phrank

This is the best thing I've seen on You Tube in a long time. If you've got a few moments it'll be worth it. Watch it and share your thoughts.

shuamort

There were so many errors in the first minute, I couldn't get past it.

The United States has been a successful country in its brief history. And during those 232 years or so, we have been a crucible.

Go back to 1782, six years after we declared independence and read Hector St. John de Crevecoeur's Letters from an American Farmer where he says:
“ "…whence came all these people? They are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans, and Swedes... What, then, is the American, this new man? He is neither a European nor the descendant of a European; hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country. I could point out to you a family whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a French woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nations. He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds. . . . The Americans were once scattered all over Europe; here they are incorporated into one of the finest systems of population which has ever appeared."

Those folks were not shoehorned into the american culture by laws of local language, they did that on their own. The intake of immigrants by this great country is not a new thing and as long as we are great, we should only expect more to come. Cultures of immigrants are still celebrated today and will probably proceed to. I don't hear large scoffing noises from those who think that the Irish should go back to their homes on March 17th when they raise those green, white and orange flags high above their heads. Oddly, the mexicans don't seem to be afforded the same luxury. Why? Well, the US has tended to be xenophobic as well. The Irish weren't always as well received as they are today. According to this source: "No group was considered lower than an Irishman in America during the 1850s." and "Ads for employment often were followed by 'NO IRISH NEED APPLY'."

Maybe in 50-100 years, a new group will be the "bane" of our civilization. And maybe my words will be quoted then when I say "it'll be good, just wait and see".

phrank

Perhaps you showed have watched it all instead of closing your mind. That is just what he was saying. When we first came to America we came from many countries, but we were all Americans. Today all we do is divided and then we wonder why our country can't be one.

We are men, women, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Gay-Americans, Democrats, Republicans, etc, etc, etc. Until we all think of ourselves as Americans then we'll never be one country. We will remain divided.

Kandahar

"Not one nation has survived as a multiculture."


Virtually every large nation in the world - with the exception of China - is multicultural. The United States, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, even Russia to some extent...are ALL melting pots.

__________________
In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.
-Douglas Adams

phrank

This doens't say we're not a "melting pot" so I have no idea where you got that. His point seems very clear to me and I'm sorry you keep missing it. As long as you feel you are White, or you are a Democrat, or you are a Baptist, instead of seeing yourself as an American then we will continue to be divided.

Think about it. Remember after 9-11 when we all seemed to come together? Our country was attacked. We were attacked. Our fellow brothers and sisters died. We all crossed our lines and came together as one. Race, faith, sex, or politics didn't matter. Even our leaders stood together and sang. Even now I still look at our country differently than I did before that horrible event.

The only problem is, we seem to have drifted back to our ruts. Again we've serparted ourselves. To say I am a Republican, or I am a Democrat instead of saying I'm an American divides. To say I am Black, or I am White instead of saying I'm an American divides.

To me, this should be a very peaceful thread, so why do you want to continue to divide you and me? I have had family members who have gone to Iraq on 3 different tours and they went there for you and me. If my family can put their life on the line for you then why can't we talk about the divisions that continue to divide us?

Sorry if you think I'm trying to pee in your cereal but that is not my intention at all. I am simply trying to stand by your side as an American; period. I find it sad that you feel you must laugh when these are very serious times we are about to enter. We can continue to travel divided and if we do we'll stand a very good chance of being beaten. Will it take another 9-11 to bring us back together? I hope not. To many have died because of our division.

Marilyn Monroe

Everybody is those things and American. I'm not getting what this guy wants. Does he want all of us to run around saying we're American all day?

That's how it works.

9/11 was a very tragic event, and we rose to the occasion as we always have, but after the dust was cleared many things came to light. Can't live in the past forever.

Mostly our comrades have died because we were united, and in times of war. WWII everybody was pretty much together, but remember what happened to the Asians, Blacks, and so forth. There have been divisive things in our past, so you can't just wipe the slate clean. Doesn't work that way with people.

People naturally divide up, but when the going gets tough like 9/11 we came together. I think it's just that people tend to gravitate towards what they know. It's easier then trying to figure everything out at once, and many times not really liking it. I'd say the early settlers divided up the same as we do today.

__________________
"It's not that I'm afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens." Woody Allen.

shuamort

Alright, fair enough. I will admit that only watching the first sixty seconds of the video is not enough to judge it by. I chose ignorance instead of hearing the complete message and judged it solely by that. For that, I admit fault.

I redeemed myself now and watched the full six minutes and thirty-one seconds.

It got worse. Much, much worse. So many things that he opined were ridiculous, so many facts he spewed were far from correct. It was such a huge load of crap that it could keep Iowa farming for years.

Claims like "40% of high school graduates read or write at a 4th grade level".
Wrong. This is a twist, and a bad one at that of “Neglecting students’ literacy has serious economic consequences for individuals and states. Today, almost 40 percent of high school graduates lack the reading and writing skills that employers seek, and almost a third of high school graduates who enroll in college require remediation. Deficits in basic skills cost the nation’s businesses, universities, and under-prepared high school graduates as much as $16 billion annually in lost productivity and remedial costs.” from National Governors Association. Reading to Achieve: A Governor's Guide to Literacy. National Governors Association for Best Practices, Forthcoming.

"Social security, medicare and medicaid are bankrupt".
Umm, no. They're still operating and are funded. I don't think he knows what "bankrupt" means.

We "import people from China and India" because we don't have enough smart people in the US.
Umm, we export jobs to those countries not for the level of intelligence but for a discount on payment.

We "forget the flood victims of Iowa and the victims of Katrina".
Another bit of bull****
Taylor Swift raises money for Iowa flood victims
Published August 14, 2008

Marking the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, President Bush is planning several stops Wednesday along the Gulf Coast.
August 19, 2008

I could go on and on deciminating that youtube video, but I think you can see my point. That guy wants it to be a melting pot culture where we're all americans as HE sees it.

phrank

I guess it's true what they say. Opinions are like aholes. Everyone's got one. I appreciate your opinion but I still totally agree with what he had to say. Only we can divide and only we can unite. I guess we'll have to wait till the next major event to stand by each other again.

Oh, I am a Dallas Cowboy fan so I guess I'm also divided.

slugs

Both candidates have some fairly significant flaws. Obama lacks experience, while I think McCain is a bit old. Will he be able to bring any new policy initiatives to the table, aside from cutting pork?

phrank

Very good point slugs. We have another election where there isn't a good person to vote for. Basically I'm voting for who sux the least.