more thoughts on hyphenated American labels....

The purpose of the Drop the Dash campaign is to get us to all THINK about what our usage of the hyphenation implies.....good and bad.

For some people, it will not matter what bad inferences are made by other people about their dash. They use it for their reasons - however weak or strong the reason may be.

For others, it will enlighten them to why some people treat them the way they do and they will choose to stop using the dash. Usually, these people were using it just because everyone else was. They still have pride in their heritage....they just understand you can separate ethnic pride from birth nationality without having to qualify one.

For still others, it will re-enforce their reasons for NEVER using the dash and let them know there are many other ethnic Americans that choose to remain dashless, also.

Freedoms are not all without consequences.

We have the freedom to be racists, bigoted, sexist, etc. as long as we do not violate employment or housing laws. Society, however, has decided that these "freedoms" are not to be considered virtues and they are actually looked down on by most of us. But, they are still your choice.

The same can be said for intolerance, selfishness, and a host of other personality traits.

"Drop the Dash" is trying to get us to all be conscious of what a qualification to one's birth nationality says to the others in that nation.

It says you want to be seen as different from the rest of us even while you try to tell us you are not to be treated differently.

It says you want everyone to acknowledge your pride in your ancestors - arguably - at the expense of your birth nationality.

Many people have stressed their intent behind the dash was singularly focused...."to show pride in their heritage"...with no intent or belief that by qualifying their nationality, they reduce their pride in their birth country.

Many other people stress that they have pride in their heritage and they do not need to qualify their nationality to show it. They - like me - are more focused on where they are going instead of from where their ancestors came.

If I - personally - had moved here from another country, I would still claim that country as my nationality until I became a naturalized American. Then I would probably qualify my nationality with a dash.

But, I would still encourage my children born here to not use the dash. Why? Because I would've moved here for a reason....and that reason would have been to become an American.

Why would I want my children to qualify it? IMHO.....

Obama's DNC Speech

Wow!

Yesterday, if I had to describe my ideal candidate to run for President, it woul'ved be one of two people.....Barack Obama.....or me.

Man, I am so glad he took on the task.....I don't think I am qualified anymore!!!!

Does the institutionalized usage of hyphenated-nationalities help, hurt, or distract a country from more pertinent issues?

America is a country of immigrants. America is a country of nothing but immigrants.

One side of the American street prides itself on not seeing the person as a combination of ancestral ethnicities but, instead, each individual becomes a culmination of their life experiences.

The other side of the American street takes pride in the achievements of their ancestors and believe their ancestor’s struggles, sacrifices and oppressions are intrinsic to who they are and how America treats/sees them.

This boulevard of contrasting views pervades most aspects of American social laws and policies. Almost every social issue faced by our judicial and/or legislative bodies, on national, state and local levels, have an ethnic/racial purpose or impact and we spend inordinate amounts of time debating, protesting, defending, and balancing these facets.

There is the beginnings of a new movement within our country to re-think the use of ethnic qualifiers to the American nationality. African-American, Hispanic-American, or your-ethnicity-goes-here-DASH-American is of questionable benefit to the nation’s social fabric and, debatably of course, does more harm to national unity than good. This same debate was part of the nation’s conversation at the turn of the 20th century when it was the German-Americans, Irish-Americans, and Polish-Americans that qualified their nationality.

In many aspects, where America goes, so goes the world. Before any other country steps into this pit of social identities, there are some questions the people of that country should ponder:

1. Are institutionalized hyphenated-nationalities good for a country’s unity and socio-mentality or is it an institutionalized contradiction to the term “nationality”?

2. Can you belong to more than one country and, if so, what happens when the two countries have conflicting policies?

3. Can you maintain the cultures and customs of your ancestral homelands while still assimilating fully into your birth country?

4. Does the use of hyphenated-nationalities proclaim an aversion to the idea of assimilation?

5. Is the use of the hyphenated qualification a two edged sword that cuts both ways? In other words, can you expect your country to treat you different because of your hyphenation but treat you the same despite your hyphenation?

Non-Americans and Americans are the only two labels for this country...

Connotations of words change with society and - likewise - society's use of words changes with the connotations.

The dash-American label's usage comes in waves just like the immigrants who use them. The current wave encompasses ethnic/racial minorities in America.

The use of the dash is a way of fighting back at a society that - the user believes - does not fully accept the dasher as a full member. Whether because of real racism or perceived racism, the dasher feels like a red-headed step-child to the nation. The inclusion of the dash - whether subconsciously or consciously - is a means of declaring one's independence and pride or self-worth.

What I believe is missed in the dasher's mindset is that society will change its view of you when you don't allow this step-child attitude to be applied to you. If someone infers you are not a full America because your ancestors did not come from a certain continent or during a certain timeframe, you fight back by declaring their inference wrong and contradictory to the laws of the land. If you were born here - regardless of how your ancestors came here or even if they came here illegally - YOU ARE AN AMERICAN.

Anyone challenging this status needs to check their OWN mindset and, while they are at it, the Constitution of the United States of America.

I believe the way to stop profiling, racism, discrimination and such, is to FIRST remove the qualified labels we adorn.

I am not African-American, African-European-American, African-European-Native-American....I am an American.

If you doubt what I am saying, check my birth certificate.

If you include the dashes in your nationality, you need to check YOUR birth certificate, also.

It is not about pride in one's ancestors...it is about pride in one's self. You are a citizen of this country - usually only this country - and you have an obligation and responsibility to contribute to the success of this country.

You can choose to enjoy the ride while you can benefit from the mood of society but you have to be prepared to lose that ride when society's mood changes. A basic tenet of this nation is that of individual's rights and responsibilities. If you fail, it is not the country that failed you, it is YOU that failed you.

All this does not justify racist behavior towards ANYONE or BY anyone.

The history of this country, with its accomplishments and failures, does not justify burdening its future by re-hashing history over and over again. The future of this country is dependent on putting to rest - sincerely and non-combatively, the truths of our country's mistakes and how some people have benefitted on the backs of others both directly and indirectly.

My words are intentionally contradictory because that is the situation we are now in. Both sides of the argument are correct...America has fought against including the minority-du-jour in its fabric AND Americans have fought TO include minorities. Minorities have fought to be included AND minorities fight to be seen as distinct threads within the fabric.

If you expect the American fabric to be admired and loved, it is ALL the threads of the fabric that make it what it is.

If you expect to be treated as a thread in the American fabric, you have to understand that the thread - by itself - is not as beautiful when it is on the spool as much as when it has been woven into the fabric.

America has checked itself by re-enforcing a clarification of the tenets of our basic documents.
All PEOPLE are created equal...anyone born here is an American...all AMERICANS are entitled to basic rights and equal protection under the law.

Americans need to check ourselves to make sure we act like what the citizens of America are SUPPOSED to act like.

If you are in a position of power and you do not see all Americans as having the same rights, YOU are the non-American.

If you are not doing your part to contribute to the success of this country, YOU are the non-American.

There are only two valid American labels...American and NON-American.