02-28-2014, 12:52 AM
swampy wrote:
The whole idea of "making one out of many" rubs me the wrong way. If we are asked to give up our unique foibles (religion, ethnic traditions, ability to produce etc.) we no longer come out as a pot of stew with identifiable ingredients of peas, carrots, potatoes and meat. You are asking the chefs to puree the parts and dish out mush.
You say "mush," I say we are still a "stew."
Nobody is has to sacrifice their culture here and nobody has to assimilate in this country. They do have to compromise and learn to co-exist.
Cultural pluralism: is a term used when smaller groups within a larger society maintain their unique cultural identities, and their values and practices are accepted by the wider culture provided they are consistent with the laws and values of the wider society. Cultural pluralism is often confused with Multiculturalism. Multiculturalism lacks the requirement of a dominant culture.
One example is the United States which has a relatively strong dominant culture which includes strong elements of nationalism, a sporting culture and an artistic culture. In a pluralist culture, unique groups not only co-exist side by side, but also consider qualities of other groups as traits worth having in the dominant culture. A successful pluralistic society will place strong expectations of integration on its members rather than expectations of assimilation.
I form an opinion by considering a given issue from different viewpoints, by making present to my mind the standpoints of those who are absent; that is, I represent them.… The more people's standpoints I have present in my mind while I am pondering a given issue, and the better I can imagine how I would feel and think if I were in their place, the stronger will be my capacity for representative thinking and the more valid my final conclusions, my opinion.
- Hannah Arendt