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5 years ago
Saturday, August 23, 2008
CULTURISM. BUY the book!
A fellow blogger has written CULTURISM A Word, A Value, Our Future.John Kenneth Press (that's his name, not his publisher!) is a very smart guy whose book should be read. It shows the pitfall of MULTICULTURALISM and its antidote...what more do you need to know? Buy the book!
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17 comments:
Z, This is a topical, and urgent subject. it's clear and sensible that stressing differences between groups cannot lead to unity.
Most of us as citizens share certain values which have been taking a back seat in our national dialogue for many years.
Most want a decent job and to be able to support a family. I hope most still believe that children thrive with a Mom and Dad, and a sense of security that that provides. Most believe we are citizens of America, not the world.
The family unit has been the foundation of our nation from the beginning, and the strength of this and our freedom to pursue our own dreams, has been what has resulted in our middle class.
Eighty five percent of the population believes in God. If you ask most people they would say, they admire honesty, integrity, family values, truth, etc.
Yet, we hear about "diversity" and tolerance for differences which is fine, but not in and of themselves.
If the focus is only on the differences, commonality of values takes on less importance, and political correctness demands ultimately, not merely tolerance but acceptance.
We are today, IMO, a nation of "groups", each with it's own interests and goals. These groups compete with each other for recognition, laws, representation and power.
We are a polarized nation, and instead of being a multi-ethnic nation with common American values, we are multi-cultural, with separate mind-sets and competing goals.
Finally, our educational establishment no longer teaches we are all Americans, but celebrates countries of national origin, has decided only American Indians are "native" born (ridiculous). Skin color matters, we allow dual citizenship, gender matters, sexual orientation matters, religious differences matter, and on and on.
What really matters is, we're all in this together, and to me, we're all Americans. What's best for the country is what matters. The rest is noise.
Pris
Z I was going to try and write something interesting, but Pris stole it all! I'm going to hire her next time I want to express something significant. :-)
This guy wrote what we all express on a regular basis and I might buy his book. Multiculturalism is really nothing more than ugly divide and conquer politics.
Morgan
Folks, please go to the culturism website and read a bit more!! Its www.culturism.us
You can also search my videos on youtube by entering culturist or culturism.
Multiculturalism and the phrase "celebrate diversity" are bad for the reasons Pris states. They are also bad because they underestimate diversity and geo-political cultural dynamics that endanger us.
Unlike multiculturalists, culturists recognize that we have a core culture to protect. We are not an Islamic nation. That is a very dangerous source of real diversity. Other nations have culturist laws to protect their core culture. We also have a right to practice culturism.
Some cultures do not value education. That is not helped by "celebrating diversity." Multiculturalism undermines our ability to teach morals.
Multiculturalism can also lead to division between the majority and those who have recently gotten hear from Mexico. We need to stress that we have a culture to join and assimilate into. Pushing the opposite can be dangerous.
Also, when you discuss immigration and they say it is racist, it is not. It is culturist. Racism divides us and is stupid. But because cultural diversity is real and important, we need to able to talk about it. That's not irrational racism, its common sense culturism. People who abuse the word "racism" to stop discussion endanger us.
I'll check back soon to see if there are any other great comments to respond to.
Thanks Z!!
Thank YOU John! Or is it Kenneth?
I am still reading Flynn's Conservative History of the American
left. It has comedic value in many places.
thanks for the tip..just finished another Michael Savage book today..wohoo!
Its John! (Kenneth is my middle name)
Thanks
www.culturism.us
I celebrated culturism yesterday by spending quite a bit of time viewing the Japanese Buddhist temple sculptures at the MFA.
Probably the best examples available outside Japan.
I was very disappointed to find that the Chinese exhibition had changed and "100 Li Along the Yangtze" by Guo Xi is no longer on view. The calligraphic brushwork cannot be improved, perfection.
Then I went over to the Gardner and spent some time with Bellini's portrait of a Persian scribe.
Life is large and it ain't all American.
Wow Ducky, sounds like a nice exhibit. Buddhism has some lovely aspects.
"Life is large and not all is American and diversity exists." You're right. Other cultures have produced great art (when not forbidden). But not all diversity is so positive.
Japan is a racist nation that attacked the US, gang raped Korea and still won't apologize. Actually, culturism does not condemn Japan for their racism. It is their right. Their largely homogenous cultural traditions continuing requires a level of racism to stay pure. With or without our blessings, they practice culturism in their own way.
Did you go see the Persian celebration of Israel's existence exhibit? Though all cultures have created some sort of beauty and ethic worth appreciating (like brush strokes), not all diversity is so shallow. What of the art of Jihad exhibit?
Yes, I know the world has wonders beyond our borders. I even think we need to learn from other nations and recognize that we too have a particular core culture and a duty to protect it.
Ughh!! I have to teach a class with a textbook with Che Guevara on the cover! It also celebrates the feather clothes of the Aztecs and Islamic poetry. Fab! Only bad stuff about the West is included. I think we're going to ditch the text as it does not help cultivate the geo-political vision we need now - a culturist sensibility.
www.culturism.us
Ducky, the only time I went to the Gardner was the only time I was in Boston. We got dropped off by a cab and he took off, then we found out they weren't open that day.
Trust me, that's no area to hail a cab easily! Nightmare. And, of course, we never got to go in, sadly.
John...thanks for reminding Ducky that no culturist feels other cultures shouldn't exist or don't have their beauty! Who WOULD think that? But, to celebrate Jihad..ya....not so much!
