Let us take today to appreciate one of the things that made America great: its enlightened and possibly unintentional approach to immigration. America is a nation of immigrants, and immigration to America is a matter of cultural exchange. Those who journeyed here did so in pursuit of the promise of something better, a society where they could co-exist with those around them and live freely. None who came here preserved their culture as it was; isolated ethnic enclaves were invariably worn down. They were changed by America, and America was changed by them, both for the better.
America is great because it is a melting pot rather than a mosaic, despite the oft-repeated jokes about America having less culture than yogurt, or having the cultural equivalent of unseasoned mashed potatoes. Despite the crude simplifications of virtually every immigrant culture in the process of integration, I would argue otherwise: that is our greatest strength as a society. We cast aside the hatreds and divisions of our ancestors, embracing each other as brothers and sisters, striving to understand and be understood in turn, united by a greater tradition of egalitarianism and shared ethics.
American culture is not one of devolution and simplification, but of integration and construction. Each addition makes the whole stronger and better, even as those responsible for it are given the opportunity to replace a nation of race or religion with one of ideals. It is not always rapid, and not always pleasant, but it is and must be inevitable. If you still deride that vision of mutual acceptance and shared understanding as bland conformity, consider this: If you have enjoyed any song written in the past century, you have almost certainly benefited from American culture and the way it approaches immigration and social integration. Virtually the whole body of modern musical forms and genres is descended in some way from the blending of various musical traditions, most notably the dozens of branches which sprouted from the confluence of the various elements of African and European music in New Orleans.
Moreover, we should remember again the greatest lesson taught by Dr. King: the social heart of Progressivism is not change, but postive, constructive change. When we cast aside the enmity of the dead and the divisions of the past, we must replace them not with new ones, but with mutual acceptance, understanding, and shared values. It is not wrong to be different from others, nor to celebrate the things that make us unique, but we must never strive to turn those components of identity into barriers to cast between ourselves and our neighbors.
Most of my ancestors were Scots, but I've got a fair few drops of Irish blood racing through my veins alongside the English and Cherokee. But I'm not any more Irish than I am English, Cherokee, or a Scot, so I'll settle for a slight quirk of my lips at the shamrock drawn in my lunchtime beer. Happy St. Patrick's Day, y'all.
