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That has been responsible for two relatively recent world wars that resulted in over 100 million of your own people raped, enslaved, and genocided.
With this kind of history, I will certainly entertain the thought that you know of what you speak when it comes to avoiding armed conflict. But don't try to convince anyone of any moral superiority because that would be laughable.
His post is obnoxious and laughable. Europe has zero moral authority when preaching about US past injustices. WWII started on their soil. There has never been a war of that scope and viciousness in North America.
His post is obnoxious and laughable. Europe has zero moral authority when preaching about US past injustices. WWII started on their soil. There has never been a war of that scope and viciousness in North America.
Also, that cultural diversity that he loves so much is literally tearing Spain apart. Cataluña wouldn't be threatening secession if diversity was so good.
Also, that cultural diversity that he loves so much is literally tearing Spain apart. Cataluña wouldn't be threatening secession if diversity was so good.
Catalonia's secession has nothing to do with cultural reasons, but economics.
His post is obnoxious and laughable. Europe has zero moral authority when preaching about US past injustices. WWII started on their soil.There has never been a war of that scope and viciousness in North America.
What!!! GERMANY started ww2 because of hitler's mad ideas and regimes. And haven't you heard of the American civil war before which was about the 'south' wanting to keep SLAVERY and the 'north' didn't. I think that war was really emoral.
10,000 nuclear warheads are not in the hands of religious fruitcakes. If so, they would have been used zealously. I agree there are too many religious fanatics here but they have no say on our arsenal.
I don't condone cultural discrimination but I disagree that it's just a euphamism for racial discrimination. I don't see the two as related at all. In Europe, cultural discrimination often takes place between people of the same "race", such as Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland or Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks in former Yugoslavia.
I think it's important to make this distinction because many people mistake the clash between certain Muslim immigrants and Europeans as "racism"; Europeans are simply prejudiced against Arabs and Turks because they look different. It may not be PC to say this but the main reason behind the clash is that some Muslim immigrants (and their children) cannot or will not integrate into the society of their new homeland. They make no effort to learn the language, they do not interact with the native population, they have little respect for Western culture, they do not abide by national laws, etc. Of course, this doesn't apply to most Muslim immigrants but because of the sheer number of Muslims in many WE countries, it becomes a problem. My position is that if you choose to move to another country permanently, you must make an effort to integrate into their society. If you can't do that, don't come here. I don't think that's too much to ask. If I moved to Morocco, I would be expected to learn their language and respect their culture as well. In that sense, multiculturalism has indeed failed in Europe just like it would fail in almost any other country on earth. USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada are the exceptions but that is because these countries were built by immigrants, it's an intrinstic part of their culture.
I get that most countries have a stronger sense of cultural identity that they seek to maintain than the U.S. does. My parents were immigrants from one such country, so I know what that's about.
However, what I'm saying is that in an American context, saying that someone's culture is inferior to yours is looked upon as racist. Racism in America is not just about exclusion based on color or biological features. It's about feelings of cultural superiority. That's the language of white supremacists and nationalists in this country. Maybe that's where the U.S. and European countries differ.
The area in Maryland in which I live is very international. My next door neighbor is from Afghanistan. The nearest place of worship to my home is a Thai Buddhist temple which right next to a Baptist church. My child's babysitters have been from countries like the Philippines, Mali and Rwanda. The university I went to and places where I worked have had people from virtually every corner of the world. And these are educated and affluent people, for the most part. This is normal life here. So you can see that "cultural discrimination" wouldn't work too well in an environment like this.
I get that most countries have a stronger sense of cultural identity that they seek to maintain than the U.S. does. My parents were immigrants from one such country, so I know what that's about.
However, what I'm saying is that in an American context, saying that someone's culture is inferior to yours is looked upon as racist. Racism in America is not just about exclusion based on color or biological features. It's about feelings of cultural superiority. That's the language of white supremacists and nationalists in this country.
I want to make one thing clear, when I was talking about "inferior cultures" I specifically meant the kind of cultural traditions I described in my post, which I'm sure are frowned upon in the US as well. I don't have any problems with African-American culture or Latino culture, they're perfectly compatible with Western values. If it is really considered racist to say that oppression of women or the genital mutilation of children is wrong, that's political correctness taken too far (not to mention a wrong use of the word 'racist').
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The area in Maryland in which I live is very international. My next door neighbor is from Afghanistan. The nearest place of worship to my home is a Thai Buddhist temple which right next to a Baptist church. My child's babysitters have been from countries like the Philippines, Mali and Rwanda. The university I went to and places where I worked have had people from virtually every corner of the world. And these are educated and affluent people, for the most part. This is normal life here. So you can see that "cultural discrimination" wouldn't work too well in an environment like this.
That's all fine and great, not much different here in Maastricht. The people you describe seem to have integrated well and I would never even think of discriminating against them based on their cultural background. That's not at all what I'm talking about. The kind of people I have no tolerance for are the ones who do not respect Western values (such as democracy, freedom of speech, equal rights for women, secularism, etc.), who refuse to abide by national laws, who make no effort to learn the language or find a job and who simply don't want to be a contributing member of society. Again, I'm not talking about all or even most Muslim immigrants, it's a minority that does this but they're visible enough to cause the kind of tension that many WE countries are experiencing now. It is not simply a case of Europeans being intolerant of cultural differences, again if that were the case it would apply to other minorities (such as the Chinese) as well. I think cultural diversity is great as long as it doesn't stop people from actively participating in society.
Yep even though the world loves Homeland, Boardwalk Empire, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The Newsroom etc, etc, etc you must be right. And British TV doesn't just consist of period dramas, shows like The Inbetweeners, Skins, Shameless, The Office, Being Human, Life on Mars, American Idol, The X Factor, Who Do You Think You Are etc are American remakes of British shows. And theres tons more in the pipeline.
The world hates us because of our television shows. Doughton Abbey for instance idolizes the rich and well to do and their hoighty-toity ways.
Downton Abbey is a joint US/UK venture. Just sayin'.
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