EVOL! Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 When I meet someone I observe how they look out of fascination, but let their actions dictate how I react to them. Why? Outside of the fact that I do my best to be kind and a good citizen, it is pure survival. I live in the third largest city in the States and my office of roughly 120 employees is on par with those monster 96 color Crayola boxes. You have to give people the benefit of the doubt because everyone looks different. That dude that looks 180 degrees different from you may be you biggest ally for getting projects completed without snags and on time. Same thing on the street. I do have mild intolerance for non upper Midwest people who act outside of normal social customs (personal space, what are acceptable questions to ask a stranger, etc). I have skin in this game too. My wife immigrated here when she was eleven and I see some of the annoying **** ignorant people give her because she's Asian. My favorite is when they ask her, "Chinese or Japanese?". Um, neither. I'm Korean. And I don't believe in the melting pot. To me it's a mosaic. In truth most of don't think anything bad! In London we have a population of c.60 million, that is 75 percent of the entire country. The term 'multi cultural' is still an understatement in describing the people living in London. Most of us living here are so used to a cross section of people, accents, nationalities, I don't think class crosses people's nearly as much as people think. Well, here in the States it is taboo to talk about class. You'll get labeled a pinko. Too bad because with the current economic situation it is more relevant than ever. My makeup, since we are talking about it. I am second generation American on my father's side; of Greek origin. I still have family in Kalamata, but most of us in the States have lost touch with them. Our family name got Americanized like so many Mediterraneans to a very common Greek-American name. Hell, the family that runs the Greek bakery in my neighborhood shares my name, but we are not related. My mom's side is more mixed. Quebecois that can be traced back to Parisian origins. There is a family cemetery outside of Quebec City. German that can be traced back to Kentucky by way of Baden-Baden, Germany. My great grandfather came to Detroit after fleeing a nagging family in Kentucky. There some Irish in there too and I know the least about that part of my heritage. Since both sides of my family settled in Detroit, my father was born and raised in Detroit proper, and I grew up sixty miles North of it, I have a strong connection to that broken down city. It will always have a special place in my heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Tari Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 On my fathers side , pure Hungrain. My mothers side Irish and Cherokee. Before I was 16 Had traveled Japan and Europe. Plus a lot of living all over the United States. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SG FAN Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I am an American by birth, Southern by the Grace of God. :D This! I am actually Scotch-Irish and German, as far as I know. There is also a little native American in there too, I'm pretty sure. I don't get how Americans can be intolerant, because no one here, aside from native Americans are truly American. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Evol... For what it's worth... I've also discovered that "Americans" raised in the northern midwest or plains regions have not only somewhat similar "personal space" requirements to northern Europeans, but also with Northern Asians - as in Korean people. I was in ways more "culturally" comfortable in Seoul than in Paris, although my language skills are far better to at least read French half decently. I can read Hangul - but can claim no Korean language skill much beyond a decent informal transliteration. It did make ordering restaurant food easier and got me a lot lower taxicab changes than most "Europeans" because I'd read the driver's name aloud and he never was sure how much more I could do if I were overcharged. <grin> But watch things change there as an essentially rural culture adjusts increasingly to being an urban culture. That has been interesting to watch over the past couple of generations. It also is somewhat similar in changes over the past century or so in England... Matt... I firmly believe that a period of residence in a given geographical area makes significant differences to one's perspectives in many ways. E.g., it seems "northern" people tend to prefer that somewhat greater circle of personal space. To a Londoner, I'll wager even one from Scotland who's lived in London a few years, generally begins to see Scotland as being quite a bit north and increasingly distant. I got a kick out of folks in Tennessee taking umbrage at my reference to them as "easterners" - but a look at the map indicates why, and a look at immigration patterns within the U.S. during the frontier era puts a seal on my own perspective. You're almost certainly physically closer to Spain than were you in Edinburgh. I always like to say that nothing propinques like propinquity. One thing I find increasingly interesting is the foundation commonality of Anglophone "political culture" - and how that may or may not hold up both as time changes and as folks from other cultures increasingly immigrate and assimilate (or don't assimilate) and inevitably add some degree of different perspective. By "political culture," I don't mean "liberal" vs. "conservative," but more along the lines of civil and criminal justice system concepts, general formation of government, worth of the individual, etc. - and the shared concept of "common law" and determination of law through both statute and precedent after a debate of sorts before a judge and/or jury. Anglophone common "political culture" also seems to have a tradition of checks and balances that somewhat slows political change compared to others, and where both statute and precedent are seen as "superior" to individual leaders regardless how charismatic. It appears also to me that all of us, regardless where we live, are exposed to far more external perspectives, language and behavior patterns than ever before. Mosaic or melting pot? I'd say "yes." Where I live there are folks from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds, but a shared perspective is that if you move here, live like "us" or go someplace else. So even in a small