> On the other hand, some of the problems in the US are due to an
> overidentification with one's own culture to the point where there is no
> open-mindedness to other cultures.
>
> This overidentification may be the result of not wanting to completely lose
> one's cultural identity, a distinct threat in a multicultural society.
>
> However, this over-reaction leads to varying degrees of contempt and
> mistrust of any group not closely related to one's own culture (whether
> they are white, black, asian, hispanic, or of any other ethnicity), an
> unforunate side effect which creates many of the problems with which we are
> all too familiar.
>
> Here's an hypothetical musical example: It is very hard to get a white boy
> from Montana into listening to Public Enemy...conversely, many blacks
> wouldn't want white people from Montana to be part of the Public Enemy
> scene.
>
> The melting pot is not a myth, it's a threat!
yes...exactly!! I almost said exactly that, but was trying to limit the
scope of my response. I agree with you 100% though, and basically what I
was getting at. And the contempt that you describe is just a basic form
of racism...unfortunately. People trying to hard maintain some sort of
identity with a particular group. I'm sure someone with some good
sociology experience could describe the phenomenon :) And it does seem
to stifle openmindedness...I often feel the same way about certain forms
of religion, but I don't think there is a need to go into great detail
about all of that here. The basic point is that America has a LOT of
problems IMO, and much of that stems from people's inability to accept
others, whether it be their ways of thinking, beliefs, and/or cultural
heritage. This also affects many facets of our daily lives. The
television programming we watch (simpson trial included), to the music we
are often "forced" to hear :) I sometimes believe that there will need
to be some sort of "upheaval" to keep the current system from
crashing...simply my opinion...flame if you wish...
Tim (tca@cerfnet.com)