MELTING POT OR SALAD BOWL

By HeavyHanded

In our present social discussions on our illegal immigrant situation, proposed reforms, our porous borders and the possibilities of tackling border security, I can't help but think of the speech given by Democrat Richard D. Lamm, former Colorado Governor for 12 years. He gave this speech in Washington D.C. a couple of years ago.

"If you believe that America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let's destroy America. It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that 'An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.'

Here is how they do it. First to destroy America, turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country. History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual. The historical scholar Seymour Lipset put it this way: 'The histories of bilingual and bi-cultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy. Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with Basques, Bretons, and Corsicans.

Second, to destroy America, invent 'multiculturalism' and encourage immigrants to maintain their culture. I would make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal. That there are no cultural differences. I would make it an article of faith that the Black and Hispanic dropout rates are due to prejudice and discrimination by the majority. Every other explanation is out of bounds.

Third, we could make the United States a 'Hispanic Quebec' without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently: 'The apparent success of our own multiethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved! Not by tolerance but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentrically and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us together.

I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with the salad bowl metaphor. It is important to ensure that we have various cultural subgroups living in America reinforcing their differences rather than as Americans, emphasizing their similarities.

Fourth, I would make our fastest growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population. I would have this second underclass have a 50% dropout rate from high school.

My fifth point for destroying America would be to get big foundations and business to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of 'Victimology.' I would get all minorities to think their lack of success was the fault of the majority. I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority population.

My sixth plan for America's downfall would include dual citizenship and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity over unity. I would stress differences rather than similarities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other - that is, when they are not killing each other. A diverse, peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precedent. People undervalue the unity! Unity is what it takes to keep a nation together. Look at the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common language and literature; and they worshiped the same gods. All Greece took part in the Olympic Games.

A common enemy Persia threatened their liberty. Yet all these bonds were not strong enough to over come two factors: local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions. Greece fell.

"E. Pluribus Unum" -— From many, one. In that historical reality, if we put the emphasis on the 'pluribus' instead of the 'Unum,' we can balkanize America as surely as Kosovo.

Next to last, I would place all subjects off limits ~ make it taboo to talk about anything against the cult of 'diversity.' I would find a word similar to 'heretic' in the 16th century - that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like 'racist' or 'xenophobes' halt discussion and debate.

Having made America a bilingual/bicultural country, having established multi-culturism, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of 'Victimology,' I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra: That because immigration has been good for America, it must always be good. I would make every individual immigrant symmetric and ignore the cumulative impact of millions of them."

Multiculturists in America dislike the melting pot idea, the process which has helped make America great. The multiculturist thinks all cultures, customs and social mores are equal. They believe all cultures are equal; none are superior, just as none are inferior. They see them as merely different. To them, for you to see it any other way, makes you a bigot or insensitive; you are guilty of being politically incorrect.

We are a nation of laws. We are a nation of rights - inalienable rights. We are equal before the law - man or woman. We have freedom and liberty. To be completely liberated, you need a capitalistic nation. If you are not allowed to attempt to make as much money as you can through your own hard work and keep your rewards from your hard work, you are not totally free.

The left, the multiculturists, do not share in this vision. With complete liberation, capitalism allows you to succeed - and to fail. The free society gives you equal opportunity. It does not, however, guarantee equal outcome. This is a big problem to those on the left. They seek "fairness", i.e. equal results or outcome. They want misery spread equally.

Multiculturism detests assimilation because to assimilate into the existing culture represents a form of imperialism - namely - cultural imperialism. One can assimilate into the culture and still maintain certain customs, keep their family history, etc. It's been successfully done in America for well over 200 years. It provides us the opportunity to have a bond with our fellow Americans, despite our individual differences and to be able to work towards a common goal. This provides with a source of pride and a sense of nationalism. This is something else the left has disdain for - national pride.

Cultural relativism, the idea that you cannot compare cultures with one another, fuels multiculturism. Multiculturism and Marxism go hand in hand as multiculturism has it's roots in Marxism. They both embrace similar concepts and see America as a country of oppression, inequality, and imperialism.

The goal is to attack the American culture seeking revolutionary change.