When my English ancestors came here in the 1630s, my Cherokee ancestors were already here. My Scots-Irish, Irish and Dutch ancestors got here just in time to fight the armies of King George (III). I am about as American as it gets. I have no relatives (at least that I know of) in any other country. I am a Native-American and not just because of my Cherokee ancestry.
But my history is very different from many other equally American people. Human history is full of migrations, expansions, occupations, enslavements and other types of "cultural change". Ask my Irish ancestors about their treatment at the hands of my English ancestors. American culture is a combination of all of the people who have settled here for whatever reason and it's different from region to region. It is not absent. Some Americans should stop trying to be European and be themselves. Rant over. Richard Smith www.rgsmithmusic.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of John Howell Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2007 3:12 PM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: Re: [Finale] berlioz notation programme At 8:02 AM -0400 5/27/07, dhbailey wrote: > >We have an American culture? (said with tongue in cheek) After >Johannes' post I was thinking "Gee, I wish we *had* a culture which >we could protect!" I think it was Gandhi who, when asked about Western Culture, commented that, "It would be a wonderful idea!" > >The American culture has never been monolithic and I don't see the >Spanish language threatening what has never existed. > >I do see it as threatening American citizens' ability to communicate >effectively with each other, and I fear that when a country's >citizens can no longer effectively communicate with each other, the >ability to function as a country is threatened. Case in point. I grew up 30 miles north of Seattle. If there was any defining ethnicity there it was scandinavian. Lutefisk and leftse were not consumed in quantity, but were sung about by such as Stan Boreson, and the nearby Smorgasbord was a real treat after church on Sunday. Last time I spent several weeks' time there, big changes. No sign of scandinavian culture, but entire shopping centers where all the signage was in Korean without translation. Now there have always been a good number of orientals in the Pacific Northwest (making it the only place my wife could buy shoes that fit!), but that kind of thing is self-ghettoization and really surprised me. We think of Roanoke as being quite multicultural, and have festivals to celebrate it, and our campus is extremely international in character, but not with businesses that don't welcome English-speakers. John -- John & Susie Howell Virginia Tech Department of Music Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240 Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034 (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.0/821 - Release Date: 5/27/2007 3:05 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.0/821 - Release Date: 5/27/2007 3:05 PM _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
