When this trend began I saw it as a mistake by the minorities. Here were people setting themselves apart, and demanding a whole PC campaign that we honor their wishes.
Why, I wondered, must you claim allegiance to a subset of America over America itself.
I am an American. So are you. That should be enough.
Then I started getting into debates about the Christian basis of the USA. There are people who believe that historically, the US has been run and governed by Christians. As such, their beliefs and morality should be strictly adhered to by all Americans.
Oh, they are not promoting the forced conversion of non-believers. They only request that since thier fore-fathers are the TRUE American forefathers, that their code of morality be used for all American laws.
Suddenly I find myself not as American as my neigbor.
They have this image of a young man, white of skin, European in descent (England, Ireland, or Germany please. Maybe the Italians, but not many), married to a wife of similar looks and lineage, upper middle class with a home of their own in some major towns suburbs and 2.5 charge cards, with kids and crosses.
Those are the real Americans.
If you differ from any of those qualities, well, you are American, but you aren't the true American.
They label you. American's think this, but blacks think that. American's do this, but Asian's do that. Indians, New Yorkers, The Elderly all are fringe groups that don't quite match up to the standard of true Americans.
So these groups, realizing that they were already being set apart, decided to emphasize their American-ness.
Others called them Blacks, but they called themselves African American. The others got upset because they dared to give themselves their own name. The others got upset because they saw that American title as impossible. You couldn't be Black and a Real American. It didn't fit their image.
Over the past 30 years much has changed. More people are realizing that you can be black, or descended from Mexicans, Cubans, Thai's, Burmese, or anyone and still be a Real American.
The names stick because while the racism may be diminishing, there are still cultural differences. It is a handle like any name, and they have their uses, good and bad.
Well, I want to be the first to claim my own hyphenated name, to go against that image of the "Real American" that some people still have.
I am a NonChristian-American.
I do not attend church on Sundays.
I do not go to my minister for help.
I do not want to see the ten commandments posted as law in a court house I have to go to.
There are a lot of us out there. Some are Jewish. Some are Buddhist. Some are Islamic. Some don't have any formalized religion. Some are open to being Christians, if the Christians they meet are not of the scarey variety.
We may not even be a minority, which really scares some of the most vocal and dangerous Christian-Americans.
But mostly, we are Americans. We fight and die for our country. We vote and we care and we are proud of what it has accomplished and what it stands for.
If there are any other NonChristian-Americans out there, let me hear from you.
I'm proposing a million mana-less march to Washington for some time in spring.
Posted by CStroman (Member # 6872) on :
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
*raises hand* I'm only Christain in a "You must purely emulate Jesus sense." But not in the sense of belonging to a specific church or faith. Quite frankly a few aspects of organize Christain faith make me feel nervous and uneasy.
Posted by WishfulWiggin (Member # 6823) on :
I am a NonChristian-American. I see what your trying to get at, and it is probably true, but it does not bother me. I believe I am as American as the next person. Yes, I probably do disagree with some Government policies more than Christains do, but I also conisider being non-conformist similar to being American.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
*raises hand*
That is all.
Posted by Defenestraitor (Member # 6907) on :
I know first-hand the ills of organized rel-- <-ducks I'm with you, Dan!
[ October 25, 2004, 05:12 PM: Message edited by: Defenestraitor ]
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I am a Christian-American.
I do attend church on Sundays.
I do go to my minister for help.
I do want to see the ten commandments posted in a court house I have to go to.
There are a lot of us out there. Some are Mormon. Some are Catholic. Some are Prostestant. Some don't have any formalized religion. Some are open to hugging non-Christians, if the non-Christians they meet are not of the scarey variety.
We may not even be a minority, which really scares some of the most vocal and dangerous Atheist-Americans. ...............
(sorry -- I couldn't resist Dan - hyphen - Raven)
You know I luv ya! (and so does Jesus)
Farmgirl
[ October 25, 2004, 05:13 PM: Message edited by: Farmgirl ]
Posted by CStroman (Member # 6872) on :
I guess it just depends on "which side of the fence" you are on, how you view the other.
Posted by Jonathan Howard (Member # 6934) on :
I'm not an American, but I've met personally enough that'd be the ideal Americans aside for their Judaism.
Jonny
P.S. I empathise & sympathise entirely with your point, Dan_raven.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
The irony is that a large segment of the American public see an increasingly hostile attitude towards religion in general and Christians in particular.
Who's right? Probably both sides to some degree.
Dagonee
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
Dan, I'm with ya. Can I carry the banner?
space opera
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
Well I get to add another one: Christian-American, African-American...
I wonder, if I went to France, would I just be French?
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