Pots and Kettles
I just turned on the wireless and they were introducing George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with his words:
Much of the inspiration for the work came to him during a train journey to Boston, "with its steely rhythms, its rattlety-bang . . . I suddenly heard - and even saw on paper - the complete construction of the rhapsody from beginning to end. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America - of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our blues, our metropolitan madness."
And a stray thought crossed my mind; when was it we stopped talking about, and believing in, "melting pots" and the beneficial blending of cultures, and changed to "multiculturalism", where cultures are kept separate or "apart"? - I believe the Afrikaners had a word for "apartness".
Comments
As an American, I sure damn wish we'd all just get a f*cking clue about this "multiculturism" right quick.
Otherwise we'd just be English. (ducking for cover).
Posted by: anonymous | April 29, 2006 6:59 AM
The only mildly hopeful message I can give you regarding the Afrikaaner version of multiculturalism is that the majority eventually take over and start making all sorts of laws that favour only the majority.
RM
Posted by: The Remittance Man | April 29, 2006 7:59 AM
Some people had to work hard to get that Melting pot melting. A older man who was a "dutch uncle" to me got married right after WWII. He was Polish and his bride-to-be was German. As you can imagine, both families nearly ostracized them.
But they were also grown up enough that the terms 'polack' and 'kraut' weren't "fightin' words." They were at the same time proud of their heritage, but considered themselves American.
Contrast today when Tiger Woods can get his **** in a wringer for using the term "spas". The whole PC thing has gone completely out of hand.
Posted by: Frank Borger | April 29, 2006 4:44 PM
Eventually it seems even leftie demagogues like Johann Hari are beginning to wake up and smell the burning corpses, and realise undiluted multiculturalism isn't entirely a good thing if it leads people to defend things like footbinding and infibulation. There's a difference between people being allowed to live where they want and being allowed to do whatever they like, wherever they want.
Posted by: Chris | May 4, 2006 3:39 PM