I am thankful to be an American

[Kim OHara]

America the Buddhaful.

An atrocious pun but a nice idea.


Kim

[cjmacie]

.
A recently reported factoid:

In some recent time-frame, 1 in 6 marriages in the USA were inter-racial or cross-ethnic, I think was the terminology. Whatever one thinks of it, the "melting-pot" theme lives on.

Anecdotally, ca. 1940 my parents married -- a "mixed" marriage in that he from Polish Catholic background and she was German Lutheran. They had to keep the marriage secret (at least from the families) for a couple of years.

[R1111 = rightviewftw]

From Commentary to Satipatthana Sutta:

Reflection on the greatness of race is carried out by way of the fact that in entering the Buddha's Dispensation one has become the Conqueror's son

[binocular]

It's perhaps more important now than ever before that we emphasize the positive aspects of the United States, so that they won't be trampled forever.

In an impermanent world?

[Kim OHara]

.
A recently reported factoid:

In some recent time-frame, 1 in 6 marriages in the USA were inter-racial or cross-ethnic, I think was the terminology. Whatever one thinks of it, the "melting-pot" theme lives on.

And a good thing, too!

Anecdotally, ca. 1940 my parents married -- a "mixed" marriage in that he from Polish Catholic background and she was German Lutheran. They had to keep the marriage secret (at least from the families) for a couple of years.

We used to have similar narrow-mindedness here, with the Catholic-Protestant divide strong enough in the 1940s (at least in rural areas) that a woman who married 'out' could be denounced from the pulpit as immoral and unmarried.
These days, with a much larger population of migrants from Asia and the Middle East, that particular difference seems much smaller. Some of us do still have some resistance to cross-cultural relationships, unfortunately, but it is steadily diminishing as we see so many successful examples.
I look forward to the day when 'race' is such a fuzzy concept that it is quietly abandoned. Sure, we will have lost some diversity, but the benefits will more than compensate.


Kim

[Kamran]

We are all living in America - great song from Ramstienn

phpBB .

[Santi253]

I am thankful that America was founded as a nation for all peoples, regardless of color or creed.

When the Pilgrims landed in 1620, of course Native Americans were already here. But Africans, too, were already here, having arrived in Florida in 1528 and Virginia in 1619. Latinos, too, were long present in what would become California and the American Southwest. Asians began coming to the west coast generations before the Pilgrims. Our state, South Carolina, the vanguard of the Confederacy, was majority black in 1860 when it seceded.

The narrative that America is a white country wants to pretend that non-white people were not here, that their contributions were not essential to the building of America. But the truth is that America was built into the wealthiest, most powerful nation through the efforts of all who were here. But more importantly, America was built into its unique promise – liberty and justice FOR ALL – through the struggles of all to achieve that promise.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/ ... 569434001/

There are more Buddhists in the United States than any other country outside Asia, largely due to the substantial Asian population in the United States.

[Ceisiwr]

I like the US' freedom of speech laws, but apart from that I like being British. I'm also a fan of monarchy, so Britain for me

Lots of respect for America though

[Santi253]

Lots of respect for America though

Yes, that's the spirit. America doesn't need to be seen as the best country in the world in order to have our respect and gratitude.

[SDC]

When the Pilgrims landed in 1620, of course Native Americans were already here. But Africans, too, were already here, having arrived in Florida in 1528 and Virginia in 1619. Latinos, too, were long present in what would become California and the American Southwest. Asians began coming to the west coast generations before the Pilgrims. Our state, South Carolina, the vanguard of the Confederacy, was majority black in 1860 when it seceded.

