tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post1460135313340988164..comments2024-01-28T08:54:32.914-06:00Comments on That's interesting...: Right-wingers are upset about this?Bill Garthrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-19699701137519633842014-02-06T09:29:51.831-06:002014-02-06T09:29:51.831-06:00I must admit that I have no idea if this sounds as...I must admit that I have no idea if this sounds as crazy to people in other countries as it does here. I mean, you have to realize that America is a nation of immigrants. We're all - or nearly all - descended from immigrants. That's just what America is.<br /><br />And we've always been a diverse bunch. True, there were riots in some American cities when my Irish Catholic ancestors started arriving here in large numbers. I don't know if my other ancestors took part in them or not, but it wouldn't surprise me.<br /><br />And when my German ancestors arrived here, they formed communities where German was commonly heard, communities with German-language churches, social clubs, newspapers, etc. <br /><br />In both of these cases and many others, their children and grandchildren became just... Americans - indistinguishable from the rest of us. Indeed, many of their descendents are now protesting against immigrants themselves!<br /><br />Of course, those people were all white and overwhelmingly Christian. They would have had a much harder time, otherwise. Still, we've just gone through that controversy. We've just had a wrenching adjustment in American society to bring civil rights to <i>everyone</i>.<br /><br />So the fact that we still see this bigotry is just astonishing to me. And the <i>really</i> crazy thing, given America's tattered reputation in the world these days, is to see the right-wing <i>complaining about other people singing "America the Beautiful."</i><br /><br />Who the hell cares what <i>language</i> they're singing it in? In fact, that just means they know what they're singing!<br />Bill Garthrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379287241318002122.post-64207206389831071222014-02-05T04:08:48.479-06:002014-02-05T04:08:48.479-06:00Wow. I don't really know what to say. Words ...Wow. I don't really know what to say. Words do rather fail me on this one. I guess I'll just have to retreat back to my European host city (where multiculturalism is just working sooo well) and listen to the voice of that city. Only half of which I can actually understand. <br /><br />Because London speaks English mostly but listening to it you really wouldn't know it...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com