Jose writes:

The United States was made great... er... powerful, because all of us
(at least all of us who matter) are the same. We speak the same
language, we have the same religion, we have the same moral values, we
are the same color, and we have the same aspirations. That we are all
the same allows us to unify in a very deep sense, and saves us from
unnecessary effort and angst.

Before you spout off calling this all BS, consider how we are reacting now.

People who are different are a crack in that unity. They make others
uncomfortable. They are a threat to the lifestyle, rights, and control
that the others (already) have. They require special accomodation, both
in the legal sense and in the social sense. They require us to be tolerant.

Tolerant of colored skin. Of wrong religious beliefs. Of depraved
marital ideas. Of incomprehensible tongues. Of idiot politics. Of
choice of intoxicants. Of ideas and ideals that we ourselves do not
share, we are required to be tolerant. We are required to share the
power, the vote, with those who do not deserve it because they are
different from us. This does not go down well. Americans seem to feel
that everyone else should conform to our views.

The problem is this: In the past, Americans were American first, and then
Italian or Irish or Spanish or whatever second. Today, they want to be
something else first, and being American is almost something that they're
ashamed of.

One nice thing about living outside the United States is that nobody asks my
nationality if they know I'm American. In the U.S., when someone says "what's
your nationality," they care only about your ancestry. Outside the U.S., when
I say I'm American, that's good enough, for me and for them--and I don't feel
any need to pretend to be anything else. There's nothing wrong with being
American.

Even though I've long been a strong Francophile, when people ask me what I am,
I still say "American," without missing a beat. Yes, I like France, but I'm
not ashamed to be a native citizen of the United States. I always wonder
about people who are about as American as anyone can get and yet say "I'm
Irish," or "I'm African-American" (when they wouldn't even be able to locate
Africa on a map).

We preach tolerance, but don't practice it very well. How many
Americans whose native language is Engligh can actually =speak= a second
language?

I can, but it's rare. But not being able to speak a second language has
nothing to do with being tolerant or intolerant. It's usually just a
practical matter--why speak German if you live in a U.S. State where nobody
speaks the language, and you never travel?

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.