I must say that this reading got me pretty fired up even before I finished it. And most of that was simply because there is something about this author that rubs me the wrong way. I'm not sure if its his overly complicated sentences or the air of elitism I get from Mr. K. Anthony Appiah, but something just wasn't working for me. Granted, I'll allow that this puts a certain amount of bias towards both the author and the article, but I think its an important part of the analysis. That being said, I'm not exactly sure what it is that Appiah is trying to get at here. I mean, on the most basic of levels it makes perfect sense to say that America does not have one culture, but why must it be a major point of contrition for this guy? I understand that as teachers we are expected to treat each child with the same level of respect and dignity, avoiding favoritism or worse, flat out racism, but I do not understand why that point (which is a good one) requires such a lengthy argument (at least half the article) on the country's lack of cultural singularity.
One thing that I do like here is that he both recognizes our multiculturalism and basically says that in our country, that is the only way we as a country can continue. To insist upon a single culture is to "require...the institutions to carry the same meaning for all of us." Diversity has long been a strength of our country. Have we always been successful in our integration? Obviously not, but it is a part of us and something that, at least in part, we as a nation are getting increasingly better at.
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