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ONLY AUTHORIZED ELECTION NEWS THREAD--no debating allowed
...Because some people, such as myself, believe that multiculturalism and globalism are new phenomena and do not represent traditional American values. That America is a melting pot, not a salad bowl.
That would lead to a very obvious question - what traditional American values?
Those of Detroit? Those of New York? Those of New Orleans? Those of China Town? Austin? San Francisco?
And when? 1776? 1863? 1900? 1968? 2015?
The phrase "traditional American values," when used as if to describe a thing in and of itself, represents a faulty understanding of the huge variety... and dynamic (constantly changing) nature... of American values.
Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.
Trust is knowing someone or something well enough to have a good idea of their motivations and character, for good or for ill. People often say trust when they mean faith.
Where? And amongst whom? The rich? The middle class? The poor? The Bohemians?
The French imagrants? The Irish imagrants? The Italian imagrants? The Polish imagrants? Those who are 14 th generation Americans? Those who - at the times you arbitralily picked as representing "traditional" (if you think the "values" of 1776 and 1900 were the same, you ate mistaken) were naturalized citizens? Or their children?
And what is your rationale for picking THAT out of all the other possibilities available?
If "traditional" means "what has commonly been accepted for an extended period of time," your "salad bowl" metaphor is the most accurate description of "traditional American values." People have always come here for the purpose of living their lives as they see fit, not for the purpose of conforming to some specific outline of what they should be.
The idea that "traditional American values" means adapting to specific beliefs, behaviors, idiologies is actual highly radical, and in no way "traditional."
It would be less confusing if you called it what it is - a radical revision of what it means to ba an American.
That, itself, is one of the irrational lies that comes out of anti-intellectualism. There is no logic to it, there is no historical support, there are just people saying "this is so because other people agree with me."
Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.
People have always come here for the purpose of living their lives as they see fit, not for the purpose of conforming to some specific outline of what they should be.
Which is exactly my point. When I say traditional American values, I mean traditionalAmerican values. Liberty, Democracy, Exceptionalism, Independence, Capitalism, the American Dream.
Not ghettos, segregation, and racial tension.
Trust is knowing someone or something well enough to have a good idea of their motivations and character, for good or for ill. People often say trust when they mean faith.
Which is exactly my point. When I say traditional American values, I mean traditionalAmerican values. Liberty, Democracy, Exceptionalism, Independence, Capitalism, the American Dream.
Not ghettos, segregation, and racial tension.
There ARE no "traditional" American values. There ARE American values. The two things are very different... I can explain, if you like, but I feel like I am beginning to lecture, and I don't wanna do that, unless you'd like me to...
Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.
There ARE no "traditional" American values. There ARE American values.
I am specifically defining them in opposition of contemporary international values like globalism and multiculturalism. That's why I stressed traditional and American, as I don't seem them as that.
Trust is knowing someone or something well enough to have a good idea of their motivations and character, for good or for ill. People often say trust when they mean faith.
Re: ONLY AUTHORIZED ELECTION NEWS THREAD--no debating allowed
American exceptionalism has always been a myth. Exceptional in imperialism, maybe. Ghettos, segregation, and racial tension have been American "values" since it's inception. We built an economy on slaves.
This "values" nonsense is simply nonsense. We talk about about these abstract values but I have seen little of them practice. We preach values in place of our ignorance of how this country is operated.
But, you're right this country was built on traditional values. Traditional white, European Imperialist values.
I am specifically defining them in opposition of contemporary international values like globalism and multiculturalism. That's why I stressed traditional and American, as I don't seem them as that.
For clarity, don't call them "traditional American values," which implies a long history of common acceptance - they don't have it. Call them instead "the values I, an American, have," which is accurate.
If you want to talk about American values, those would be the values on which America was founded - despite the fact that they have never been commonly accepted, they have never been fully realized, and through American history they have been selectively used by one group while being denied to another. However, they are the values on which this country was founded, ergo: they are The American Values. You can find them clearly enunciated in The Declaration of Independance.
They are "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
When I was still able to call myself a "conservative," these are the conservative values I held in highest regard.
I can no longer call myself a conservative because the term has been twisted out of all recognition - it has, in fact, come to mean "radical extremist" - one who claims to be returning this country to a previous state which never existed, and has been constructed out of fancy, completely rejecting "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" as the highest Of American values.
This position, as uncomfortable as some might find it, is both historically accurate, and logically consistent.
Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.
American exceptionalism has always been a myth. Exceptional in imperialism, maybe. Ghettos, segregation, and racial tension have been American "values" since it's inception. We built an economy on slaves.
If you hate everything America stands for, why do you live here? I'm assuming because you actually know that it is a great place to live. Largely because of the things I stated. You also realize that the problems you pointed out are human problems, that you find everywhere.
Every country has skeletons in their closet.
I have spent my whole life on a reservation, when I talk about integration and ghettos that is coming from personal experience. I live it every day.
edit:
I am not a conservative. I'm an Alt Right libertarian. I also see just as much a problem with progressive extremism. Extremism is not a partisan issue, or even an ideological issue, it's a human issue.
Trust is knowing someone or something well enough to have a good idea of their motivations and character, for good or for ill. People often say trust when they mean faith.
Re: ONLY AUTHORIZED ELECTION NEWS THREAD--no debating allowed
That ol' "like it or leave" logic. I'm from Alabama. I've heard it all before. Members of my family marched in Selma. You can't say these issues don't exist and call progress extremism because people fight back when they have nothing.
Economic segregation most certainly still exists. I went to an all white school. Across town it was all black. We can call it different names and blame personal responsibility for economic injustice but it's segregtion all the same. The issues haven't changed. You may be able to conviently ignore these problems and blame a ficticious progressive extremism.
Suddenly, when it comes to equality the value of American exceptionalism means nothing to you. Strange.
Re: ONLY AUTHORIZED ELECTION NEWS THREAD--no debating allowed
"Liberty" indicates that even those who hate America, and all things American, can still be Americans. They have every right to hate whatever they want, and to voice that hatred in an appropriate manner.
Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.
Suddenly, when it comes to equality the value of American exceptionalism means nothing to you. Strange.
I don't even know what you are trying to say. Did you even read anything I posted? I am against segregation, against ghettos, against dividing ourselves. We are all Americans, all human beings. Black, white, hispanic, native.
We all deserve the same rights, the same opportunities. Not even that, we are all owed those things.
You may be able to conviently ignore these problems and blame a ficticious progressive extremism.
"Liberty" indicates that even those who hate America, and all things American, can still be Americans. They have every right to hate whatever they want, and to voice that hatred in an appropriate manner.
Absolutely. I didn't say deport him, I didn't say silence him. I didn't even disagree with him.
Trust is knowing someone or something well enough to have a good idea of their motivations and character, for good or for ill. People often say trust when they mean faith.
Re: ONLY AUTHORIZED ELECTION NEWS THREAD--no debating allowed
Nothing to say. All done.
Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.
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