This pervasive fetish the American public has of insisting that people identify and address them by their ancestral country is bordering on the psychotic. It is divisive. It is damaging. It unintentionally demeans the proud heritage they are clamoring to highlight.
It started with the insistence of the black community that everyone address them as “African-Americans.” I cringe when I hear a black person identify themselves as such. I want to reply, “Oh how cool! What country did you immigrate from? What tribe?” I’m sure they would look at me, completely dumbfounded and start calling me racist, which I most certainly am not.
Now we have to contend with the demand to properly address Latino-Americans/Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans and are even venturing into the absurd by labeling religions, i.e. Muslim-Americans. If we don’t comply we instantly earn the title of “racist.”
If I am going to be coerced into formally labeling a person by their ancestral country, then I should begin insisting others refer to me as a, “English-German-Native American-American.” How’s that for narcissistic? Even if I did, we all know today’s society would never stand for a Caucasian bringing attention to themselves because, Lord knows, somewhere, somebody’s great-great-great-great Grandfather might have been some white person’s slave. That ruined it for the rest of us white folks.
I never owned another human being. Neither did my ancestors. Well, OK, most likely in the last five thousand years of recorded human history, one of my forefathers probably had slaves. In fact if you think for a minute, it’s very likely that everyone was, at one time, someone else’s slave or slave owner. I suppose that makes us all pretty much even at being jerks.
Isn’t the concept of the “Melting Pot” uniquely American? Does it really matter where our family tree was first planted when we now live and grow in this country? Doesn’t the shortsighted demand we be identified as a “----- American”, thus segregating ourselves from others come under the definition of racist or at the very least, discriminatory? Doesn’t that just invite divisiveness and foster our mostly unwarranted fears and prejudices of other cultures?? Is our country better off today since this ridiculous vernacular was introduced? I say a resounding “NO!”
Let me give you a real life example of just how out of control this collective stupidity has gotten. This week, State Representative of AZ, Richard Miranda, proposed a resolution to designate a day to celebrate the Latino heritage of the state, calling it “Latino-American Day.” In response, Representative Cecil Ash, stated, “I support this proposition and I think it’s well deserved. I just want them to assure me that when we (whites) do become in the minority, you’ll have a day for us.” Oh the horror!
This apparently caused quite a furor though out the Capital and even managed to make national news. Hmmm. Just think! The audacity of a white person proposing a day to honor white people! Oh, the sky is falling, the sky is falling!!
Well, let’s look at this logically and through American eyes. We have the Black Entertainment Awards; Black Entertainment Television and Ebony magazine, all obviously designed and marketed exclusively for “African-Americans.” In the last few years, we’ve added the American Latino Media Arts Award and a plethora of national magazines dedicated exclusively for Hispanics.
Can you imagine the outrage, the utter mind-blowing hostility that would erupt if someone had the gall to start a magazine called, “Ivory”? How about a star-studded, yearly event called the “White Entertainment Awards?” Or, “White Entertainment Television?” Those things would be immediately labeled “racist”, now wouldn’t they? Why is this not true for the ones mentioned above?? Doesn’t that discriminate against white people? Of course it does!
Unless you immigrated here from another country, you are an American! Period. When we segregate ourselves into different units by our national origins, we water down the Melting Pot. Yuck! Our unique national culture seemed much more peaceful when we were all just plain ‘ol simple, apple-pie and hot dog eating, Americans; before we started clamoring for special attention and advantages just because of our heritage.
Simply being an American is the very thing that sets us apart from the rest of the world; the peculiarity that makes us special, regardless of the color of our skin!
So, if we as a society are going to continue down this road and insist on being known as a “ ------- American”, ya’ll can just start describing me as that woman who is a, “English-German-Native American-American.” And then we MUST fabricate a holiday recognizing the wonders of white people and we’ll call it, “Whitey’s Day!”
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