We've Come a Long Way Baby! America IS Changing!

In a way, ANTIs are right. From an ethnic/cultural perspective, this country is changing rapidly.

As my long time viewers know, my husband loves sports and enjoys watching "classic" sports on TV. This morning he was watching Classic Bowling from the 1970s. The clothes and the hair styles were hilarious. The men wore suits, from suit with tie to leisure suits to plaid pants. They had long hair with sideburns. The women wore helmet head hairdos with lots of teasing and hairspray and little dresses with belts and heels. Many people wore glasses, the men the horn rimmed, the women the little granny glasses. I didn't see one minority in the audience. Additionally, no one was on the phone or on a computer.

I compare this picture with a visit to my local bowling center or casino. There is so much diversity. Everyone is wearing casual clothes, from jeans to slacks, to sweat pants. Hair is different, from shaved head, to long-hair, to make-up to no make-up, to piercings, to tattoos. There is every ethnicity. I'd estimate there was about 50% white, 20% Latino, 15% Black, 10% Asian, 5% Other. Almost everyone has a cell phone and a few had their laptops.

Last night at the "sino" on the slots, I sat next to a Vietnamese family, a father played while his two daughters watched. They were speaking Vietnamese to Dad and the two girls were giggling, half in Vietnamese and half English. Both our machines were winning, so we started high-fiving each other with each win and we began a casual conversation. The girls recently immigrated. Their Dad had arrived years ago and brought the rest of the family later. (I did not ask if they were legal or not. I just assumed they were in progress.) I actually spoke with another family of another ethnicity a few weeks ago and the daughter came in legally with a temporary visa, but overstayed, so she was technically here illegally, but was working with Immigration to gain legal status.

The ANTIs are right. Our country is changing and changing rapidly. We are not the plaid pants/leisure suit all white audience we were 30 years ago. It is amazing to think how quickly our country has changed. The Civil Rights Movement was only 40 years ago. We were not a diverse culture then, as we are now. The Jim Crow laws held many people of various ethnicities down.

I think of the Vietnamese families I've seen. We have two Vietnamese churches in our little suburb. Many of the Vietnamese families immigrated and obtained Asylum at the end of the war. Today, many families are granted Asylum status due to the War(s) in the Middle East/their home countries.

Since World War II, more refugees have found homes in the U.S. than any other nation and more than two million refugees have arrived in the U.S. since 1980. During much of the 1990s, the United States accepted over 100,000 refugees per year, though this figure has recently decreased to around 50,000 per year in the first decade of the 21st century, due to greater security concerns. Still, of the top ten countries accepting resettled refugees in 2006, the United States accepted more than twice as many as the next nine countries combined. As for asylum seekers, the latest statistics show that 86,400 persons sought sanctuary in the United States in 2001.

The rate of immigration and the number of immigrants from various countries are contributing to the current backlog in the Immigration Courts. As I've previously written, 40% of those termed "illegal" are Visa overstays and are attempting to work their status through the very backlogged immigration courts.

Regardless of why the demographics are changing, what is important is that we understand the changes and accept the fact that our country and the demographics will continue to change. We need immigration reform to resolve our broken immigration policies, fix the backlog in the courts, streamline the process, and end, once and for all, all of the hatred, anger and imprisoning of workers due to legal status.

True American Meb Keflezighi Wins the New York City Marathon -- Except to Far Right Extremists

According to some pundits, YOU don't count as an American unless THEY say so.

Over the weekend, Meb Keflezighi became the first American to win the New York City Marathon since 1982. But CNBC's Darren Rovell wan't impressed. Darren Rovell doesn't think Meb is really an American. Rovell sees that Meb is NOT White. He is NOT of Northern European Descent. Therefore, Rovell twittered and wrote on his Blog: "Meb Keflezighi, who won yesterday in New York, is technically American by virtue of him becoming a citizen in 1998, but the fact that he's not American-born takes away from the magnitude of the achievement the headline implies."

