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Dog fighting is common in my region of the US. I guess that must mean that ALL American Southerners come from a violent background and that this one aspect permeates the ENTIRE country!
Lets leave Michael Vick out of this
Or maybe he does represent black southerners who have money?
Dog fighting is common in my region of the US. I guess that must mean that ALL American Southerners come from a violent background and that this one aspect permeates the ENTIRE country!
He was prosecuted wasn't he? That's because overall American culture does not accept dog fighting. Or the caging and breeding of dogs to make into food. In some parts of the country, it's considered inhumane to have dogs on a chain -- much less fight them for sport.
While I believe the "Vaquero" culture has far more acceptance in Northern Mexico among all ages (and a much longer history) than does "hip hop" in the US, I won't argue with you...except to say that 'animal rights' in the US is several years ahead of that notion in Mexico, or many other places.
But consider an even more 'basic' cultural disconnect...the sense of individualism vs 'group think', and the notion of private property.
Some years ago (I want to guess about 10) there was a huge 'issue' here in Southern Cal. In the South Bay area of LA County, a group of recent immigrants (legal? illegal?) had taken it upon themselves to plant a huge vegetable garden on a vacant parcel in an industrial area. This went on for several years and I will admit they had it 'looking good'.
Unknown to them (I presume) the parcel was sold, and the new owner wanted to develop it. At this point 'all hell broke loose', and the news reporters showed up, as the "people" squared off to defend "their" garden against the "ruthless landlord".
Won't go into great detail, nor do I know the exact make-up of this group. Mostly, though, they appeared to be Latin American immigrants of recent arrival, not yet assimilated fully into the culture of the US.
The notion of "private property" is the very foundation of US society. A person's property is HIS...PERIOD...and we as Americans have learned to accept this as fact. Even if the owner is a 'selfish jerk', the neighbors have no claim upon his property.
In Mexico, there's a strong tradition of "the land belongs to those who work it"...at least among the lower classes. At first this sounds compelling and fair...but it simply wouldn't work here. In the US, most of us recognioze that "the land belongs to the legal owner"....and that our whole system would become unworkable otherwise.
The fact is that American culture is extremely individualistic. We have no parallel with the concept of "la raza", and Americans normally don't see themselves as a "people" as such, nor do we have much tradition of 'group rights'. We're a nation of laws, not relationships or tribes or classes. Mexico is much more 'group-oriented'. The "ejido" system of Northern Mexico is a result of "the people" assuming ownership of property owned by 'ruthless landlords' back during the revolution.....the 'little people' simply rose up and 'took it away' from those who 'didn't deserve it'.
In the culture of the "gardeners" in the TV news, their demands were seen as fair and reasonable. They undoubtedly saw themselves as 'deserving heroes'...While to most Americans watching this on the news, they sounded like 'out-of-control trespassers'....Needless to say, the TV reporters took the side of the 'little guy' and the landowner was made to look like the 'bad guy'.
My only point in this is to illustrate how cultural values often aren't compatible. I don't even remember how the story ended....but I can assure you, each side INSISTED they were 'right'....and, in their own cultures, they WERE. But that's not the way the system works here.
That's a good post. The reason people come to the USA in the first place is because our culture has led to very good things. Then the next thing they do is oppose accepting our culture and demand that their culture replace it.
The ejidos are a good example. They work for Mexican culture and it's values, but they do not work for our system, our values.
There are many cultural values we do not accept and must not accept even in the name of diversity. Slavery for example, it's still practiced but we do not have to accept it, even if it means prosecuting Saudi immigrants that don't understand why it's wrong to own humans. Female mutilation is another cultural practice that is incompatible with American culture and we should not tolerate it.
We have our ways, other countries have their ways but anyone who decides to move to the USA must accept our ways. Just like it would be stupid to emigrate to Saudi Arabia and then expect they will allow you to impose your culture on them.
He was prosecuted wasn't he? That's because overall American culture does not accept dog fighting. Or the caging and breeding of dogs to make into food. In some parts of the country, it's considered inhumane to have dogs on a chain -- much less fight them for sport.
and now you get the point...
Until recently Roy Jones fought his roosters legally here in the USA. Is it ok? No...does it represent the entire USA culture? No...
"The culture, the custom of the Cajun people, it's gone," said Chris Daughdrill, who breeds fighting roosters in Loranger (lor-AHN-zher), a community about 50 miles north of New Orleans. "It's another one of the rights that big government has taken away from the people."
Quote:
"I think it's a loss for us," said Duplechein, 38, of St. Martinville. "We're losing out on an opportunity to keep our heritage and our culture."
There's reason for him to take heart, however: Daughdrill said he's attended many illegal cockfights in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi and expects they'll be held in Louisiana, too.
"In all these other states," he said, "I can go up there on any given weekend and go to a rooster fight and it's wide open — like it's not against the law."
New York City is an awesome place to see and is exciting. Look at the extreme crime; every night the nightly news has killings, etc, this includes L.I. That's what I meant about multiculturism.
