Good points, there, but especially this last one.

There is definitely a perpetual conflict within the U.S. between the preservation of indigenous identity and assimilation "for the greater good". The two do not seem able to peacefully co-exist on a large scale.

In this country an individual may find ways to preserve his inherited identity on a personal level(Celtic, Arabian, Latin, Asian etc.), but much is lost because one person alone is not enough to preserve a cultural identity. Unfortunately the forced emphasis on a specific culture, to the detriment of the general population breeds concept and resentment. Example: the expense of signs in multiple languages in addition to English because no national language has ever been put into law.

Assimilation is beneficial in maintaining a workable flow of activity and communication, along with many other benefits that come from the classic strength in numbers concept. However, all too often the result is the plowing under of contrasting, unique and beneficial cultural differences. Example: Enactment of city zoning for health reason that in effect outlawed the practice of a specific, recognized religion (this is in the courts in my hometown right now!).

Neither of these is not evil per se, but the ill-informed or careless imbalance of the two is highly destructive. And to my way of thinking, the United States is the grand experiment attempting to tackle this challenge. We seem to sit on a teeter-totter that much too frequently sees too much emphasis on one side or the other.

Perhaps it is that unconcious struggle to offset the weight of assimilation that impels Americans to seek out other cultures with as much contrast to their own as possible. Perhap this is the gensis of the Otaku, Japanophile, or what ever other descriptive term you care to use to describe Americans obsessed with Japanese culture.

Some Japanese tv shows exemplify the concept of 'weird'. It's easy to be anonymous in Japanese society as they invariably don't talk to you, preferring to get on with their daily grind. The eccentric may not be an outcast in Japan. They cater for many tastes.

Well why is person weird if he/she wants to learn about other culture?
For example I am so impressed with it, it's amazyng for me how some of japanese people menaged to save culture and traditional way of life from foreign influence. they recpect each other,in my country people don't know whar respect means...I love anime cartoons,I love everthing about it and I don't think that I am freak because of that.

uwaa.. no way in hell do i have the time to read through 17 pages of this >.>'''

but anyway~ xD

the japanese were just more appealing to me as a child because of all their manga and anime and stuff >.>''
It was just much more interesting than anything any other culture/country/society could offer~
and as i got deeper and deeper into the anime~ i just started to appreciate the different culture a bit because it was so different from what i was accostumed too >.>'
and yea~ that lead from one thing to another~
(and somewhere along that way i landed in this forum xD)

I have this theory, the Japanese culture as a whole seems to be obcessive compulsive (always trying for perfection, my wife is like this too). I think the strange foreigners see this as a intense attempt to do all things perfectly and almost see this as a religious or spiritual pursuit. They hope to reach this level of "spirituallity". It just makes me crazy.

Heh, I'm American, so I allready think I'm perfect.

Interesting and well thought out insight.

Personally, in principle at least... I think France are the ones on the right track when it comes to assimilation. Their aggressive brand of secularism and their take on modern liberalism is the most rational in my opinion.

American secularism and ideas of multi-culturalism are too passive in my opinion. It's created deep fractures in American society and while it's certainly not perfect in France. From what I understand, the nationalist discourse is not as controversial and polarizing in France as it is in the US.

Well, France is haveing trouble assimulateing Muslim groups.

Meh... Who isn't...

At least the French have made a stand though regarding certain things. I'd rather live in a country which treated citizenship as a privilege (France) rather than a right (America).

I can definitely imagine what you are going through as mine was the same.

I do think Americans have become rather whiney of late, too many "entitlements". Need to get back to the grass roots ideals of doing things on our own and not haveing government babysit us.

Agreed as to the difference, though I am not so sure France does it all that much better. In the past they used to be able to just hide it better than in the U.S., where everything seems to be made a media event.

American multi-culturalism is too passive because it is hog-tied by overly emotional people that refuse to allow a separate secular life for anyone. The principal of secularism is a theory which seems to continues failing here despite all efforts to abide and respect it.

Well, thats prolly more to do with people not being able to stand other people. Honestly, family reunions can be a PIA and thats with people closely related to us. Can you imagine how it is with people who are different culturally and ethnically?

Here's a strange thing..it might be hotwired into us for somereason. The guy who created the TV show Babylon 5 did an exsperiment with his extras through one season. He had noticed that extras made up as Narns would hang out with other "Narns". It was the same with the Menbari, the Drasi and on down the line.

So he would swap people out, he would take someone who had been "Menbari" for months and make them up as a "Narn". That now newly made up "Narn", immediately went to hang out with other Narns, this despite the fact they didn't know any "narn" and all thier friends were Menbari. He couldn't explain this behavior, but found it interesting.

Group dynamic studies would tend to verify what that Babylon 5 experiment showed, though not quite as pronounced. One thing that enhanced his results is that actors who work on similar roles or together in scenes, as these did, tend to socialize on set with the same people they are with in the scenes. This skewed his results, but the underlying assumption is valid.

Humans are more comfortable with those they perceive to be most like themselves, whether it be visual, language or mannerisms. There are anomallies (like myself) whose curiosity or attraction to the unknown override that basic response, but even then the response still happens, we just suppress it.

What do you mean by this?

I'm decades behind stuff just in the US, let alone anywhere else.