The narrative that America is a white country wants to pretend that non-white people were not here, that their contributions were not essential to the building of America. But the truth is that America was built into the wealthiest, most powerful nation through the efforts of all who were here. But more importantly, America was built into its unique promise – liberty and justice FOR ALL – through the struggles of all to achieve that promise.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/ ... 569434001/

I wonder what makes people (the writer, not you Santi, unless you want to own also) think they have to keep stating the obvious to combat the views the probably 1% of Americans who are actually dumb enough to believe the US is, or was ever, a "White country". I think it legitimizes the platform of white nationalists and white supremacists when you take the time to oppose their arguments in this fashion. Probably why Charlie Hebdo thought their recent Houston cover actually made any sense, which it didn't (so off base I couldn't even muster outrage). If you spend time arguing against fools you should wonder if you perhaps share in their foolishness.

The problem most Americans have is that they don't get around America but that does not stop them from thinking that they can speak accurately on behalf of what America is (and what Americans think) and thereby misrepresent their fellow countrymen/women tremendously. It's sad watching Americans trying to garner favor like that. Real sad.

[Kim OHara]

When the Pilgrims landed in 1620, of course Native Americans were already here. But Africans, too, were already here, having arrived in Florida in 1528 and Virginia in 1619. Latinos, too, were long present in what would become California and the American Southwest. Asians began coming to the west coast generations before the Pilgrims. Our state, South Carolina, the vanguard of the Confederacy, was majority black in 1860 when it seceded.

The narrative that America is a white country wants to pretend that non-white people were not here, that their contributions were not essential to the building of America. But the truth is that America was built into the wealthiest, most powerful nation through the efforts of all who were here. But more importantly, America was built into its unique promise – liberty and justice FOR ALL – through the struggles of all to achieve that promise.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/ ... 569434001/

I wonder what makes people (the writer, not you Santi, unless you want to own also) think they have to keep stating the obvious to combat the views the probably 1% of Americans who are actually dumb enough to believe the US is, or was ever, a "White country".

Could it possibly be the ongoing racial inequality? De facto segregation by class and income?


Kim

[Disciple]

Could it possibly be the ongoing racial inequality? De facto segregation by class and income?


Kim

How is it like in Austrialia with the massacres and racism against aboriginals?

Easy to point fingers.

[Kim OHara]

Could it possibly be the ongoing racial inequality? De facto segregation by class and income?


Kim

How is it like in Austrialia with the massacres and racism against aboriginals?

Easy to point fingers.

Certainly, we have some of the same problems, and some of us try to address them when we can. I'm not saying we're perfect, or even that we're better than you. That doesn't mean that (many? most?) Americans don't need reminders.
One of the root causes, both here and there, is that whatever we grew up with is so 'normal' that it's invisible to us, and the only way to make it visible is to keep on talking about it.


Kim

[SDC]

I wonder what makes people (the writer, not you Santi, unless you want to own also) think they have to keep stating the obvious to combat the views the probably 1% of Americans who are actually dumb enough to believe the US is, or was ever, a "White country".

Could it possibly be the ongoing racial inequality? De facto segregation by class and income?


Kim

I don't get your point. So you think it is/was a white country or just that white people behaved like it was for like 300 years and that the current system reflects that?

The fact that a system maintains such things does not imply a direct reflection of the nature of the majority of the people who currently reside within it. Everyone wants it to be that simple but it isn't.

[Kim OHara]

I wonder what makes people (the writer, not you Santi, unless you want to own also) think they have to keep stating the obvious to combat the views the probably 1% of Americans who are actually dumb enough to believe the US is, or was ever, a "White country".

Could it possibly be the ongoing racial inequality? De facto segregation by class and income?


Kim

I don't get your point. So you think it is/was a white country or just that white people behaved like it was for like 300 years and that the current system reflects that?

The fact that a system maintains such things does not imply a direct reflection of the nature of the majority of the people who currently reside within it. Everyone wants it to be that simple but it isn't.

You asked "what makes people think they have to keep stating the obvious" and I provided some fairly obvious and logical reasons - somewhat tentatively, hence the question marks.
I think white people behaved like it was a white country for ~ 300 years, and that the current system reflects that, and that many white Americans think (or more often simply assume without thinking) it is/was a white country, and that things won't improve much for non-whites until more whites want change.
But yeah, it's messy, and if you dig a bit deeper it only gets messier.


Kim