Stats tell a different story from your perceptions...
2 cities in the top 10 are border cities with Mexico...6 out of the 10 safest cities can be said to have large Hispanic populations...(San Jose, El Paso, New York, Austin, San Diego, San Antonio)
Right around 5:10 is why massive illegal immigration is so dead wrong. Abandonment of their children who then grow up to be extremely violent and face a future of no hope at all.
Around 5:18 the boy "Travieso" is talking to his mother who left him to go to the USA.
A mother who left him for the glitter of dollars, and she does not care what kind of life she left her son to live. The look on this boy's face as he talks to the witch (because the better word would be censored) who abandoned him to the streets is heartbreaking.
Later in this series, this same boy ends up avenging a death and becomes a killer himself.
I haven't read this thread, and probably won't....I don't happen to believe that "kitten-torturing" reflects on any group, and has nothing to do with immigration.
I WAS, however, drawn to comment on your reference to multiculturalism....and it's one of my most frequent gripes. I do not think that multiculturalism, in its truest sense, can exist for long in ANY nation...nor does it exist anywhere today without serious 'conditions'. (Europe, of course, isn't a nation...it's a collection of nations, and I'm not at all convinced its future will be one we'll want to emulate here).
Cultures, by the very definition, are what forms our most intimate "core values"...our sense of right vs wrong, acceptable vs unacceptable, and how we live and relate to family, neighbors, and society at large.
Cultures, at BEST, have some failures to 'see eye to eye' with each other...and at worst, are violently opposed. One man's "right" is another man's "wrong", and that is not negotiable.
The ONLY way multiple cultures can exist side-by-side in peace, is for one of the following to take place:
(1) Everyone "give in" to the others, and modify his culture to co-exist...
(2) Agree to live under a rigid, draconian set of laws in which NO ONE is allowed to do ANYTHING which might 'outrage' his neighbor..
or..(3) One culture (probably the more aggressive one) simply begins to dominate the others, and push them aside..
There's really no other option. The first option (we all unanimously and cheerfully elect to simply 'get along') will work fine...IF you have a population of 100% 'nice, easy-going people'. Unfortunately, that's not the case, and not everyone of ANY group is willing to voluntarily 'give in'..(which, by the way, frequently necessitates condoning things that one may feel are 'wrong')...so THEN what?
Cultures by nature are 'jealous' and 'exclusive'. No culture on earth truly feels that OTHER cultures are its 'equal'. Every culture feels its way is the RIGHT way....and that the others, if not WRONG, are at least misguided and mistaken.
Multiculturalism as a theoretical concept may sound fun and interesting. It works well up to a point (food, music, art. etc). But TRUE multiculturalism, involving value systems, gender roles, personal responsibility, freedom, etc etc etc, is NOT really possible, because cultures at this level are incompatible.
Widely differeing cultures may be interesting and 'colorful' when they exist on opposite sides of oceans, mountain ranges, or borders. But when they exist across a street or a backyard fence, it's an easy recipe for disaster....unless SOMEBODY gives in, and in a very big way....and if that happens, then it's not 'multiculturalism' after all.
As far as your reference to "Muslims in Europe"?....hmmm. From what I hear, while the laid-back Europeans seem eager enough to join with their new Muslim 'guests' in peace and harmony, I get the sense that this is a bit one-sided, and that many of these 'newcomers' have just about ZERO interest in Europe, OR its people, OR its culture, or its values....hardly what I'd call a successful example of multiculturalism. More like one culture setting out to simply 'replace' another.
Then again, we're not Europe...
I didn't use the Muslims in Europe as an example of multiculturalism working.
I used Muslims in Europe(the more conservative ones, of course) as a better example of a potential culture clash than Mexicans in the United States.
Mexican culture and American culture aren't that radically different.
The assimilation of the children of Mexican immigrants as Americans isn't that dramatic. There's no real culture clash, except for language, but even that over time becomes a non-issue.
Around 5:18 the boy "Travieso" is talking to his mother who left him to go to the USA.
A mother who left him for the glitter of dollars, and she does not care what kind of life she left her son to live. The look on this boy's face as he talks to the witch (because the better word would be censored) who abandoned him to the streets is heartbreaking.
Later in this series, this same boy ends up avenging a death and becomes a killer himself.
What a disaster how all the deportations spread the gangs to Central America. American gang culture is bad enough in our country where our cities have some money to try and combat it(even though it's deeply rooted), but exporting it to very poor countries like El Salvador and Guatemala has had terrible consequences.
What a disaster how all the deportations spread the gangs to Central America. American gang culture is bad enough in our country where our cities have some money to try and combat it(even though it's deeply rooted), but exporting it to very poor countries like El Salvador and Guatemala has had terrible consequences.
That is not our problem. As you (and many other have pointed out)---------we have enough 'local talent' already.
The only other solution would be to pitch those illegal alien gangbangers into Tent Cities in places like N Dakota for 20-30 years apiece.
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