OrionTheWolf
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Joined: 10/11/2006
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quote:
ORIGINAL: FirmhandKY
1. How does multiculturalism affect our future as a society and nation, and
In an American society not only do we have the cultures from one's heritage, but the cultures that have been established in such a large country. I am sure most are thinking along the lines of country of origin, but if you also look at the current cultural contrast between say New England, The South, and California, you can notice differences in speech, manners and thoughts of importance towards society.
I believe that as a nation of immigrants, it is important for each culture within the entire nation to be able to be proud and display what they consider important to themselves. This will mean at times that certain ideals will clash, but that I see as a good thing as each culture works out it's own "elbow room" within our society they will change things over time so that it all fits.
There will always be the problem of people disliking others because they are different though. This is human nature, and should be tempered by societal pressures and the rule of law.
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2. Should concrete legal or structural changes be considered to "atone" for past actions of groups against other groups? I'm particularly interested in this part of the discussion as it applies to "Native Americans", and not really the entire black slavery parts of our history (although I suspect we'll go there anyway).
No. I do not believe there is any type of atonement that will assist any culture to forgive historic wrong doings towards their culture. There has been much discrimination and wrong done to many different groups throughout American history, and to start a priority of which to atone to would only cause more of the same, as each group feels slighted by atonement done for another, but not for them.
Instead, we learn from the mistakes of history and forge concrete legal and structural changes to prevent current issues from arising. All people should be treated equitably under the law, in an ideal society.
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To start the discussion, I'd like to make two claim:
1. Multiculturalism as currently practiced and espoused by many is both a dead-end, and overall is detrimental to a free and open society.
I would need further explanation of what you mean by "currently practiced and espoused", and possibly further in this topic it is.
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2. Attempts to "make up for" past injustices is antithetical to a society based on the worth of an individual and personal responsibility.
Do you agree or disagree with either of these claims? Comments?
Firm
I agree here, but also as stated above, to start any kind of atonement would have to include atonement to all, or it will create it's own issues of being seen as biased.
An example, I will use my maternal side of the family. They are "Hillbillies", meaning the come from the Appalachian Mountains. First settling at the north areas of those mountains, and over the generations moving southward until they settled for many generations within the areas of those mountains from Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. They had by that time develooped and adapted certain aspects of Irish-Scottish traditions with what is now consider Appalachian traditions. Being from the mountains, less educated and more reclusive, they were seen and treated a certain way by those close to the mountains. This is/was a small clash of cultures.
The thinking and customs of families of the Appalachians were not universal though, as that mountain chain spans several states and many different cultures settled within them. Many having mixed blood with Native Americans and African-American, at times, also now begs the question as historically which culture do they represent. Since they are predominantly white, so they represent poor white caucasians? Some of them may have up to 1/4 Cherokee in them, so do they qualify as part of the Native American culture because of that? Where would these questions end, and who would decide? After it was all sorted out, we would still be left with those that are of no specific culture, but the one they live in here and now.
It is the here and now that I am most concerned with. I have pride in my heritage, but I am an American, which means there is a mix bag of things that stands for.
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When speaking of slaves people always tend to ignore this definition "One who is abjectly subservient to a specified person or influence."
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RE: Race, Ethnicity, Language and Guilt - Take II - 
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