Don't forget how much we share
Multiculturalism is just as elusive and immaterial as the laser beam my cat loves to chase. And I’m seeing plenty of cat’s interested in chasing this particular laser beam.
Culture Defined
First, some basics so we’re all using the same terms. A culture is a set of beliefs, norms, and values shared by a group of people. Any culture can be further divided into sub-cultures. For instance, one can see that a person between the ages of 13 and 19 belong to what could be considered an umbrella culture. My students identify many sub-cultures that fall under that umbrella such as the “goths,” “punks,” “stoners,” “jocks,” “preps,” “hicks,” and so forth.
American Culture
Some argue Americans have no common culture. Very basically and as a rule of thumb, Americans believe in democracy, freedom of speech, civil rights, capitalism, and representative government. Just as basically, one can easily name our cultural norms (what is expected from a member of society) and our values (justice, liberty, equality, et cetera). As you can see, I find we do have a common culture.
Why Multiculturalism?
What then is multiculturalism? “Multi” means many, so multiculturalism means many cultures. Multiculturists advocate not only the tolerance, but the celebration of many different cultures within close proximics. Theoretically, this sounds like a really swell idea and a lofty goal to which we should all aspire. However if the American culture is as I described it (obviously with many more complicated ingredients) then multiculturalism says a different culture than this one is to be celebrated within our proximity. My initial reaction is “Why?”
Culutre unifies. It defines. It maintains order and promotes peace. Have you ever been in a new situation where you cannot guess the correct behavior by watching others? Or where you’ve had to walk on eggshells, trying not to offend, never really knowing what’s kosher? When no norm exists, that is called anomie and it almost always results in rebellion. You finally give up and say, “whatever!” and do what you want. Culture allows us to know what is acceptable and gives us comfort and peace. (Admittedly it can be used malignantly as well, but all good things can.) So why would we want to create anomie and then celebrate it?
Understanding your hyphen
Perhaps what multiculturists truly advocate is multi-sub-culturalism. It’s okay to have your own SUB-culture, as long as it belongs under the large American culture umbrella. You can be Asian-American, Anglo-American, Indian-American, Aussie-American, Native-American, Celtic-American, African-American, Arab-American, or Hispanic-American (sorry if I left you out). The fact is the most important part of who you are if you fit into American culture is the latter part of your hyphenation.
Reasons to rejoice
Like an orange-red Crayola that’s more red than it is orange, you’re more American than whatever comes before your hyphen. You’re a part of a sub-culture … a tomato in the great American salad. (Melting pots imply homogeneity. Salads maintain the unique properties of sub-cultures while keeping us all in the same bowl.) And yes, you can be a cucumber if you prefer.
I think it’s best we rejoice that we have one common American culture rather than a true multicultural society. At the same time, multi-sub-culturalism gives our salad its flavor and originality. Let’s celebrate our differences without forgetting just how much we share.