I had posted a comment saying how about we all just become Americans. I was somewhat amazed by the response. One in particular surprised me, although it really shouldn't have I suppose. This question was posed by an anonymous person, as are the majority as I don't know these people, what does an American look like? My immediate response was, an American doesn't look like anything, and that's kinda my point. I think this persons name was Ivan. The post I responded to had nothing to do with race, creed or color and that's what surprised me. Why did this Ivan person mention appearance? The post was in regard to Erase the Hate a group dedicated to inclusiveness. At least that is what the meme said. So, I went and checked that out. This group has been around since 1994 although it is the first time I had heard of it. After reading about it and then reading the question posed by Ivan I realized he was supporting Erase the Hate by hating. Ah, a ploy of the far left. Got it Ivan. We are to be inclusive as long as I change to suit you. Even when that means I have to change my appearance! Or, barring that, I must acknowledge that you are somehow inherently different than myself and deserving of special considerations or reparations. That's being inclusive.
Now as I said the majority of the people we interact with on the internet are anonymous. We do have to take their word for whomever they claim to be. Just posting a picture isn't proof of who they are, nor reading a profile page. Hey, people have been known to lie about that stuff, even deliberately creating a page to disguise who they really are. Yeah, I know, hard to believe isn't it? Not! So right away this Ivan person decides I'm an old white guy that supports Trump and hates everyone that doesn't agree with me.
How did he arrive at that? Guess he read my profile page or saw a picture of me. He didn't bother to ask any questions, no discussion, just jump to conclusions. I was amused because I was agreeing with him, basically saying if we want to be inclusive, we should start by all being Americans. He didn't understand the depth of that response. No, his reaction was, what does an American look like? Obvious to me that he just doesn't get it at all. I tried to explain that Americans don't look like anything, but all belong to a common society, we call that society America. A society shares common social conventions, religious practices, laws and traditions. In short, birds of a feather. Being inclusive means including others in your group, not changing the group to suit others! But alas that is too difficult a concept for some to understand. Those that fail to understand that jump to the conclusion if you are unwilling to change your group to suit them, you must hate them. It is that thinking that creates the division, the divisiveness that we are experiencing in America today. It is the old, who is going to run the club question? And the answer should be, Americans are running the club! That is what the founding fathers envisioned, what they structured as our government ( a republic ) and indeed what was written into the Declaration of Independence and later the Constitution. We the people. We Americans!
The big question is who are Americans? Americans are those that do not equate their nationality with ethnicity. That's how I would put it. The question applies to all nations doesn't it? Who are Muslims? Ah, but that is a religion right? It's not a nation, yet they often refer to themselves as the Nation of Islam. Why is that? It is simply because they share that commonality. They are not concerned with geography, or a particular society ( nation ) their concern is their religious belief. I use that as an example to illustrate my thoughts. America is traditionally and predominately Christian, although other religions have always been tolerated and protected. That is inclusiveness. The Jews, the Muslims, the Druids, the Buddhists, or whatever have always been allowed to practice their religion within our borders. They are included in being an American. The constitution specifically says a persons religion shall never be used as a test of their citizenship or ability to run for political office. ( Article six, section three ) if you want to look that up. No where in any of our founding documents does it say what ethnicity you have to be to be a citizen. Fact is, all you have to do is be born here! And that is a debate raging today isn't it? And I would say, being born here doesn't make you an American, it makes you a legal citizen of the United States. Your choices and your actions will determine whether you are an American or not. Really it is the same thing as , because you are black that doesn't make you an African. Because my skin is white that don't make me anything but a white skinned person. Ethnicity has nothing to do with Nationality!
And so I say, if you want to be inclusive, you need to join the club. You don't get to change the charter of that club. Our charter is the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. What are Americans? They are those that believe in what those documents said, and their continued validity in the modern world. Those are the documents of freedom. What does an American look like? If you have to ask that , you just don't understand the question.
Now as I said the majority of the people we interact with on the internet are anonymous. We do have to take their word for whomever they claim to be. Just posting a picture isn't proof of who they are, nor reading a profile page. Hey, people have been known to lie about that stuff, even deliberately creating a page to disguise who they really are. Yeah, I know, hard to believe isn't it? Not! So right away this Ivan person decides I'm an old white guy that supports Trump and hates everyone that doesn't agree with me.
How did he arrive at that? Guess he read my profile page or saw a picture of me. He didn't bother to ask any questions, no discussion, just jump to conclusions. I was amused because I was agreeing with him, basically saying if we want to be inclusive, we should start by all being Americans. He didn't understand the depth of that response. No, his reaction was, what does an American look like? Obvious to me that he just doesn't get it at all. I tried to explain that Americans don't look like anything, but all belong to a common society, we call that society America. A society shares common social conventions, religious practices, laws and traditions. In short, birds of a feather. Being inclusive means including others in your group, not changing the group to suit others! But alas that is too difficult a concept for some to understand. Those that fail to understand that jump to the conclusion if you are unwilling to change your group to suit them, you must hate them. It is that thinking that creates the division, the divisiveness that we are experiencing in America today. It is the old, who is going to run the club question? And the answer should be, Americans are running the club! That is what the founding fathers envisioned, what they structured as our government ( a republic ) and indeed what was written into the Declaration of Independence and later the Constitution. We the people. We Americans!
The big question is who are Americans? Americans are those that do not equate their nationality with ethnicity. That's how I would put it. The question applies to all nations doesn't it? Who are Muslims? Ah, but that is a religion right? It's not a nation, yet they often refer to themselves as the Nation of Islam. Why is that? It is simply because they share that commonality. They are not concerned with geography, or a particular society ( nation ) their concern is their religious belief. I use that as an example to illustrate my thoughts. America is traditionally and predominately Christian, although other religions have always been tolerated and protected. That is inclusiveness. The Jews, the Muslims, the Druids, the Buddhists, or whatever have always been allowed to practice their religion within our borders. They are included in being an American. The constitution specifically says a persons religion shall never be used as a test of their citizenship or ability to run for political office. ( Article six, section three ) if you want to look that up. No where in any of our founding documents does it say what ethnicity you have to be to be a citizen. Fact is, all you have to do is be born here! And that is a debate raging today isn't it? And I would say, being born here doesn't make you an American, it makes you a legal citizen of the United States. Your choices and your actions will determine whether you are an American or not. Really it is the same thing as , because you are black that doesn't make you an African. Because my skin is white that don't make me anything but a white skinned person. Ethnicity has nothing to do with Nationality!
And so I say, if you want to be inclusive, you need to join the club. You don't get to change the charter of that club. Our charter is the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. What are Americans? They are those that believe in what those documents said, and their continued validity in the modern world. Those are the documents of freedom. What does an American look like? If you have to ask that , you just don't understand the question.
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