What Does American Culture Mean Anymore?

Does it strike you as odd that such a melting pot would have an individual culture?  Or do you believe that we are just that, a melding of anything goes due to the freedoms we share in this country.  The truth of the matter is, even though we embrace cultural differences, we actually have a culture that originated in this country that all too often gets ignored.  It may be easy to assume we are a nation of many cultures; and while technically we are...it was one culture that brought the rest of them home.

America was founded on Christian principles, which is why God was so ingrained in the foundation of this nation.  We may have all started out immigrants, but we came together to build a new nation with a religion, a language, rights and laws.  Why is it then that we easily embrace the new, yet so carelessly toss our American culture to the wind as we bend to a new generation of immigrants?  Is it not enough that we opened our arms to diversity without question?  Quite frankly, I am offended at the utter disrespect shown for the very culture that allowed these immigrants to be free; to celebrate their own cultures on a foreign land they now call home.

I am past the point of worrying about ridicule or being branded a racist.  It seems I have to say that in everything I write these days.  I am merely putting to words what so many Americans think and feel, but in this politically correct society are too afraid to say.  Standing up for my culture does not make me a racist...it makes me a realist. 

In no other country would it be acceptable that an immigrant of 10+ years didn’t know the cultures language; where translators had to be on standby at parent teacher conferences  because the parents of that child attending there didn’t speak English.  Why am I pushing one for English as if English should be the option and furthermore, why is English the 8th language on the ATM screen at my local PNC Bank?  Celebrate your culture, speak your language and teach your children.  It’s good to know a second language and not forget the culture you came from.  However, once you took citizenship in America, English should have become just as important to you as the language you came here speaking.

Why in a country that was founded on Christianity, where God played a pivotal role in our beliefs and behaviors, is stamping him out of public venues becoming increasingly prominent.  God is a part of the American culture.  He was a commanding presence in the building of this nation.  We entrusted him with our value on our dollar bill “In God We Trust.”   We believed he was the bearer of our life, liberty and happiness in our Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”   Yet somehow it has been demanded God be removed by the very people that were given the opportunity to believe or to not believe, by a culture that says they have the right to dismiss that which our American culture held dear. 

Individuals residing in Hamtramck are subjected to the call to prayer everyday twice a day, whether Muslim or not.  But Christians are constantly battling to keep their nativity scenes up for Christmas — or should I say for the “holidays.”   While on the subject of freedom of religion and speech, how many of you are aware of the planned rally in Dearborn this past September?  It was a well formed rally where Muslims marched in opposition to freedom of speech if it hurts their religious feelings; this all the while holding signs stating “Allah will destroy the terrorist state of Israel.”  How about in California, where a judge ruled a group of teenagers were not allowed to wear t-shirts branded with the American flag on Cinco De Mayo because it offended the Mexican culture.  Hell, even our own President spent American tax payer dollars apologizing for our freedom of speech in a commercial disavowing  a video that allegedly caused an outbreak in the Middle East.  Where’s the outrage and commercial apologizing to the Christians for the disgusting display of “art” depicting Christ and the Virgin Mary in urine?  Poor taste, hurt feelings and cultural differences have never been a reason for silence in our culture and we aren’t going to make exceptions now.   There is another choice if you are not happy with our culture and cannot abide by or respect our laws.  You can be a visitor rather than a citizen, where our culture won’t have time to offend you.

We have a culture...the American culture; where we celebrate our Christianity, speak English, bear arms and have freedom of speech among many other things.  This culture should be respected as the foundation that allowed all immigrants to come here legally and pursue the same.  Honor our past that defined our culture; for it is our past that allowed you to have such a future.