They can all be, and are, deluded.
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It nonetheless is a strong and real social phenomenon. Translating the lack of caring about ethnicity to actual behavior is as probable as saying âeverybody should realize their skin color doesnât matter.â I agree on the ideal to the extent I consciously can.
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I mean I think if you came to this country and are a naturalized citizen your experience is going to be different from mine in meaningful ways. Not better or worse, just different.
If youâre African American or Asian American and your ancestors have been in this country for generations your experience will also be different from mine in meaningful ways.
There does come a point where your ancestors being from Kenya vs Namibia probably no longer has impact on your daily life in the same way that my ancestors being from Holland vs England no longer impacts me. The most relevant part of my ancestry that has any tangible impact on me is the Middle Eastern line and that is the most recent to come to the United States of any of my ancestors. And even then my life isnât materially different due to being part Middle Eastern. I probably had above average exposure to Middle Eastern food compared to other Midwestern kids and thatâs about it.
Does it matter to other people? Eh, mostly not. When one of STBXâs friends started saying a bunch of racist crap about Syrians on Facebook I calmly responded that I was part Syrian and what she was saying was offensive to me and my family and she unfriended me. Not exactly the worst calamity to befall a person, but she either couldnât be Facebook friends with someone who is part Syrian or couldnât be Facebook friends with someone who called her out for anti-Syrian racism. Not sure which. 
But I donât think any of that is delusional.
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Thank you for agreeing with me.
I see the problem with this example.
I mean I am not shocked that she felt more comfortable being racist on Facebook than to my face, but itâs still a thing that happened.
I donât even know that itâs ideal that skin color doesnât matter. It shouldnât matter in negative ways, but thatâs different from saying that it doesnât matter. We could celebrate our differences.
It is in no way delusional for a person to be aware that their ethnicity and heritage matters to other people though. Itâs living in reality.
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Yeah actually fair. Was busy and I could have considered my words better. âSkin matteringâ had âmatterâ in a negative context. Always possible to joyfully celebrate differences positively, I 110% want to learn from friends of other ethnicities who cook ethnic dishes how to make them, for example.
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I mostly meant my point about America. Other countries have long cultural histories. I think assimilating cultures is a foundational part of what makes America great, so American culture should not seek to create sub labels.
Do you⌠know ANY other human beings?
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Possibly this should be in the Canada vs US thread but one of the differences is the view towards multiculturalism:
Interesting difference. Iâm deeply biased, but definitely prefer melting pot. Diversity in the short run leads to conflict because humans prefer the familiar. Assimilation is therefore crucial and America as a âshining city on a hillâ has attracted all sorts of immigrants based on a shared desire for a better life for their kids, which is unifying.
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So have other countries using different models.
I find the U.S. model weird. It seems like if youâre an immigrant, youâre supposed to forget/ignore your past or perhaps your parents or grandparentsâ past. If your family has been in the US for awhile, you can complain about Sherman burning your familyâs home 160 years ago. However, itâs wrong for Black Americans to complain about segregation in the U.S. and Jim Crow laws as thatâs ancient history. Also, itâs good to celebrate your Polish, German, Irish or Italian background, but not your Mexican, or Filipino background.
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I think thatâs a cherry picked view of things.
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Is it cherry picked? I think the question on how much someone should strive to be a generic American seems to be a key theme throughout our political divide.
Iâve never felt that way. IIRC, youâve spent time in Louisiana? Maybe itâs different in the Midwest.
Seemed pretty consistent with what I was hearing when I was in Louisiana. God forbid you display a Mexican flag or call yourself a Hispanic American. On the other hand it was A-OK for the Italian American or Polish American clubs to have floats in the Mardi Gras parade and for the existence of the clubs thrmselves. I constantly met Americans bragging about their Irish background and loving to drink. Also racism and discrimination wasnât an issue in the South, it was just a problem with agitators coming in from elsewhere. Also nevermind the desegregation case going on for decades and out of state police forces withdrawing service after Katrina because of misconduct by local police.
All I know is that Canada became a much more interesting country starting in the 1960âs after Pierre Trudeau introduced the multiculturalism approach and enabling policies that we continue to have. I love that people can continue to celebrate their various heritages rather than trying to conform to a single view of what a Canadian is. Canadians do largely share a common set of core values but that does not destroy cultural diversity.
Well I must concede Iâve only spent very little time in Louisiana. Itâs certainly not like that in my experience in the northeast.
Could be. On the other hand, there were definitely issues around Richmond, VA. Less so around Ann Arbor, MI.
Maybe it is just the version that I grew up with, but it would be completely acceptable and expected to be sitting at a table in the townâs annual festival celebrating itâs European heritage and hear derogatory comments about how a group of immigrants need to learn how to speak English better if they want to live in America.
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