I think the best test of this issue, Neo, is to imagine ourselves emigrating to another nation.
Whether it was to Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, or wherever ... I can't believe there is a one of us here who would even think for a moment of protesting against any of the cultural practices we saw in our new homeland. Much to the contrary, we would bend over backwards to show respect for these practices and representations, however much we might be offended or even repelled by them. If our children were to be enrolled in their schools, we would surely insist that they show deference and respect for the customs of the host people. If we were granted the right to perpetuate our own beliefs and customs in the privacy of our own homes, or perhaps in churches of our own denomination, we would feel gratitude for being afforded this liberty. We would feel obligated as new citizens to adapt in every way possible to the customs of our new homeland.
The last thing we would ever dream of doing would be to start complaining that we are being "marginalized" because we have to witness Australians, Japanese, or Saudis practicing the customs and rituals of their own society, in their own homeland. If we saw other former Americans doing this, we would quickly label them "Ugly Americans" and rebuke them for their audacity, insensitivity, and impoliteness. |