Funny, every other country in this world thinks America's done far more good than bad but our own people don't think so. Or maybe talking like that in spite of the facts is just to run us down enough that the next generation will believe we're mediocre enough FINALLY to be under UN Auspices of the GREAT ONE WORLD ORDER. I'm beginning to believe that stuff..the evidence is just too compelling.
Z,
Do you think that word on the street is that the US has been a benefactor in other nations? I know the UN representatives treat us as a pariah nation - officially condemned as a human rights violator (though we created the concept).
I have thought myself needing to be on the defensive in traveler circles. Europeans, Africans, Turks and Latin Americans - in my experience - resented us a bit. India is very pro-US and older Koreans like us a lot.
Anyhow, the scary thing is that much of our population - via textbooks like the one I must use - believe we have been the world's greatest criminals and exploiters. We cannot change the world, but we can focus on domestic perception. I'm going to start by introducing culturism to my classes and ditching my textbook.
John
www.culturism.us
John, the very THOUGHT that textbooks, actual TEXTBOOKS?, are saying that is unconscienable and I can't BELIEVE no conservative's had the guts to DO SOMETHING SUBSTANTIAL ABOUT IT.
I lived in France and Germany and have traveled extensively, too....the Europeans and Asians I have met love Americans, admire America, and EVERY SINGLE TIME I've questioned a stance they've taken against us, I've been able to show them the truth.
Do you know the only English reading material they get in Europe and Asia is the Int'l Herald Tribune? WHOLLY OWNED by the America-hating NYTimes? What do we expect of foreigners after reading that? and it's our LEFT which complains "WHY DO THEY HATE US?"
Ridiculous people..
Foreigners are sorry they don't have the guts to fight wars or the heart to give so much away to those in need. That's MY finding, my experience.
I can't believe you're using books like that and that they can pass inspection.
DO WE REALIZE WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR KIDS?
John, how many of the kids see through this? I feel they don't...I think they buy into it.
Z,
Your experience and mine being different with international crowds is interesting. I bet someone compiles public sentiments towards the US internationally. It's important to know. If you ever hear of something . . .
Fortunately, the students I'm teaching are college age. My US history texts when teaching high school were not as demented as this one. I'm not sure of the population and I'll be teaching at a aeronautics school, so I'm wanting to give the favorable vision of America for safety reasons!!!
John
John, have you 'plumbed' people, really in depth questions about what you experienced from them? I had awful remarks made and sat and talked with people and saw their original comments are defensiveness and, quite frankly, jealousy.
Heck, I'm not saying there aren't America-hating foreigners! I'm saying it was more complex than that. I was living IN France during 9/11....I was offered a home in the country "eef eet gets too deefficult here in Pareess for les Americains, Madame Star" (one waiter called me that all the time because I always wear sunglasses!!)
He sketched me wearing them, on a cardboard coaster, and I cherish it.
See, I attended TONS of different French and German language classes while I lived there and BOY, did I meet a LOT of people from different countries.......we got along great. They might have not loved American policies here and there, but they sure to copy and emulate and like us.
And did I enjoy them!
A favorite story is walking by a young Spanish student named Isabel when the Tibetan film student was passing.. and hearing her say "do you have a YAK?" I couldn't help thinking that was probably THE first and LAST time I'd hear anyone ask someone if they had a yak.!!
he did. :-) I have a thousand stories like shopping the Munich outdoor market with an elderly Russian German student for lunch...meeting a CYpriot student who went on to law school in England and is now a successful lawyer in Boston and who's a dear friend to this day.......wonderful stuff!
Z,
I am somewhat antisocial and likely have not scoured people to the depth that you have. My impression is more from a spattering of interactions.
My Muslim friend just got back from Iran. Interestingly, she said she felt most people there were anti-their government and pro-US. She estimated only 20% were fervently pro-Islamic enforcement. Those we see dancing on the streets after attacks on Israel or other Western oriented nations are in the minority. But they can have an incredible impact. She said the 20% have the keys to political power and mechanisms of enforcement sewn up. And of course 9/11 taught us what a handful of anti-Americans can do here.
Do you have a Yak?
John
John, we HAD a yak, but the neighbors complained!
re; iran, something we saw every single week on TV in Europe were student revolts against the Iranian government. We should hear about that, too.
I actually met Kenneth Timmerman about 3 yrs ago and asked him why we're NOT hearing about them and if they were still going on. He said 'of course, but our media doesn't want you knowing that'. why?
I think your friend's right; I've heard about support for America there, too. Go figure!
And, you sure don't look antisocial in your blog videos!! But, you're right...I do meet and talk to a lot of people!
Well z, I'm sorry you didn't get to the Gardner. The art writer for The Australian moved to Boston recently and called it the most radical museum in the world.
It isn't laid out chronologically, most of it isn't even labeled and the collection is very eclectic. Not the place for an art history lesson just a place to enjoy art.
A cab in Boston? Yeah, I hear ya. Next time try the subway. The stop is pretty close.
I don't think you'd be surprised (not agree necessarily) that I don't think you can understand a people if you don't understand their art. Pretty near impossible. Of course it's difficult defining an American art and most Americans either dislike most everything we've produced since the end of the war or they just don't care.
I don't think you can find a uniform American culture or an agreement on Western values anymore than you can find evangelicals who are comfortable with the enlightenment(I still dislike Baroque painting, myself).
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