I was SHOCKED when I read Rovell's words. I read Meb's Bio. I KNOW he IS an American. It does NOT matter that he is NOT white! It does NOT matter that he is NOT of Northern European descent.

I know ALL Americans should be proud of Meb's accomplishments.

According to Meb's Bio: Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi was born May 5, 1975 in Asmara, Eritrea. He is an American athlete specializing in long distance running. In 1987, when Meb was only 12 years old, his family immigrated to San Diego. In 7th grade, track coaches take an interest in Meb and they train him as a potential American Olympian. He and his brothers lead their schools to track titles. Meb graduated from San Diego HS as the 1st person to win the all academic/athlete team captain for two years in a row. In 1994 he placed 2nd in the Footlocker Cross Country Championships. Meb also won a full scholarship to UCLA. In 1998, Meb becomes a naturalized citizen as do other members of his family. Throughout college years, Meb wins scholastic as well as athletic awards. He completes his degree. In 2004, he won a Silver Medal for the USA! From 2005 - 2009 Meb was married, had 2 beautiful daughters as well as placing in several National/International Track events. This past weekend, Meb became the first American to win the New York City marathon since 1982. Since Meb was 12 years old, he and his family have strived for and achieved the American Dream, following the rules, following the legal path, loving America, accomplishing for the country he loves.

Yet, Rovell says he is NOT American enough to proclaim himworthy of our praise of him for being an American, trained in America, who has accomplished such a feat. As I read Rovell's comments, I asked myself, "What does it take to be "American enough" for someone like Rovell." I read through some of the comments on his blog. Most respondents were angry at Rovell, like me, for making such blatantly racist remarks. However, there were some members of the birther/tea-bagger movement that agreed with Rovell. One commenter in particular, named trupatriot, commented, "Nov 3, 2009 12:33 PM ET. ROVELL DO NOT LISTEN TO THESE LIBTARD IDIOTS! I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK AND I DON'T CARE IF THEY WIN MARATHONS THEY DON'T BELONG HERE!!!!! BORN IN AFRICA JUST LIKE THE MUSLIM OBAMA WHO WILL NEVER BE MY PRESIDENT!!! GLENN BECK AND LIMBAUGH ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. IT IS TIME TO DRAW THE LINE IN THE SAND AND WE NEED NOT CELEBRATE IT JUST BECAUSE OF HAVING "AMERICAN" NEXT TO THEIR NAME IT MEANS NOTHING IF YOU DON'T BELONG HERE! "

These statements are incomprehensible! The commenter said, "I want MY Country back? I don't care if THEY win marathons?" My questions back to him is, "Meb is an American. Why do YOU think he doesn't belong here? Just because of the color of his skin? Because he was born in Africa? You think people from Africa cannot immigrate here? People of color? Do YOU only accept those who are White skinned from Northern Europe?? Why do YOU think YOU name the criteria?"

The bosses at CNBC must have gotten to Rovell because the next day he issued a half-hearted apology for his first "Not a Real American" blog. In his 2nd column, Rovell wrote, "Here's what I got wrong. All I was saying was that we should celebrate an American marathon champion who has completely been brought up through the American system. This is where, I must admit, my critics made their best point. It turns out, Keflezighi moved to the United States in time to develop at every level in America."

A commenter to Rovell's 2nd column, S.Katz, got Rovell's original intent right when he said,"Nov 3, 2009 12:22 PM ET: Rule #1 - when you find your self in a hole, stop digging. "because there was a difference between being an American-born product and being an American citizen" They PAY you to write stuff like this at CNBC? If this man were of white European ancestry, we wouldn't have ever had this discussion to begin with. You know it. I know it, and so does everyone else."

I wonder if people like Rovell or like his birther, tea-bagger supporters, or Orly Taitz, will ever learn! Being American does NOT mean being of White, Northern European ethnicity. America is a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic melting pot! We are the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave! All colors, all ethnicities, in our beautiful melting pot, salad bowl!

Pat Buchanan OUTS Himself as a RACIST and DailyKos Takes him On!

