I heard something on the radio today that made me ponder my American Culture. I obviously came into the middle of the story, but the exchange between the interviewer and the interviewee struck me.
Apparently, this was a story about how inclusive and welcoming the country of Brazil is in regards to artistic influences. For example, there is a great variety of music and all types of performers. When asked how that came to be, the answer was something like this:
Because of how Brazil was colonized and settled, the country and it's citizens became very adaptable to all kinds of interesting and "different" ways of speaking, hearing and as such,
"valuing"...
But here's the quote though that really got to me:
"Those of us who live in Brazil are used to all kinds of change and nuances that make traditional things seem different or "new". It doesn't threaten us, in fact, we are comfortable with that, because we know who we are and we are secure with ourselves."
It made me wonder: Are we Americans threatened by the latest wave of immigration and the way it is changing our culture, because we don't know who we are? That somehow we have lost our identity, and by trying to cling to some "drummed up" idea of who we are from the past, we are really showing our insecurity and our lack of direction? Hmm...I need to think on that a bit more, but it kind of made sense to me...as well as saddened me...
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