When Culture is a problem

A person will only rise as high as the culture they celebrate. That culture can elevate you or drag you down. It can propel you or crush you. Those who celebrate Redneck, Nazi, Che Guevara or Chairman Mao will never rise above the limits of the culture they celebrate. That's why I am concerned by many who reject and dishonor the cultural fabric that is the USA. It's not perfect. Slavery was real, Native Americans were treated horribly, corporate corruption is an issue to this day. Yet the dominant culture (not the population) is not Hispanic, It's not Black, it's not islamic, not native Amercan, it is an anglo american christian culture. (Christian in name only). 

When people decide to go counter culture they put a cork in their potential. You can honor the culture you were raised in, but when you celebrate and hold it up as superior to develop identity ... you lose. That is why it is so important that those who come to this country assimilate in language, practice and understanding. This is true for those who's people have lived here for hundreds of years and yet remain unassimilated to the current culture.

I lived on the fringes of an Indian (Native American) reservation in SD. I knew many Native Americans. Had one living with Peggy and Me for a time after I got him out of prison.

Unfortunately, the celebration of Native American culture has trapped people on the reservation and in lack. I'm not against celebration of a culture as long as you assimilate into the culture. Put on your war bonnet on Saturday for a pow wow, but slip on your coveralls on Monday and get to work. Leave your feathers at home. It's not happening. People are in poverty because they won't mesh well with the dominant culture.

There was a time when counter culture meant doing things to "Show the MAN". I was alive and well during hippy days. Folks with long hair had to wear a hair net to wash dishes because that's the only job you could get. The folks that are covered head to toe with Tattoos aren't going to be filling the boardrooms of commerce any time soon. I was reminded by a friend how hard it is for folks who were given counterculture names to find a job. The application goes right in the reject pile when it has Achmed, Flying Brown Trout or Tuwanaka on it. Clever, but Mom and dad did them no favor naming their kids that. Assimilation is the key to finding your way.

Please don't take this as offense. I'm concerned out of personal experience with those who find themselves handicapped by a parent who tried to create significance but instead created obstacles.