Multiculturalism

The following is a viewpoint I wrote for my American National Government class. I was inspired by (and quote throughout this article) a great video G-Love sent me on YouTube. I just elaborate on many of the points made in this movie. Enjoy!

     Read your world history: not one nation has survived as a multiculture. I may never understand why people in this country just can’t comprehend that it is the uniculture that is our strength. I am growing tired of watching people in this country crying out for the celebration of diversity. This so-called ‘diversity’ will pull America apart from the inside out in a way that no terrorist attack ever could. America has been referred to in the past as the great melting-pot because it is made up of so many different ethnicities and backgrounds. As American citizens, our ancestors come from all over the world, from many different cultures, religions, and political ideals. Supposedly, celebrating all these differences between us is going to raise awareness of other cultures and somehow bring us closer together as a nation. WRONG.
     I understand that we need to be respectful of other cultures. Of course. I just don’t understand how we as a nation, are going to become more united by celebrating all the many things that make us different. Where is the logic? If we want to become more united, we need to stop focusing on our differences and start celebrating the things that we have in common, ie: nationalism to the great country in which we now live: America.
     In order to solve this problem we need to unite ourselves in every way we possibly can. One country, one culture, and one language. An overwhelming majority of American citizens (84%, to be exact) favor making English the official language of the United States of America. Why is this majority being consistently ignored? Why do I still have to “press 1 for English”?
     Language is so very important to any successful society. We have to stop accommodating those who refuse to learn how to speak English. It is a fact: you cannot succeed globally without first learning English. Nations around the world are aware of this fact: why do we not hold our own country to this higher standard? I believe we make it too easy for immigrants to get away with speaking their own language. I don’t think this is fair. We don’t go to Germany and expect their citizens to learn English to accommodate us because we don’t want to learn German. Likewise, Mexican immigrants cannot come to America and expect us to learn Spanish because they don’t want to learn English. It’s just not right. But, for the sake of being ‘politically correct’ and in the name of diversity, it seems like we sometimes bend over backwards to accommodate them, despite the fact that having two languages is clearly splitting our country apart.
      “Why should we adopt diversity when the very word means disunity? America was a country founded on similarities, not diversities. We cry out for unity, but keep identifying ourselves by our ethnicities, instead of our nationalism. Black-American, Mexican-American, White-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American. I believe that if it is unity we desire, then the time has come for us to cut out the hyphen and once again become just AMERICANS.”

Pants On Fire

Lie -noun

1.  a false statement made with the deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood.

I hate being lied to.  I absolutely hate it.  I'm pretty sure that everyone does.  A word to the wise: stop lying.  It's ridiculous and immature.  Whatever justification or reasons you have for telling lies, I promise you I can give you ten more to tell the truth.  Lying complicates lives, ruins friendships, hurts feelings, and breaks hearts. If you're lying, CUT IT OUT.  It's not worth it. 

I once heard it said that the worst part about being lied to is knowing that you weren't worth the truth.  How true that is.

Fake-N-Bake Tanning

Wow, I realized I started this blog with the intention of actually using it and then I forgot about it.  Whoops!  I keep having these ideas of what I could write about and then I never do.  That changes now.  My random thought for today was brought up earlier at work:  the concept of Fake-N-Bake Tanning.

For those of you who aren't "hip to the lingo" and don't know what that means,  it's just a reference to tanning salons, which I completely do not understand.   I'm from California, and while people there DO the whole "fake tan" thing, most people I knew got tan the old fashioned way- going outside (what a concept!). 

While there are a lot of fun things to do in Utah, there aren't any beaches, and I guess... less cool things to do outdoors?  Maybe?  I don't really know.  But for whatever reason, the girls here feel it is necessary to "cheat" and use tanning salons.  Which is... fine, I guess, if you're into the whole "paying-for-skin-cancer-when-you-could-go-sit-outside-for-a-while-and-get-it-for-free" kind of thing.  But there are girls here who fake tan ALL WINTER LONG.

"Excuse me miss I love your tan, but there is a snowstorm going on outside.  However did you manage that?"  Seriously.  Who do you think you're fooling?  I mean, is there really a point to fake tanning if everyone KNOWS it's fake?  That seems a little silly to me.  Oh well!  I guess it's just one of those things I'll never understand.   Fake bake away, ladies!  =)

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

The following are a few excerpts from an art analysis paper I recently turned in for a class.  Enjoy.

"Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium tests the imagination of its viewers. The form of the film is most important because in filmmaking, form is where the artist really gets to manipulate the movie. In this particular movie, Zach Helm pulls together all the important aspects of filmmaking in order to tell this story. Color is a very important element to pay attention to, since there is a lot of color symbolism. For example, Henry, the store’s accountant, is a serious businessman with no time for play, and he fails to see anything magical about the store. When we are first introduced to Henry’s character, he is wearing a dark, conservative business suit with a dark tie. Throughout the duration of the movie, Henry’s suits remain dark and conservative, but his ties gradually become lighter and more brightly colored as he begins to see the magic all around him."

"At first, one who has never seen the movie might assume that Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium functions only as a children’s movie. This is true enough, but I do not believe that a feel-good kiddy movie was Zach Helm’s only intention. This entire movie is deceptively simple yet incredibly layered with more mature themes that children have no hope of understanding until they grow up. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium challenges adults to reflect on their own lives: Do I really believe in myself? Do I remember to find pleasure in the simple things in life? Am I too busy with my work to recognize the ‘magic’ all around me? Is there something in my life that has me feeling ‘stuck’, and what can I do to fix that? Do I make the most of every 37 seconds of my life? Do I ‘sparkle’?"

"Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium reminds us all that no matter where we go or who we are, we ought to be making the most out of everything we do. Find joy in the simple little aspects of life. Make great use of the time you have been given. Try something new. Don’t forget to laugh. No matter how busy your work schedule seems to keep you or how important your work appears to be, find time to play. Sometimes, change is inevitable: make the best of every situation that comes your way. Never give up on your dreams. Above all things, believe in yourself."

For those of you who haven't yet seen Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium... I highly recommend it.  It is one of the most extraordinary movies I have ever seen.  Set aside the fact that the many "Henry's" of the world did not appreciate it.  Are you surprised?

Look for the magic, folks.  It's all around you.

Once Upon A Time...

"Once upon a time in a far-away land there was a girl named Alexis.  She was a pretty normal girl who had a passion for learning and a great love for her friends and family.  She loved to read and write and play and laugh.  The weirdest thing about her was probably that she was far-sighted in her left eye and near-sighted in her right.  In truth, you really couldn't see anything different about her.  

But she was different.

Alexis loved to make movies and tried to appreciate art in all of its many forms.  She aspired to one day win an Academy Award for Best Director.  She followed politics closely and loved to debate.  She was very introspective, creative, and opinionated.  She almost always had something to say, but tried to exercise wisdom in choosing when it was best to speak, and when it would be better to remain silent. Because of this, many of her thoughts still remain inside her head. Then, one not-so-special day she decided to try out this whole blog thing...and the kingdom rejoiced." 

(to be continued) 

This is my blog thing. 

Thoughts, feelings, commentary, opinions, questions, and insights on the world...as I see it.