George Rebane
Used to be that America was this and not that. We had a predominant culture that was a unique amalgam of the cultures our European immigrants brought with them. Each succeeding wave of newcomers somehow adapted and worked their culture into what was then resident. To be sure, cultural discrimination was already popularly known among the earlier arrivals and their progeny. So the latecomers understood that not every aspect of their native culture would be adopted into the established popular American culture – some parts could, but other parts had to be practiced in homes and private gatherings of the transplanted Poles, Italians, Estonians, … . And that was not a problem.
We don’t do that anymore. Today we have evolved into a politically correct ‘all or none’ mode of public expression of cultures. To be sure, our moral betters have decided that some cultures are more deserving than others, but the overall rule is that if you’re going to permit celebration of one culture anywhere in, on, or near a piece of ground or facility that has received a smidgeon of public money, then you have to be determinedly inclusive, seek out all the minority cultures, and give them equal prominence. Else you will celebrate no culture, including the expressions of what was American culture.
One of the objectives of Agenda21 is cultural neutrality, and 21st century America is taking the lead in showing the world how this is achieved. The latest applications of cultural neutrality are happening in our schools and colleges. And the specific area is the assignment of school holidays for ostensibly religious purposes. It started in our cities in which Christian observances were suppressed and new ones, ranging from celebrating Gaia to Muslim feast days, were promoted. NYC mayor de Blasio has made a name for himself in these pursuits, and now school and college administrators are following suit adding school holidays to celebrate everything from annual equinoxes to the ascension of Baha’u’llah, the founder of Baha’i.
Mandating this kind of cultural homogeneity is much easier than trying to figure out how to teach our students to read, write, and cypher. (America now ranks somewhere down in the high 20s among the world’s developed countries in academic performance.) But then some worthies in the schools’ head sheds stepped back to take a look at the school calendar after all the obligatory and inclusive celebrations were given their due, and sumbich if it didn’t look like there was much room left for actually teaching stuff. Well, not to worry, the elite planners at Harvard figured out the solution – America’s schools don’t need to recognize any holidays for religious, historical, or patriotic purposes. For the A21 crowd that is the best of all, why should different countries celebrate any of their unique heritages, that only serves to discriminate and separate us as residents of Earth. And America shall again show the way to universal inclusivity by continuing to aggressively smooth out any cultural ripples that are left in the land. (more here)
