Sunday, November 2, 2008

Culturism and Barack..another must read from another buddy!

Please take a few minutes and read John Press's excellent piece on Obama and Multiculturalism. You might want to send it around to email friends ....BEFORE election day, of course. While you're there, please check out John's excellent book on culturism in relation to psychology, our schools, nature, anthropology, America, the world, etc. It's very interesting and important. BUY IT!! John does very good work, you really should read the article I linked.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very interesting article Z. Thanks for linking to it. Mr. Press has a unique angle on issues.

Morgan

Z said...

unique and very pro American! We DO have a culture, it IS important and we need to protect it while we celebrate those of immigrants who came here legally and wanted to put America first and celebrate their cultures in their homes and places of worship. It worked then...and nobody was feeling left out because AMERICA was where they fought hard to be.
Imagine!? Remember?

Rita Loca said...

oh! I want to get that book. Not sure how to get it down here, but it looks like a must have to me!

Anonymous said...

You know when I was in elementary school in FL in 72, 73 & 74 we not only learned FL history, but we learned a patriotic version of American history that included some of the great old American and southern songs. I can almost GUARANTEE you that kids don't get that same education today.

Morgan

Z said...

JM...I'll get it to you...email me your addresss. I'll buy one and send it. I promise.xxx

Morgan (stop with the 'grade school in the seventies'. OKAY!? LOL!!)

I am teaching my WEE AMERICANS class to my preschoolers and hope to blog on it soon..pictures and all. The flag hanging went GREAT! They learned about the Statue of Liberty last week and Abe LIncoln this week..honest. We discussed HONESTY>
isn't it a travesty that a liar like Obama started his campaign in Springfield, Illinois? What a stunning irony..a liar speaking where the truth-teller lived.

Anonymous said...

Z I am SO proud of what you're doing with those kids! You talked with them about the importance of HONESTY? G-d bless you! You do realize that you've PERMANENTLY damaged their chances of voting Democrat, right?

Morgan

Z said...

Oh, gee, Morgan...I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT (Smile)!!!!

They are SO CUTE~! Even the 2 1/2 yr olds now get all excited whenever I say anything like "And what COUNTRY are you lucky enough to live in?" "AMERICA!" they yell!

they look at that new flag in their room with AWE! I love it!

Rita Loca said...

z, what you are doing is invaluable! If more teachers and parents would take the time to instill American values in our children, perhaps we would not be in the mess we find ourselves in!
About the book, You are too kind dear!!!

Ducky's here said...

"We" have a culture, z?

Your culture isn't even close to mine. Now, we are both Americans and I don't budge much when the right starts its mud slinging. There are a lot like me so what are "we" going to do about this?

Z said...

JM....let me know. Honestly.

DUCKY..ah..so YOU don't think Americans have a culture? WOW>

You ever seen Norman Rockwell? Does a family bowing their heads at the Thanksgiving Table BUG you so much? Is that not YOUR CULTURE?

Is the Main Square in every lovely town just TOO AMERICAN for you? Not ethnic-cool enough? YOu happier seeing burkhas strolling around the Presbyterian church and the Mercantile on Main St.?

How about foods? Lobster in Maine, Salmon in Seattle, Tex-Mex in California or TX...Gumbo, ....these are parts of American CULTURE, Ducky.

The pledge of Allegiance, the flag, patriotic parades on the Fourth of July. Are fireworks too American, too much part of this culture you seem to disavow for yourself?

Is Disneyland part of AMERICAN culture? Jeans, bubble gum, hotdogs with mustard and relish, baseball....funny, Europe and Asia emulate AMERICAN CULTURE but YOU don't ...what...LIKE it? It doesn't represent YOU?

I could go on..what's the point? You revealed a lot today.

Ducky's here said...

Come on z, let's get down to it. Yeah, Norman Rockwell is fine but I far prefer Jackson Pollack (a painter who understood freedom). Get the drift?

But let's look at the less trivial aspects of our culture. AMERICA is a house with many rooms. In an image of the writer Philip Slater, our frontier legacy instilled in us the habit of taking possession of one pristine room at a time. This is what the continental progression from spoiled east to ever-virginal west amounted to, in Slater's metaphor - a nation that never had to reckon with its profligate ways because there was always the next frontier. The great American ideal of freedom was thus founded on freedom from accountability.

