LOL. That's the first thing bigoted types often say, "why, I'm not prejudiced, some of my best friends are ..." I bet your father never had to face a vigilante squad who threatened to kill him if he tried to get a decent job. Especially one made up of draft dodgers who never fought in the war while patriots like my dad did. Well, at least now you have changed your tune and agree that we did not have such a "common culture" as you wrote before.
Whatever you say... there's no point in trying to reason with you or convince you of anything. I never claimed to be right about everything, but I've had to live with my "reality", much as you have had to live with yours, I suppose. The lousy bastards who threatened to kill your Father should have been captured, one by one, and had the living, bloody hell beaten out of them, but that rarely happened to KKK-like mobs of the mid-20th-century who hated people merely because they were "Brown", "Black", or something else that people decided to hate. No, my Father did not have to face a vigilante squad, but he did have to put up with a surprisingly large amount of ugly crap because he had a very obviously German last-name (not at all 'popular' in early 1942). He was more than willing to go fight Hitler, but finally volunteered to undergo some considerable personal sacrifice to join a military group heading out earlier to Australia to fight the Japs, just as fast as he could. Our "common culture" in the United States should be enriched with the many worthwhile contributions from ALL of us, and that most certainly includes those from "Latin-Americans", too -- a goodly number of whom are descended from many generations who had roots here dating from the time of the Spanish Crown, which gave their forebears land-grants that are still registered and occupied throughout much of the Southwest. We did begin to develop a very rich, very enjoyable "common culture" in the mid-1960's, with the adoption of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Many of us from completely different backgrounds, White, Black, and Brown, drew together as we recoiled against the wanton stupidity, pointless killing, and criminal deception of the Vietnam War. We 'teetered and tottered' along in the aftermath for years, and then along came the 21st-century... and, unfortunately, it seems like almost NOTHING has gone right for the United States since then. Now, here we are, always at each other's throats, with no end in sight....
Mozart is probably my all time favorite and I enjoy Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Gershwin and John Williams. Worth noting that amongst the others there is usually at least one of their compositions that I find worthwhile listening to even if I don't like all of their works, e.g. Ravel's Bolero and Richard Strauss's Zarathustra. And yours?
When you share a sense of humor then there can be no racial animus. Growing up as a poor white taught me that I had way more in common with my friends who called me "whitey" than I did with those whites who were driving new cars and wearing the latest fashions. Yes, I was looked down upon by those same whites who were looking down on the "colored folks" because I associated myself with my peers at the bottom of the ladder. And I will be honest about the fact that I was given opportunities because of my skin that my friends were denied. I knew that it was wrong and I have always tried to ensure that merit was recognized and rewarded. Looking back it feels like I should have done even more but sometimes there was wall of bigotry in the way that was insurmountable at the time. We the People is a term that I see as embracing all of us no matter where our ancestors originated and what brought us to this point in time. Together we have accomplished great things in the past and together we can overcome the petty racial hatred and division that infests our society today. Together we are stronger and can defeat the evil that is racism.
Oh, man... well, certainly Mozart, but also Bach, Beethoven, Wagner, Haydn, Handel, and other Northern Europeans, like Sibelius, but also a very big fan of Italian composers -- Mercadante, Respighi, Vivaldi, Albinoni, Boccherini, and others. I've always thought that those Italian composers were some of the most 'resplendently' cheerful composers who ever lived. For your consideration, on some late winter afternoon, when you're in a thoughtful, introspective mood (as I find myself perhaps too often), may I please suggest one short piece -- "The Swan of Tuonela", by Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius. If you're inclined, you will find several performances of it to choose from on YouTube.
Thank you, Te for this most delightful departure from all of the usual things I embroil myself in during the morning. For these few minutes, I felt more like the human being I was a very long time ago... perhaps no better than I am now, but quite different.
French spelled words { Behaviours } in the Good Old U.S. of A. N'cest pas ? The word " Behavior " NEVER includes an " s " ... let alone a " u " with an " s ". Oui ?
This isn't a behaviour per se, just an inexplicable linguistic quirk - 'newkuler'? Why do some people say newkuler when 'nuclear' is such an easy word to say? I blame George W Bush.
Probably my main issue is the way the English language is being transformed into something far less expressive and more crude. For example, the incorrect use of "which". The word is a "refer-back" to a previous noun or verb in the same sentence, bu it is not always used as a refer-back. But there's another one that is both funny and brainless at the same time, it is is spreading into professional use. I refer to a person replying "no problem" when they are thanked. When it happens I always think "I'm glad it's no problem for you to do your friggin job!" It would be so much better if people would just say "you're welcome!" or "my pleasure" or "any time". I mean I never was worried that my request for services presented the representative with a problem. So why reassure me?
People who have strong opinions about subjects they know little or nothing about; especially science. I call it the Holiday Inn effect: "No, I don't have a degree in climate science, chemistry, or physics, but I know all about it. I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night!" Translation: I found a website that says what I wanted to hear.