Pat Buchanan revealed himself as a Racist! (at least he is saying it out loud vs those that pretend they are not.)
During a seemingly rational discussion of America's relationship with Mexico on Andrea Mitchell's MSNBC show on Tuesday, Buchanan turned it into a Latino-bashing bigotfest:

Buchanan:
Mexico is the greatest foreign policy crisis I think America faces in the next 20, 30 years. Who is going to care, Andrea, 30 years from now whether a Sunni or a Shia is in Baghdad or who’s ruling in Kabul?
We’re going to have 135 million Hispanics in the United States by 2050, heavily concentrated in the southwest. The question is whether we’re going to survive as a country.

Buchanan is not talking about "illeeeegals." He is talking about "Hispanics." Today, the census bureau tells us we have 50M Hispanic citizens in the U.S. In 2050, the census bureau tells us we will have 135M Hispanic citizens in the US. Pat Buchanan is demonizing Hispanic citizens.

Here is what Kos said about Buchanan's comment:
Not just the Southwest, Pat, but in California, in Idaho, in North and South Carolina, in Virginia, in New York, in Florida, in Georgia, in Alaska, in Wisconsin, in every f'ing place in this great country of ours. Maybe even inside your own house!!! (Seriously, who cleans your house and tends your yard, Pat?) And don't look now, but Asians are the second-fastest growing minority group in the country, what with their chop sticks and tofu further destroying your idyllic vision of what American is supposed to look like. I mean, who can recognize Minnesota anymore with their Hmong community, or Michigan, with its large Arab population, or east Texas with its Vietnamese expatriates, or Orange County with its huge Iranian contingent? And look what happened to South Florida when the Cubans took it over! Or are they okay, Pat, because they're "anti-communists"?
Damn foreigners ruining everything! And there's even some like me who put their kids in Spanish-language schools! Egads! People talking foreign! Yes Pat, your paranoia is justified. When we talk Spanish around you, we're talking about you.
Of course, xenophobic retrogrades (like Buchanan) are nothing new, and there's definitely nothing new to Buchanan's racism. It's been long documented. I give him props for at least being open about his beliefs (voicing them out loud), which is more that can be said about most of the rest of them.
But this country will do okay, just like it always has, assimilating wave after wave of immigrants, further enriching our culture, our music, and our cuisine. It's bred into our country's DNA, allowing families like mine to make this great country their home, and breeding immigrant success story after success story, the likes few other countries (if any) can boast.

Yes We Can Live in Peace and Harmony in a Multi-Ethnic, Multi-Racial, Multi-Cultural Society! God Bless America!

Time for a Good News Story:

For Japanese and Koreans immigrating to America, containing cultural conflicts has been difficult. Their motherlands are burdened with a long history of conflict stemming from territorial disputes and historical grievances related to Japan's colonization of Korea in the early 20th century.

As Korean residents and shop owners have increased their presence in Little Tokyo, the historic heart of Southern California's Japanese American community, the multicultural melding hasn't always been harmonious.

When the number of Koreans began multiplying in Little Tokyo Towers a few years ago, complaints about them from Japanese residents quickly began to surface. The Japanese immigrants said of the Koreans: "They smell of garlic." "They don't follow the rules." "They're going to take over." Then, from the Koreans: "The Japanese are snooty." "They don't greet you in the elevator." "They disdain Korean culture." "They're trying to push us out."

Today, however, the tone in the towers -- a 300-unit senior housing facility on 3rd Street -- is strikingly different. A Korean resident whose relatives were jailed for protesting Japan's colonization of his motherland is teaching his native language to a dozen of his Japanese neighbors. "Ga, gya, go, gyo," they intently repeated on a recent night, mimicking the sounds of the Korean alphabet as teacher Simon Yoon pointed them out on a whiteboard. Residents recently held a New Year's party and debuted a Korean-Japanese bilingual newsletter called "Bridges" to share their cultures. On other nights, they belt out songs in both languages using a karaoke machine purchased by Korean residents -- who took care to include 2,500 Japanese songs. And in August, they attended a groundbreaking "harmony concert" featuring Japanese and Korean music and dance.

