The Culture Wars
Multiculturalism
is a powerful word with a range of meanings; two words combined to form a new
word distinct in a sense whose definition continues to evolve. Unfortunately,
the growth of the American version of the English language has led to the
formation of many compound terms while enhancing or even overlooking the true
meaning of individual words. The creation, redefining, and overuse of the word
phobic is a prime example. Treated as a suffix, it can transform a word
into a weapon of hate.
Multiculturalism
is a synonym for "ethnic pluralism." The two terms are often interchangeable,
but multiculturalism has a better ring. In theory, ethnic groups collaborate
and dialogue for ethnic pluralism without sacrificing their particular
identities. It can describe a diverse ethnic community area where multiple cultural
traditions exist or even a single country within which they do. Groups associated
with an indigenous native or indigenous ethnic group and settler-descended
ethnic groups are often the focus. A more appropriate meaning would also include
cultural displacement, which always lurks in the background because two different
values occupying the same space are impossible. One gives while the other takes.
When
the settlers arrived in what is known as America, interaction with the indigenous
ethnic cultures initially proved fruitful. Historians agree that without the
support of the indigenous tribes, the Pilgrims' survival would have been in
doubt. However, the erosion of trust exposed a hidden hatred, and war became
inevitable because of cultural displacement, cultural differences, and a lack
of understanding. The problem always stems from who or what is
in control.
In the United States, like in many countries, multiculturalism was never considered an established federal policy. The founding fathers knew the elephant was in the room, but they pretended it didn't exist. Yet, at the same time, they began to create laws that recognized and regulated the elephant's presence. But unfortunately, these laws caused it to grow and take control of the room.
Ethnic
diversity is common in all areas, primarily rural, suburban, and urban areas,
and it is also one of the most manipulative entities that affect the human
condition.
The
Elephant, In many countries, is not allowed in the room. For example, during censuses in France, unlike in America, they steadfastly refuse to
measure counts based on race, ethnicity, or religion because they see
themselves as a color-blind society. France
is an undeniable, multicultural, multi-ethnic, multiracial society and has been
at least since the nineteen-fifties when large waves of immigrants began
arriving from its former colonies. France's approach to ethnic diversity is the
melting pot theory. The melting pot's
idea became a metaphor that implies that all the immigrant cultures
are mixed and amalgamated without state intervention. The melting pot
theory suggested that each immigrant and group assimilated into society at their
own pace without government intervention.
France has significant discrimination and racial and economic
segmentation problems like many other countries but realizes the government has
limited tools to measure or correct them. These are problems that individual
groups must fix without government acknowledgment or intervention.
Multiculturalism in the United States has a
long and dubious history. The United States has, from its founding days, taken
in immigrants from different cultural backgrounds, many of whom were, at the
time, controversial. First, it was the Germans. Whether they could become "real
Americans" was the question. Next was the Chinese, Irish, and Eastern
European immigrants after them. Now it is Hispanic Americans and Muslim Americans.
Continuous
mass immigration has been a factor in the United States economy and society
since the first half of the 19th century. As a result, the absorption of the
stream of immigrants became a prominent feature of America's national myth.
Excluded from these algorisms were indigenous natives, labeled the untameable savages,
and the Africans viewed as the beasts of burden.
The
melting pot theory is different from the salad bowl theory. The salad bowl theory does not include complete
assimilation and integration. Instead, each culture struggles to maintain its distinctive
flavor. It is a fragile concept attempting to coexist with a strong belief in
national unity. It is a flawed belief dating
from the American founding fathers:
"Providence
has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people – a
people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing
the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar
in their manners and customs... This country and these people seem made for each
other. It appears as if Providence's design that an inheritance so proper and convenient
for a band of brethren, united by the strongest ties, should never be split
into many unsocial, jealous, and alien sovereignties."
These noble words, in a sense, were a declaration of war, for they did not consider the plight of the Africans or the indigenous natives as they were considered a part of the God-given inheritance. Instead, Americans would engage in a brutal civil war to retain the African Americans' chattel state.
There
are thousands of cultures worldwide and numerous in the United States, with the
most dominant being Western. However, African, Asian, Native American, Polynesian,
and Latin American cultures also influence the United States' cultural makeup.
The United States is unique because it has a rich mixture of cultures, which may
not be in its best interest. Early biblical
teachings supported the separation of different cultures, mainly if their
belief structure differed from the predominant culture. Today, many nations still
adhere to this policy—those who do not follow this policy suffer from internal
disputes resulting from cultural integration.
