The biggest problem I see is done by the people that don't think the pie can be made larger.
In this country, since we are a melting pot, we have made our own traditions, while adding some of those from the "old country" we or our folks before us came from. And we've continued adding traditions, creating the "rich culture soup" we are all fond of talking about.
BUT, there are some, daily it seems, that want to take away some traditions, and add their own new ones to supercede the old ones.
Possibly, if we look at the situation as if we were from another planet, we could suggest that we keep the good traditions from the civilized world today, and add other traditions from new countries that want to be included in the mix of peoples from those new countries.
The culture pie could always be added to this way, instead of taking away of some and adding others....
We are going to have to decide where to draw the line however. Adding female circumcision, or beheading for whatever excuse these folks are using, or stoning for adultery, or demanding women wear covering, or denying votes to women, etc will not fly in America. At least the America I want to live in.
>>>>> But I would caution you not to wall out the incorporation of other traditions out of concern about it. Incorporation is what assimilation and the melting pot are all about. If you wall out innocent traditions, you are contributing to cultural isolationism. <<<<< |