The turnabout in Little Tokyo proves ethnic harmony is possible, the residents say. "We want to show that in Little Tokyo, there are people who want to be good neighbors to each other regardless of the past and all of the conflicts we've experienced. If reconciliation can happen in Little Tokyo, then it could be a model for the city and for Japan and South Korea."

Reference:

Japanese and Koreans learn to live together in harmony in L.A.'s Little Tokyo

Globalization Leads to Evolving Multi Cultural Societies

Interwoven within the comment sections of my last several blogs, the topic of Culture has arisen. What is culture? Do we have one U.S. culture? Or, do we have an ever evolving, multi-cultural society?
Culture has been called "the way of life” for a society, including the arts, manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, games, norms of behavior such as law and morality, and systems of belief.
From the very beginning, the distinction between the East vs West cultures has been difficult to define with precision. The Greeks were not so different from their Eastern neighbors. In the later 20th to early 21st century, with the advent of increasing globalism, it has become even more difficult to determine which individuals fit into which category.
Today, globalism has spread western ideas so widely that almost all modern countries or cultures are defined by aspects of Western Culture. Geographically, countries defined as "Western Culture" include Europe, the Americas, Australia and New Zealand. Therefore, it can be said, Western Culture is an amalgamation of a variety of sub-cultures. Western culture tends to be more individualistic than non-Western cultures. It also sees man, God, and nature or the universe more separately than non-Western cultures. They may be marked by economic wealth, literacy, and technological advancement, although these traits are not exclusive to it.
Western culture is NOT homogeneous nor unchanging, however. It continues to evolve as components of sub-cultures become enmeshed into the overall cultural traits. Example 1: The originators of Western Culture, the Greeks and the Romans do not have the same cultural traits as Americans of the 21st Century today. Example 2: A remarkable social and cultural inversion has occurred in the last fifty years: where once Western culture was the monopoly of the upper classes, it now, more often than not, bubbles up from those on the ‘wrong side of the tracks’. This transformation has been especially evident in the world of style - with the authenticity of streetstyle challenging and then toppling the dictatorship of High Fashion.