rural community in the middle of nowhere, you'll see quite a few skin shades and facial features determined by genetics, even a number of accents in the language. But the behavior patterns tend to be in common with concept of being a good neighbor yet not stepping into others' space... SG fan... There are few genetically "pure" Amerinds. Don't get me started. <grin> m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 . Sounds like a Euro mind set thing. In the USA, everyone has ethnicity/roots in some other country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeVeeWee Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 According to the kind of music I love to play and listen to as much as I can, I've got probably some gypsy blood, which means I'm coming from nowhere and going further in that undefined direction. <_< I love and respect all people no matter their colour, language, origin and I don't judge people on these same criteria! I only wish there were more people on this earth that realized were in it together for just a moment. Why not make it a beautiful and peaceful moment... my 2 cents! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 . Sounds like a Euro mind set thing. In the USA, everyone has ethnicity/roots in some other country. True. The US and Canada are two of the most ethnically unique countries the world has ever known. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpo Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Have you tried to find out if you can go back any further? Matt Yeah my Mom was from Austria and they go back generations (got an uncle who fought along side with Hitler) and Dad was a Jew who was liberated from the concentration camp by the Yanks, he resided in what was then Czechoslovakia and his family that survived now live in Israel and the US and us Jews go WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Back (as does everybody:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Interesting questions Matthew. My wife and I discuss this a lot. I am of French descent (my mom grew up in Paris) and my wife's parents are Korean. Because I am Caucasian, I'm used to answering "well I grew up in Arkansas but have lived in San Francisco for 20 years and now Santa Barbara". My wife on the other hand routinely gets "where are you from?" and when she answers "Los Angeles" she often gets, "No where are you really from, where did you grow up?" She answers, "Los Angeles". One jerk actually said' "You speak English very well." I was wine tasting with her the other day and a group of folks came in of Asian descent.I knew they were american and I asked them where they were from. They said LA and my wife gave me a look that could kill. I had to reassure her that I wasn't talking about the motherland! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I was wine tasting with her the other day and a group of folks came in of Asian descent.I knew they were american and I asked them where they were from: China or Japan?. They said LA... Fixed. You're welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Time can make more difference than place, too... I knew a WWI fighter ace ages ago. Wanted to do a newspaper story since those guys flying in wood and fabric kites were among the gutsiest warriors anywhere from any period of history - and through most of the war, were among the more chivalrous as well. He wouldn't do it, even with family support for me wanting to do the story. He was on the German side and was worried it would cause trouble for him and his family. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I am of the opinion that a lot of our 'makeup' has been distilled through the gene-pool over the centuries. And, just speaking about my own case, I find that the Celtic angle in particular is very strong indeed. In the near past (last 150 years, say) it so happens that I'm 3/4 Scottish with 1/4 Irish blood. About 700 years before that it would have been all-Irish. Before that it would have been Nordic/Scandinavian. Before that etc...etc...etc... In the 24 years I've lived in London, England, almost all of the people who have become my closest friends have turned out to have Celtic roots. My wife, as it turned out, is from French/Spanish Celtic stock - and Basque/Catalan at that; a heady mixture by any standards. Our daughter, who is English, has therefore a mix of Scottish, Irish, French and Spanish genes and it comes as no surprise to us that she shows remarkably strong 'Celtic' leanings. Briton-wise I have found those with what would be considered to be a fundamentally Anglo-Saxon heritage to exhibit different behavioural characteristics as compared to those who are essentially Anglo-Celt. There is just something inherently different in the two natures. Even when travelling in Europe I find I have much more simpatico with those countries which have had a Celtic history than, say, those coutries which are more Germanic or Slavic in origin. P. Have to admit I'm a bit confused about the whole Celtic thing as you describe it here, Pippy. I mean if you go back far enough almost all of Europe was inhabited by Celts (including the in so many ways exceptional land of Hungary). But I don't really see how the modern French or Spanish gene pool is any more Celtic than the Anglo-Saxon one, with the obvious exception of the Bretons. And the Celtic flavour of modern French and Spanish culture is even less evident to me. And as for the Basques, they speak a non Indo-European language, quite distinct from the Celtic languages which are Indo-European. Also if you can trace your Scottish/Irish origins back to the Nordic side of things, then you are specifically turning away from the Celtic roots up north or out west. Neil Oliver did a programme about the British gene pool on the BBC a few years ago, and he made a point of distinguishing between (his) Celtic genes, the full-on Nordic genes which are almost only found in Scotland and Ireland within the British Isles, and the Danish Viking genes which are found further south and are much harder to distinguish from Anglo-Saxon ones. But even if the Nordic Vikings were different from the Danish ones, they were still effectively Germanic, as were the Normans given their Viking ancestry. Mais que sais-je? My family name is either Flemish or old English in origin. Many Yorkshire forefathers would imply Danish input, but the family name can be followed in time back from Yorkshire to my own native East Anglia. Interesting stuff. On my fathers side , pure Hungrain. My mothers side Irish and Cherokee. Before I was 16 Had traveled Japan and Europe. Plus a lot of living all over the United States. Magyars Rule. As the only non-Magyar in my household, I can state as much categorically! