Text 18790, 78 rader
Skriven 2008-07-20 14:26:18 av Lee Lofaso (3:800/432.0)
  Kommentar till text 18704 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
Ärende: Tolerance
=================
Hello Robert,

>LL>Cajuns were tolerant of Americains, and as a result much of the Cajun
>LL>culture has been lost.  Americains were not tolerant of Cajuns, and as
>LL>a result America has become a much less diverse place to live.

RB>Sorry to have to say this, Lee, but if you want "diversity"
RB>you can look at the situation in Iraq. There _must_ be a
RB>dominant culture in a country, or there will be continuous
RB>fighting among cultural groups.

Actually it is the other way around.  A society is within a culture,
the culture outlasting any particular country. For example, the Cajun
culture existed before a United States of America came into being.
The Cajun culture will continue long after the United States of America
ceases to exist.  Of course, it is only natural that society will try
to dominate a culture.  Such has always been the case throughout
history.  But it is language that defines a culture, not a society.

RB>I lived in Montreal when Rene Levesque and his Parti
RB>Quebecois were at the height of their power, and I can
RB>assure you it was not pleasant to be classed as an English
RB>speaker there (even though I was transferred there from
RB>Germany and my wife was German). I might add that my
RB>company had given me NO preparation for this situation.

Oh, I got along just fine in Montreal and among the Quebecois.
I would greet them by saying "Je suis a la louisiane."  They made
me feel quite welcome, never charging me a dime for meals or for
parking spaces or for anything else.  :)

RB>So I'm not as enthusiastic about "cultural diversity" in a
RB>single country as others might be.

Diversity is like a large quilt pieced together.  Problem is,
some folks like to take a pair of scissors and destroy the quilt.

RB>In the EU, Belgium is the best example of this. The French
RB>and Flemish speaking regions have been fighting each other for
RB>decades, and for the last couple of years, Belgium had had no
RB>government except for a caretaker government as a result.

No government can control a culture.  It can destroy a culture,
but it cannot control it.

RB>I believe in tolerance, but I also believe too much
RB>tolerance can tear a country apart.

Too much tolerance can lead to the demise of a country.
Or change a country so much that it is no longer the same
country.  Suppose Muslims were to immigrate to England,
and make lots and lots of babies.  Within a few decades
Muslims would be the majority population of England.
Can you imagine the King or Queen of England being a
Muslim?

RB>P.S. The Statue of Liberty was erected in 1886. The
RB>Louisiana Purchase was in 1803.

Cajuns settled in Louisiana prior to the the United States
having become a nation.

On a sidenote, the Louisiana Purchase did not include the
City of New Orleans.  Jefferson had originally sought to buy
only New Orleans from the French, but the French said they
had already sold it to Spain.  However, the French said they
would gladly sell everything else to the Americans.  Now if
only Napoleon had any sense, he would have held on to all
the lands in the New World, thus creating a New France.
But no.  Nappy wanted to conquer Europe...

--Lee


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