One of my new Blog Favorites is “The Czech.” I visited her blog recently. She has a very interesting post titled “Wealth and Religiosity.” As you scroll down, there is a chart from Columbia University depicting “Average Religious Attendance vs Average income", with an overlay depicting Red (Bush) vs Blue (Kerry) states. As Czech comments, “What is it about high religiosity that pairs it so often with poverty? Are those with low quality of life more likely to turn to religion as a consolation, or does a high level of religiosity in a society somehow impede its ability to maintain a strong economy and stable society?”
I think the chart also shows the differences in sub-Cultures across the USA. As I have said for so long, New York has a different culture than Atlanta, is different from Miami, is different from New Orleans, is different from Texas, is different for Las Vegas, is different from Kansas, is different from Michigan, is different from L.A. The differences include most cultural aspects, including: the arts, manners, dress, rituals, games, and to a degree, norms of behavior such as morality, systems of belief-religion, to a lesser degree language and law.
So as I study this map, the differences in the cultural aspects, the differences in income, influence and class, it is obvious to see our nation is comprised of a variety of sub-cultures, ever-evolving.
So the question becomes, why are so many so angry with the fact we have an evolving, multi (sub) cultural society that is ever evolving?
I believe the anger and the outrage originates from many of those who believe they are the Dominant Culture. Our society is a conglomeration of many subcultures. In the past, the Dominant Culture has been able, through economic and political power, to impose their preference of values, language, and behaviors on other subordinate cultures. However, the Civil Rights Movement and the end of the Jim Crow laws impacted their dominance. It has taken until now, forty years later, for the Dominant Culture to feel the impact of this CHANGE.
I came across a blog called “The Diversity Exchange” written by an HR expert. She said, “I have come to believe that (at least in the Western European empires) skin color DOES matter still, as do gender, age, social/economic class, physical abilities and more. Perhaps not as much on an individual-by-individual case as even a decade or two ago, but institutionally, it is evident when one looks at large organizations, whether commercial or non-profit. Just looking at photos and reading names of management and directors of various US organizations, the percentage of people who do not seem part of the “dominant culture” (i.e., white, male, Northern European background) is quite small. However, looking at the names, gender and skin color of most “workers,” I find great diversity. When I take public transportation, or park in public parking lots, I see and hear diversity. So what happens to these diverse people on the way to the boardroom? Presumably, organizations hire the best talent possible, provide the tools and training opportunities for personal and professional growth and then reward the top performers with additional remuneration and responsibility (i.e., promotions). Like others, I find it hard to believe that the only members of the dominant culture are top performers. It is hard for those who are part of the dominant culture to realize their societal advantages over others. White privilege, heterosexism, ableism, ageism and a whole host of other –isms exist whether we choose to recognize them or not.”
What we are facing today is some members of the current Dominant Culture of our country recognizing the Change that Globalism has brought to our country and to the World. They recognize this is a Train they cannot stop. Therefore they react with Anger, with Rage and with using every method in their power to Stop the Train. However, they are reluctant to voice their fear. Instead, they point to easy targets, to Immigrants (legal or illegal), they attack the messengers who speak the truth about Race and Diversity, they try to instill Fear and Hate and Anger, sometimes using AM Shock Jocks, the Christian Conservative Right and even empowering Hate Groups to do their dirty work for them.
The problem is, they do not want to admit the truth. They do not want to say they fear Diversity, Equal Rights, Women´s Rights, and the fact that all diverse groups, ALL men and women are created equal. They do not want to say they fear living in a world where White Northern European Males are NOT ALWAYS in Control.
References:
1. Culture
2. Dominant Culture
3. Western Culture
4. World Culture Encyclopedia
5. The Chez Blog
6. The Diversity Exchange
7. Streetstyle

President Elect Obama and My Dad Said The Same Words!! "Yes We Can! Si Se Puede!!"

My dreams were consumed by Obama´s speech last night. Watching the news shows today, my dreams were reiterated. This throbbing, throbbing vision of his speech kept tugging at me. What was it, what was it that was tugging at me? This afternoon it hit me. First, here are some excerpts from his speech that I kept re-living:

"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one thats on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. Shes a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldnt vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that shes seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we cant, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can. At a time when womens voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can. When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can. When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can. She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can. A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can. America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we cant, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can! Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."

I started crying when I heard these words. They were my father´s words. YES, We Can! He often said to me, "This country is so great, you can do anything you set your mind to. Skin Color doesn´t matter! With a good education, you can, yes you CAN!" Barack was repeating my father´s words to me, the words I have often repeated to my children, to my nieces and nephews, and to my grandchildren! We live in the best country in the World! YES WE CAN be anything we set our minds to! Yes our children and grandchildren CAN aspire to be the PRESIDENT of the United States of America!! YES!!! WE CAN!!

Tonight, on Fox News, Mort Kondracke on Brit Hume´s Grapevine blamed McCain´s loss on the Republican party, "Republicans are turning into the "Old White Peoples party. I saw ALL White Faces! We have to change to be more inclusive of other ethnicities!" I heard these same words on MSNBC and on CNN, but it struck home when I heard it on Fox News and on Brit Hume´s newscast. I saw McCain´s audience and supporters and I knew Kondracke was right. I kept these thoughts to myself, but Kondracke said them out loud!!

On my blog I often say we have evolved to a multi racial, multi cultural society, and I am constantly chastised by the ANTIs and the right wingers saying, "No! It ain´t so!" But it IS so! We are evolving. Last night I also heard a pundit say, "There is no such thing as Mayberry!" I swear, everyone reads my Blog!! (BTW, my reports tell me I have increased to over 12,ooo viewers a month! Thank you!)

We should be MORE Inclusive! We are all EQUAL!!! We are an evolving Society!!

Si Se Puede! Yes WE CAN Achieve the American Dream!!