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I have been researching family genealogy for a few years, I knew that my fathers family were German and my mothers family were English, but I found out it is not that cut and dried. I think that most Americans would be surprised to find out just how diverse their family tree is. On my fathers side his father was German/Dutch but his mother was English/Danish. My mothers father was German, but his mother was born in Spain, but my moms mother's family was English/Welsh, once you get back four or five generations all bets are off.. I am blessed to have known folks from all over the planet, I really enjoy learning from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMichaelG Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 American Mutt. I judge people by how they treat others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Hmmmmm......My dad's name was Petri, and my mom was a Dish, making me a miracle !!!!!!! :unsure: ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Hmmmmm......My dad's name was Petri, and my mom was a Dish, making me a miracle !!!!!!! :unsure: ..... We will just call you "squirt" from now on.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 My parents are both Greek. My dad was actually born in Egypt but his father was from Greece. Many Greeks migrated to Egypt years ago. Then my dad's family moved to Cyprus and I still have relatives there. My mom is from a small town near Thessaloníki called Kolindros. My dad moved to Canada and my mom moved to the US. When they got married they settled in Western New York where I was born. I speak fluent Greek. There is actually a funny story to my last name. It actually means the Wino in Greek. My great grandfather was the town drunk and they called him the Greek version of Wino. He passed away from drinking too much, so my grandfather changed our last name to "honor" him. I have a unique last name because of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 There is actually a funny story to my last name. It actually means the Wino in Greek. My great grandfather was the town drunk and they called him the Greek version of Wino. He passed away from drinking too much, so my grandfather changed our last name to "honor" him. I have a unique last name because of that. Fluent, eh? So tell us the Greek word for taxes? Can't, can you? Kidding aside, I am jealous you got to keep your family name, even if it did change. A Greek coworker of mine has a fine multi syllable last names and his family is from Kalamata like mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 And I don't believe (it's a) melting pot. To me it's a mosaic. Fixed! The Great Melting Pot isn't like the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. It is a metaphor that has been in use to refer to American culture since the 1700's. I find your perspective interesting. So there has been no mixing of cultures... instead, every one is an individual shard of their former culture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnastynebr Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Interesting question. My Mom is second generation American born- full blooded Scott, but I have never been to Scotland. So, its kind of hard to say I'm a Scott. I have lived in 5 different states in 30 years, so......I'm not really sure which one I am from.......I am an American for sure, but other than that its anyone's guess. Oddly enough, my family's roots go back to the first days of my church, so even though you wouldn't know my religion from looking at me, I identify more with my faith than blood or any city that I have resided in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I'm pretty sure I started out in the southern regions of this area... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Fixed! The Great Melting Pot isn't like the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. It is a metaphor that has been in use to refer to American culture since the 1700's. I find your perspective interesting. So there has been no mixing of cultures... instead, every one is an individual shard of their former culture. Thanks for setting my language straight. Think of our nation as one of those crayon squares you make in the oven by melting together all of the small crayon pieces. We are one whole block with a potpourri of different colors. Sometimes they do mix. Sometimes they don't. It's not good or bad. It just is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 Thanks for setting my language straight. Think of our nation as one of those crayon squares you make in the oven by melting together all of the small crayon pieces. We are one whole block with a potpourri of different colors. Sometimes they do mix. Sometimes they don't. It's not good or bad. It just is. As Milo points out, America is not unique in this respect anymore either - these are VERY diverse times we live in. Many countries now are like a giant melting pots - annoying overused phrase that it is LOL p.s Love Andy's pictionary version of his name - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 My parents are both Greek. My dad was actually born in Egypt but his father was from Greece. Many Greeks migrated to Egypt years ago. Then my dad's family moved to Cyprus and I still have relatives there. My mom is from a small town near Thessaloníki called Kolindros. My dad moved to Canada and my mom moved to the US. When they got married they settled in Western New York where I was born. I speak fluent Greek. There is actually a funny story to my last name. It actually means the Wino in Greek. My great grandfather was the town drunk and they called him the Greek version of Wino. He passed away from drinking too much, so my grandfather changed our last name to "honor" him. I have a unique last name because of that. Rocketman means " The Greek Wino "......Holy smokes !!!!!!!!! :unsure: ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeVeeWee Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I'm pretty sure I started out in the southern regions of this area... LOL Andy! Although I've never met you before, I feel like we're fellow countrymen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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