<<I'm 4th generation Irish as well as 4th generation Germanic. I speak neither German nor Irish. Neither culture dominates the blend, but both are acknowledged. No need for hyphens.>>
I've got very mixed feelings about this. I always opposed multiculturalism. I figured people came here to get away from all the old shit and we don't need them bringing it in now. OTOH, as I've gotten older, I have started to appreciate elements of foreign culture, Italian music and cuisine, for example, and the language itself. Why shouldn't everyone be entitled to keep a part of his parents' and grandparents' cultures with them as a reminder of who they are and where they came from? Why should I have to pretend that the cultural influences which shaped my grandparents, then my parents and then me are exactly the same cultural influences that shaped my Anglo neighbour?
My head is telling me the old stuff is best left behind and my heart says that we're losing part of our souls to blend into some one-size-fits-all kind of Anglo culture, so I really think there's gotta be a middle way. My generation went too far in the direction of cutting the strings, and I can see our children are retreating a bit from where we got to. But I still think the primary objective is a society where we're all Canadians working toward common Canadian goals and not a place where the Germans hate the Jews and the Jews hate the Arabs and the Greeks hate the Turks, etc. etc. We all got a second chance here and we shouldn't have to fuck it up by importing shit that belongs where we left it. Anyone who doesn't see it that way should pack his fucking bags and go wherever the hell they are fighting each other and jump right in. And that includes AIPAC and all the rest of The Lobby.
