Cultures Aren't Equal

I was talking with a friend a few weeks back about how Americans are one of the few English-speaking countries where overt patriotism occurs. My friend commented that one would never see/hear such displays of patriotism in Canada, Austrailia, or Britain. Calling it unfashionable is to put it politely. As an American who loves my country, I found this odd, particularly since I see so much to respect in those countries. The article linked to in the post title, which is written by Michael Barone, argues that all cultures are not equal.

Multiculturalism is based on the lie that all cultures are morally equal. In practice, that soon degenerates to: All cultures are morally equal, except ours, which is worse. But all cultures are not equal in respecting representative government, guaranteed liberties and the rule of law. And those things arose not simultaneously and in all cultures, but in certain specific times and places -- mostly in Britain and America, but also in various parts of Europe. In America, as in Britain, multiculturalism has become the fashion in large swathes of our society. So the Founding Fathers are presented only as slaveholders, World War II is limited to the internment of Japanese-Americans and the bombing of Hiroshima. Slavery is identified with America, though it has existed in every society and the antislavery movement arose first among English-speaking evangelical Christians.

But most Americans know there is something special about our cultural heritage. Mutilculturalist intellectuals do not think our kind of society is worth defending. But millions here and increasing numbers in Britain and other countries know better.