of America cultural diversity:
Italian Food
Chinese Food
Beer
Rock N' Roll
Whiskey
Mexican Food
Pizza
Rum
Beef Jerky
Sausage
Sweet Potatoe Pie
Chocolate Fudge
Apple Turnovers
Shrimp Creole
October Fest
Jazz
Wine
It's all the product of different cultures in America coming together. This country would not be pre-imminent, cultural economic and military power in the world without the contributions of a variety of American.
Everything mentioned above is WHY YOU SHOULD CELEBRATE DIVERSITY IN AMERICA.
DON'T HATE CELEBRATE!
i'm not sure why you thought a rehash of US history and descriptions of various food items was required here..
feel free to celebrate while i get some of that mexican food.
This is the number one reason why I'm against most immigration. Too many immigrants here don't know the Constitution and care not to learn about it. Most of them just accept the liberal definition of the Constitution: "Oh it's just this piece of paper written by people who died a few hundred years ago that says we can give you entitlements, if you vote for Democrats"
Shucks, that is a rather shallow view you have there my friend. You would be surprised at how little many native-born Americans know about their country....
Ok, so I have been thinking about this question for a while now and it would be nice to hear both sides or see what else runs through your minds.
I see the conservatives sitting around screaming about how diversity sucks and multiculturalism does not work.
I see the liberals sitting around screaming about diversity is important and they believe in affirmative action.
I do not get either side. Conservatives, there is no way we can have just one culture or one religion or race in the USA. Liberals, there is no way to fit each and every culture into the USA.
But at the same time, I see where conservatives are coming from. Immigrants of today have just changed their mindsets.Not saying ALL immigrants are like this but from what I see in the Indian community (since I am Indian), I see big differences. They used to be so hard working and would show their loyalty to the USA. Immigrants of today feel they are special and entitled to a job as soon as they get off the plane and while having this mentality, they talk about the USA and how bad it is and how much they miss India. This is not an observation from just Indian immigrants but from other cultures too. It bugs me because I love the USA. My parents are immigrants and they love the USA more than India. They are loyal to the USA first but the generation of immigrants now are just "My home country was better...blah blah". GO BACK then!
I also see where liberals are coming from. Everyone has a right to practice their religion and live in their culture or lifestyle here. America is about freedom. There are poor people everywhere and you want them to be able to live their lives without persecution. It bugs me though because I don't believe EVERY single culture or way of living belongs here. Cultures that value men over women and cultures that believe in honor killings or stonings still. Cultures that are still so back-assed in the past that there is no way they can co exist with us.
My take on it: For me, I am a mix. I would not mind having a Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Wiccan, Muslim (as long as they were peaceful) neighbor no matter what his/her skin color was. BUT I do not agree with going out of our way to make sure we are "diverse" or have a certain amount of Hispanics or Blacks here or there. Why should we accommodate to Muslims so they can pray 5 times a day? The only faith/culture I have an issue with is Islamic for obvious reasons. I'd fight against Sharia Law with my life. But I won't go there. That is for another thread.
To conservatives: So, what do you think we can do? If you hate diversity or whatever so much, what are you looking for? An all white Christian country? Do you hate seeing people of different faiths and religions here? Or are you ok with peaceful people of different faiths? You would not mind a Buddhist or Hindu temple being built by you? What is your take? I know a lot of you all don't like Muslims/Islam BUT are you ok with other faiths?
To liberals: Do you all really think we can have ALL different types of people here from different cultures and co exist? For real? I don't think so. Why are you all into making sure we have certain perks for minorities or whatever. Why is multiculturalism and diversity so important? If race is just a skin color and we are all the same, they why special perks for minorities?
Also, last but not least, if you just came to the USA and hate it so much, you have the freedom to leave!!
Thanks for reading. Man, I had so much to think about lately. I should be studying my math though.
Multiculturalism simply means that everyone gets to keep their own culture. Usually (but not always) the culture of their ancestors. Diversity can mean a number of things. For example, there is racial diversity and cultural diversity. One culture can have racial diversity.
