Friday, January 27, 2012
An American Culture?
Multiculturalism prevails.
Our culture is sliced up into many pieces; so much so that the common elements are very few. Consider the following slices and dices:
Rich man/ poorman
Democrat/Republican
liberal/conservative
liberal/progressive
educated/uneducated
White collar/blue collar
Religious/non-religious
Christian/non-Christian
Patriot/non-patriot
elite/non-elite
Givers/takers
ethical/unethical
Moral/immoral
Cultural snob/cultural boor
Pro-America/Anti-America
Intelligent/unintelligent
Strong/weak
Gifted/ungifted
upstanding citizen/criminal
Caucasian/non-Caucasian
American heritage/foreign heritage
Skilled/unskilled
Heterosexual/homosexual
Native American indians/settlers
Joiners/Loners
And, all shades in between.
We are a multicultural hodge-podge living our separate very uniquely human lives, and many, many different lifestyles, but held together socially by six or so very strong beliefs: The value of strength in numbers; the rule of law; the joys of our freedoms; the best place to raise our children; the opportunities for betterment, and the love of this country. There must be more…
All of our diverse cultural components contribute to a peculiar synthesis one might call an “American Culture,” but if examined closely, it quickly dissolves into some or even all of its constituent parts, and even harkens back to quite different historical origins.
Our culture is sliced up into many pieces; so much so that the common elements are very few. Consider the following slices and dices:
Rich man/ poorman
Democrat/Republican
liberal/conservative
liberal/progressive
educated/uneducated
White collar/blue collar
Religious/non-religious
Christian/non-Christian
Patriot/non-patriot
elite/non-elite
Givers/takers
ethical/unethical
Moral/immoral
Cultural snob/cultural boor
Pro-America/Anti-America
Intelligent/unintelligent
Strong/weak
Gifted/ungifted
upstanding citizen/criminal
Caucasian/non-Caucasian
American heritage/foreign heritage
Skilled/unskilled
Heterosexual/homosexual
Native American indians/settlers
Joiners/Loners
And, all shades in between.
We are a multicultural hodge-podge living our separate very uniquely human lives, and many, many different lifestyles, but held together socially by six or so very strong beliefs: The value of strength in numbers; the rule of law; the joys of our freedoms; the best place to raise our children; the opportunities for betterment, and the love of this country. There must be more…
All of our diverse cultural components contribute to a peculiar synthesis one might call an “American Culture,” but if examined closely, it quickly dissolves into some or even all of its constituent parts, and even harkens back to quite different historical origins.
Labels: American Culture
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