You'd have to elaborate more. Who is fighting and what are they fighting for? There have always been differences in culture and ideologies. America became known as the melting pot of the world because we have so much diversity. If you look back over the years, there has always been someone getting kicked around. As sad as it is, it's true. You mentioned the Polish a while back- there's one. Before the Pols were getting nailed, it was the Native Americans and the Irish. Then, the blacks. Then, pretty much anyone of Hispanic decent. I think we've largely settled down on racial differences. There's still some tension- I'm certainly not going to say there's not, but it's nothing like what we've overcome in the past. So, now, our kicking posts have become the LGBT community. And, yes, we're overcoming that as well. Gays have the same rights as straights.
Hmm... I was actually watching a TV show the other day about how there are no lesbian bars anymore. Why? The show hypothesized that there wasn't a need for it because gays are accepted everywhere (almost) now. They don't need separate spaces in order to feel like they belong, so they filtered out into mainstream community. To be clear, they spoke of only lesbian bars. Gay bars for men are apparently still going strong, but I guess they're not used as community meeting/ gathering/ support spaces like the lesbian bars were. Interestingly, they compared the phenomena to what happened when segregation ended. Before businesses were split, the black community had their own businesses and only went to black businesses. When equal rights were mandated, the black businesses dried up because the community could go anywhere. The ending of the split was good for the country and communities overall, but there were some losses as well.
So, we have some work to do with inclusion of the other letters of the rainbow spectrum. And, we have some work to do with religious tolerance as well. There are dozens of examples throughout history where we've dealt with similar events. We may break apart a bit, but we'll come back together. We are still a melting pot. There's no war... just waiting for the ingredients to meld together a bit more.
I was watching a show a while back about Canada. They call themselves a "mosaic" in contrast to our "melting pot". The idea is to appreciate the uniqueness that immigrants from various countries bring to their country and how that makes the country better as a whole. I think that's a fantastic point of view; far preferable to the idea that everyone needs to conform and assimilate.
I love it too, Savvy. I love looking at the same idea through a myriad of expressions. Just like language, we are communicating the same ideas, but in different tongues. Just like religion. We are celebrating God through many different forms of expression.
Celebrating differences is the most fascinating point of being a human.
I don't think of our "melting pot" as making us homogenous. There has to be a certain amount of assimilation for society to function, but people can still retain their culture, too. I think of the various cultures that comprise our nation as the ingredients in a stew. The flavors of all the ingredients are absorbed into the gravy marrying their unique flavors, while the individual ingredients remain distinct from one another. Each time an ingredient is added, the flavor changes a bit, the stew becomes heartier, and the gravy binds us all together.
In some areas of the country, I think the majority of the people do feel that way. In many others, I think the sentiment is very much the opposite of that. There are still many Americans who don't agree with interracial marriage, for example. Not to mention how Muslims are viewed by a great number of people.
I don't mean to suggest that this is exclusively an American problem, it's obviously not. I think that the way Canada has embraced multiculturalism is something that other countries should aspire to replicate.
While Canada may have embraced multiculturalism, have Canadians? The Canadians that are engaged in political debate on the sites I am a member of online are split on the subject, with the majority against the number of Muslim refugees. Many are also ardent supporters of Trump. Of course, that is just the ones I have personally interacted with, but it seems that Canada isn't quite the Kumbayafest you make it out to be, either.
Perhaps we could work out a trade? Canadian Trump supporters can come here and the 61% of Americans who disapprove (according to Trump's favorite pollster, Rasmussen) can go there. I'm game!
I don't doubt that a version of alt-right/white extremism/white nationalism is rearing it's ugly head in certain parts of Canada. I think that the fact that their current PM is the son of the man who introduced the multiculturalism policy speaks volumes as to the sentiment of the majority of Canadians. They (wisely)have laws that keep these uneducated/intolerant groups in check.
Your link proved my point, it's not new to Canada. :)
I'm game, too. I highly doubt you'll be welcomed by the majority of Canadians, though, given that you would outnumber them nearly 5-1/2:1.
Trudeau is almost a rock star outside of Canada, particularly among the left in the US, but his numbers haven't been overwhelming in Canada. In January he had a 34% approval rating, up to 42% at the beginning of July.
You know, it almost sounds like you're advocating and encouraging intolerance. I'm sure that we run in completely different internet circles, but I've never encountered a Canadian who wanted to trade in their national healthcare and for a handgun and the freedom to spew hate speech. Plus, I like hockey... I'm sure I'd fit in just fine. :)
Growing up, I learned a little bit of Polish, some Polish recipes, and picked up bits of my family's heritage and why my family practiced certain traditions. The other side of my family gave me my Irish heritage. I learned about my family crest, where they came from, picked up an Irish jig, learned to appreciate Irish music and poetry, etc. My ancestors settled into Polish and Irish communities, centered around churches, and kept their cultures alive. Had it not been for that, I wouldn't feel such ties to the countries my family comes from, even though the closest relative left their homeland 2-3 generations before me. At the same time, my ancestors also assimilated. They learned English. They followed the local laws.
The mosaic idea is good, but I think it comes more from the sense my family handled assimilation. You have to adapt to the place you live, and you can do that while honoring your traditions. Call it a mosaic or a melting pot. It makes no difference. I love culture of all types and I wouldn't want people to lose their ties to "their people." I surely wouldn't be the same if I hadn't had my Busia making punshkas and helping me squeeze my feet into wooden shoes. Those experiences made me. They tied me to the history of my family. They made me feel like I was part of something bigger than myself. I want that for everyone,or at least for them to have their cultural equivalent. And, I want to learn about their culture as well. Yet, even as we preserve culture, we do tend to pick up the traits of the cultures around us. I've personally picked up some Native American spirituality tendencies, like using incense to clear a space. I tend to dress more in a bohemian style- it's an offshoot of gypsy culture. I've recently been turned onto ska music... I always knew of newer ska- being a 90s kid, I can thank Gwen Stefani and No Doubt for the minor into. The roots of ska come from Jamaica. I'm sure I'm "bastardizing" these cultural elements, but that's the melting pot. We can adopt from other cultures and embrace what they've created while honoring our own. I bet if you think for a while, you can pick up things that don't fit your cultural background that are a part of your life as well.
It sounds like you have a lovely family with a great sense of pride in their heritage. I think that's a truly wonderful experience, and one that many of us aren't exposed to. No doubt it factors into our individual viewpoints about assimilation and preserving certain aspects of culture, traditions, etc. In your family, you were exposed to your European heritage and traditions. It's not something that I ever really experienced, and likely why I feel that it's important that people be allowed to preserve these.
Cultural elements aside, I've carefully chosen which of my ancestor's beliefs and ideologies I have embraced and passed along to my children.
While I've not confirmed it myself, I allegedly have Native American Indian ancestors, which might explain my personal connection to nature. It's definitely something that I intend to explore.
This post was edited by WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH at July 30, 2017 10:48 PM MDT
Pearl 