Personally, I'm all for diversity. But there is a price to be paid for being out of the larger culture. The larger culture is where lies the greatest chance of economic success and well-being, generally speaking. So let's say there is a biker who is in to the vagabond biker culture and dismisses the values of the dominant culture. That's fine as long as he knows that his lack of economic success is not the fault of the larger culture. Same is true with all other, larger, ethnic cultures. So I'm all for Hispanics living in Hispanic neighborhoods and speaking Spanish, but I think it has to be understood that they will likely live on a lower economic scale simply because their culture does not stress many of the skills valued by the larger culture. Members of the larger culture have to understand this reality, as do those in the sub culture.
The funny thing is, diversity is a concept that ONLY exists in the minds of white people that live in 1st world nations. Look at Latin America. They have laws set up that are very nationalistic, look at the age-old example of Mexico. They make it difficult, by constitutional decree, for foreigners to get jobs who are not Mexican citizens. And in order to obtain Mexican citizenship, it's also not easy because you either have to own a property in Mexico and also live there full-time without a job for a number of years (less if you can prove you were born in a latino nation) or you have to have a job, which is difficult to get in the first place, if you are not a citizen. Another requirement of Mexican citizenship is you need to be able to speak and understand Spanish. In Brazil, it's also hard for non-Brazilians to get jobs because the Brazilian workforce is protected from foreign labor as well. Here's the kicker, to be a citizen of Brazil, you have to wait TEN YEARS as a permanent resident (which isn't easy to get in the first place) to apply. Face the facts liberals, most countries south of the U.S. want to remain with a homogeneous population. This diversity bs only exists in western Europe, U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. If you have too many different immigrants living in the same community, it WILL cause social unrest because people are tribal by instinct. They only want to live around like-minded people and people that look like them, and live similar lives to them. Which is why you almost always see white liberals live in majority white suburbs in major cities such as Los Angeles. They suffer from a NIMBY complex.
The one major problem though is blacks have been here since the 1600's and were here before the Italians,Irish,etc but were prevented from living among mainstream society. Then the fact remains the skin is a different color so try as you might,its virtually impossible for blacks to integrate within a white population moreso than Asians or Hispanics.until Americans stop noticing the color of the skin things won't change.
Shucks, that is a rather shallow view you have there my friend. You would be surprised at how little many native-born Americans know about their country....
Who does know about their own country? Outside of people with a penchant for history, no one does. Many latinos don't know the history of where they came from, many Europeans don't know their own countries' history, not many Africans know their own countries' histories either (for as long as they existed anyway) So what's your point? Most people in the world don't have much of a clue of the history of their nation besides the most referenced parts.
The one major problem though is blacks have been here since the 1600's and were here before the Italians,Irish,etc but were prevented from living among mainstream society. Then the fact remains the skin is a different color so try as you might,its virtually impossible for blacks to integrate within a white population moreso than Asians or Hispanics.until Americans stop noticing the color of the skin things won't change.
Blacks are integrated. The problem is they choose to continue live in the ghetto and lead problematic lives and the politicians sh** on them by caring more about illegal aliens taking jobs on their step of the economic ladder. We've done a lot to try integrate blacks in this country but most don't want to help themselves and still blame "Da White Man" for their ills. And since they blame the White Man for their ills, they look at the "Thug Life" as a path to aspire to and think that speaking non-ebonics English, having manners, and taking school seriously, is "acting white", as if that's something blacks shouldn't do. And as a Puerto Rican, I see all of this going on in Puerto Rican communities. I've always been the target of reverse racism from other Hispanics because I "acted white" throughout my school life by learning to speaking proper, correct English without a Spanish accent (Spanish is my native language), and focusing on my studies instead of hitting on "da mamis" and wasting time being a tough macho guy. This is why I'm a Republican now, because I'm especially tired that I have to follow the herd mentality established by the White Liberal that I should vote Democrat because the White Liberal understands me and knows what's best for me and if I don't vote Democrat, then I'm a traitor
Last edited by theunbrainwashed; 10-18-2010 at 04:15 PM..
The Usa hasn't done enough to integrate blacks in the melting pot because its impossible to. As I said we can mention Italians,Germans but at the end of the day they are all the same skin color
As long as most peope abide by our Laws and our here legally, which says a lot these days, i am ok with most Diversity. What i am not ok with is certain races, who are used for political favors, and do they even realize this, that i am not ok with. They bring in the votes, and we all know this, unless we choose to turn our heads the other way. But i choose to look at everyone as an indiviual, not by what color or race they are, for in each person their is good and their is the very bad.
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