You still with me?

We obviously apply that to a long-operative environmental irresponsibility, polluted cities were left behind for pastoral suburbs, and as sprawl-ruined suburbs are now being left behind for evergreen exurbs.
The metaphor precisely describes the geographic state of American education, with trashed inner-city schools left behind by "No Child Left Behind." But the metaphor applies more abstractly, too - as we see US foreign policy on Iraq, for example, defined, first, by wrecking the room, and then (now), by getting the hell out. (Let's try Afghanistan.) We solve our problems by leaving them behind. We don't do consequences.

The convergence of foreign policy failures, an economic collapse, a cultural mutation spawned by information technology, a make-or-break moment for American schools, the global environmental challenge, defines the threshold on which we stand. Not a new room, but the only room there ever was, waiting to be finally ruined - or fully renewed.

I vote for renewal. You vote for having a spasm over Obama's birth certificate. I reject your culture as do many, many others.

Anonymous said...

Ducky, I don't quite know where to start. In my lifetime which is quite considerable in terms of years, the left which you are clearly part of, began attacking religion, and American culture many years ago.

As time has progressed, the foundation of America, based on the Constitution, has suffered assaults on a consistent basis.

The country became polarized into many groups which resulted from the civil rights movement.

That movement, which began to insure equality under the law, and in society, for black people was right, honorable, and necessary.

Since that time the left has used this landmark to create a victim status amongst any number of "groups". It's called divide and conquer.

In hindsight, it has been a purposeful strategy to keep Americans in a perennial state of disunity. Off balance and dissatisfied.

Meanwhile the universities filled with 60's radicals, the public schools' sex education curriculum was infiltrated by homosexual activists, the teaching of anti-American agenda, the ACLU was busy destroying Christian influence anywhere they could.

Until recently, this was done under the radar, and difficult to see because it was being done all at the same time.

All this basically, since the 60's, to destroy the American culture.

Foreign policy was undermined at every turn by the left. Even after an attack on our homeland, it continued in force.

So now you come along with your talking points as if it was traditional Americans who accomplished tearing this country apart.

You talk of renewal. You sir are either an imbecile or a blind follower. You really can't see the forest for the trees.

You and yours made this mess, and haven't got the wherewithall to clean it up. Unfortunately, you have not known how good you've had it. What a great nation you were fortunate enough to be born into.

You know only how to tear things down. Too bad you and yours haven't a clue how to build things up. If I weren't so angry, I'd feel pity for you.

I'll save that for my country for which you couldn't possibly have the gratitude and love I have.

Pris

Z said...

Ducky, to compare Pollack with Rockwell on an artistic level when I was discussing culture is stupid, vapid and dishonest. You know precisely what I meant. Or you SHOULD. (but, yes..I think if Rockwell tossed paint on canvas it would be better than Pollack, come to think of it)

"Freedom from accountability?" When has America not been accountable..let me know, okay?

So, because Republicans weren't PERFECT in your DREAM UTOPIA, you're voting for a socialist. I get it. As long as he'll lead America, turn tail, out of countries who're waiting in horror that this ONE might win and they might be on their own again....Again, dumped in the mud by America which should have finished the job after Kuwait. ...you're FOR it!

I'd rather work with decent Americans who fought for this cuontry, even show love for this country (imagine? Ever heard Obama say anything glowing?) than elect a man whose disdain is palpable...or will be again after he steps down from the campaign stump and into the Oval Office...where he's invited ACORN in to "shape his agenda".

yes, there is an American culture, which was the topic; little of which you addressed. YOu have such a difficult time sticking to the subject when you're either shown to be wrong or baffled by something you just don't understand..why?

CULTURE is what I was talking about. You said we don't have one.

I used to like Pollack, admired modern art more than representational art...while I was young and hip in school and found it cool. Now I realize it's nihilistic, my neighbor's 2 yr old can do it (I heard that years ago but thought it was silly to slam PROGRESS!), and there's no 'there' there. I still like some contemporary artists but not so much. There's no life in them. I'm surprised you don't see it.

sort of.
Now read Priscilla...you could really learn something. She's right; blaming traditional America-loving people for the mess we're in insane.