Lauren, Stephany, Matt, Beth, Monique, Megan, Nellie(absent) Regan(absent)
Today my group discussed Multiculteralism in the eyes of the Philosopher Phillips. This idea is the culture definition of the United States. It consists of 3 parts.
1. Cultural identity matters to an individual.
2. We should not expect everyone to adopt the values and traditions of the dominant group.
3. Public policy implies that laws will reflect values and practices of the dominant group. This bias needs to be justified or undone.
Our group started talking about the ideas of culture in relation to our own lives. What I noticed is we did not have much to say in FAVOR of other cultures, or really any favor for our own either. We mainly talked about the examples in the book about how we determine what is "right" and what is "wrong" and if we feel we SHOULD impose how we feel is right on other groups of people. I tend to agree with Phillips in that we are more than welcome to talk with others, and listen; we can give alternatives to their lifestyle. But unless what they see themselves doing is wrong, and it is not doing harm to someone or society, I can not MAKE them do anything they don't want to. In the example of oppression, what IS oppression but what we call it? As a society we tend to make it a negative, but other cultures may deem it acceptable and even encouraged. Because someone from another country moves here, does that mean the dominant group gets to decide how they live their lives? Multiculturalism is an interesting concept for sure, which brings a lot of opinion and individual feelings into it, rather than fact or statistics.
One things we agreed on as a group is that if the United States ever became a country that all agreed on the same beliefs, all carried the same culture, it would be so far in the future we may not live to see it happen. The idea that slavery was inhumane did not become fully accepted by society for the longest time. But, I have hope for humanity. =]
I miss Barney the dinosaur...
ReplyDeleteand I love southern Biscuit culture!
Southern biscuit culture... I like that phrase.
ReplyDeleteBut anyways.. multiculturalism. This topic was actually brought up in two more classes of mine, so it is without a doubt an important subject. It is extremely difficult to determine what is fair in terms of dealing with peoples' cultures and practices that differ from our own. At what point do we draw the line between helping someone and infringing on their rights? As Americans, we have an enormous amount of freedom to practice as we see fit, and if that is ever challenged, it creates a huge uproar. Almost everyone picks a side on what they think is right or wrong and we all argue until we are blue in the face. But what does it accomplish? Nothing, really. Because in the end, it is the person's choice. We can educate them on the alternatives to their situation and help them as much as they will let us, but if they choose to sit back and accept the situation they are in, then forcing them out of that is going over our boundaries.
I'd like to share the article I had to read for another class about the small country of Estonia and how the small Russian population is being treated in that country. Do you agree with the Estonian government that these laws are the only way to create communal unity and they are for the benefit of the country, or do you believe the Russian peoples' cultural right are being taken away?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129333023
Love the post. Wish I wasn't as sick so I could have contributed more. I feel if we do accepts the right and humane ways without judging others or doing wrongful acts,we could live in a fair and just society. These past few weeks I noticed something. The phrase "Where do we draw the line?" This is true in life and I ask myself this daily. Where do we as students draw the line? Where do we as Americans draw the line? Where do as humans draw a line? I thought about this lately: What if parents taught their children to not judge, hate or do morally and criminal acts? What type of societies would we live in? I think it will be a better world. I seen post about Satanism and how they bring violence and deaths into how we can believe in God. I wonder if that would still exist? Would the negative thoughts and ways carry through our postivity? I like to remember Thomas Hobbs when he says without a central government our lives would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." When we take on a central government, which we need because we as people need guidance regardless of what religion you believe in, would the positive ways carry to them? When we have government who are shady, how can we trust others? Where do we draw the line on stuff like this. I need that phrase tattooed on me, hahaha.
ReplyDeleteMonique McIntosh
14-4
I think that Stephany's link illustrates a point I have been pondering lately. There is a difference between multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism. I feel that cosmopolitanism is about being accepting and even celebrating the cultures, customs, and religions of other communities. Whereas multiculturalism could be more closely linked to acknowledging different cultures within a single community. As Americans, we have issues with both. In Estonia, they are facing a similar problem with ethnic Russians that we are facing here with a good half dozen minority groups. As Monique says, "Where do you draw the line?". A community is defined by commonality to some degree, not just geographical location. If you want to join a community, you can keep your own traditions but you should at least meet some minimum level of commonality with those people you are trying to join. We have always had a requirement to learn English to be a citizen of the U.S., and I don't think very many people complain about that. Speaking as someone who lived in an area with a huge immigrant population, I have seen what happens when there is no attempt at assimilation. It really does lead to segregation and a very low level of multiculturalism, even as there are people from many cultures living in proximity to one another. Picture an Arabic person living in Dearborn, MI where everyone speaks Arabic, all the street signs are in Arabic, all the restaurants and shops cater to Arabic traditions. 10 miles down the road in Inkster, there is a large Mexican population in an area with lots of "spuermercados" and "taquieras". Without a common language of English, these two communities cannot even accomplish basic communication, and what you end up with is severe ethnic and racial tension.
ReplyDelete