Multicultural Pot

2005-10-11 02:44:02

#1

mikeshw: Radioactive Glo; +130|7226|A Small Isle in the Tropics

I never truly appreciated how multi-national/multi-cultural California is, despite being in and out of it frequently until I sat down at the Arrival Hall at San Francisco International Airport. My plane got in two hours early, and I was waiting for my friend to pick me up. So i sat there just looking at people (which, by the way, is quite therapeutic). In that one hour, I saw Americans, Mexicans, Chinese, English (there was a flight from London), Indians, etc etc.. and then I caught the movie Crash on my way back. It kinda reminded me how tenuous racial relationships are, even in a country like the US and that these things should never ever be taken for granted.

But one thing is for sure, and I could feel, an American Chinese swears his allegiance to the Stars and Stripes not to the Red Star.

2005-10-11 10:22:53

#2

bluehavoc8686: will frag for food; +11|7228|Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Certainly, the U.S. is a myriad of other nationalities, races, religions, ethnicities, etc. Unfortunately, not everyone gets along with everyone else all the time and it's often do to cultural differences. The sad part is, if there were a disaster like September 11 every few weeks, that might be the only thing that would bring unity. For several weeks after the tragedy, it seemed like no one hated anyone for a while, but soon it was back to normal. I'm disgusted with the way whites and blacks are blaming one another for the rescue ops. in New Orleans. The hurricane was not caused by Pres. Bush folks and those rumors of black people taking up arms and raping and killing were actually started by the mayor's office to gain national media attention. Still, I'd say that as a whole, the U.S. does pretty good for such a diverse population. Not to sound naive, but I'd be willing to say that the majority of Americans are fairly "color-blind." Thanks for the input Mike.

2005-10-11 14:57:14

#3

Home: Section.80; +447|7236|Seattle, Washington, USA

Ooh, I know exactly what u mean bluehavoc. Everytime I hear on the news that people need food, they show a picture of a white person. When they say there is looting and killing going on, they show black people. Makes me mad.

2005-10-11 15:16:45

#4

Krauser98: Extra Green Please!; +53|7219|USA! USA! USA!

In sociology they call this whole thing a "melting pot". That is to say that people of different nationalities, races, backgrounds, etc, come together in one place and eventually form something new. Whatever it is that is being created does cause a little bit of friction as people mix together, because not every person things or acts the same way, but once they have been around each other for long enough they adapt and become one group. It happens in other places as well mike! I remember my German professor telling me about all the differences between people in Germany, that is to say that people from the northern portion don't always understand what the people in the southern portion are saying, but not only that, she talked a lot about people who are third or fourth generation imigrants from the middle east and how their cultures were clashing. It is all very interesting to watch...

2005-11-07 01:03:39

#5

VirtuaLResistancE: ArmChair Warrior; +4|7144|NH - USA

Re: #1

Watching a movie called "Crash" before taking a flight? That wouldnt be on my list.

Re: #3

Hey, if a certain group is commiting the crime, how is it wrong to report it?

Re: #4

I think these days its more like a "salad bowl" than a melting pot. Immigrants are demanding more individuality these days rather than blending into the existing culture.

Last edited by VirtuaLResistancE (2005-11-07 01:04:37)

2005-11-07 02:55:21

#6

mikeshw: Radioactive Glo; +130|7226|A Small Isle in the Tropics

VirtuaLResistancE wrote:
Re: #1

Watching a movie called "Crash" before taking a flight? That wouldnt be on my list.

Re: #3

Hey, if a certain group is commiting the crime, how is it wrong to report it?

Re: #4

I think these days its more like a "salad bowl" than a melting pot. Immigrants are demanding more individuality these days rather than blending into the existing culture.

Ha! I have to admit watching a movie called "Crash" in a plane is kinda inappropriate. But, if you havent caught it, you ought to. Its a great movie

As for news reporting, Homeschtar's point was really about biased reporting.

2005-11-07 05:20:12

#7

pfcilng: Member; +0|7156|Northern Illinois University

I am the first born as a Citizen in my family. My family is orginally from Ecuador and Brazil.

I still keep some individuality about my culture, I only speak spanish at home, I still make traditional food, and once in a while I play some music. I think every group should have the right to keep their culture and still live in the U.S. Every immigrant has been doing it in the U.S since its inception. BY looking at the things we call "American", we can see that they are actually pieces of other cultures that the immigrants kept with them ( pie, sausage....)

Even if an immigrant decides to keep their culture, they will always eventually take in some of the local culture and make an interesting mix, that is how it has always been and will be.

The only places where I have experienced racisim by amercians is pretty much anywhere outside of Chicago.
BY this, I mean in small communities where they do not have many immigrants coming in.

2005-11-07 09:38:28

#8

KtotheIMMY: Member; +513|7152

I love SFO. (My home base--usually). JFK is just as good a place to sit and watch people. I found that out last summer. I was so tempted to hop on a flight to Madrid. A nice lady beside me was trying to convince me to fly to Moscow with her. "It's beautiful this time of the year", she said in very broken English. Charming!

2011-04-11 14:45:28