Analyzing multiculturalism as a process where balance is right but any trend leading to entropia is wrong is an extreme statement that is in conflict with history itself. This is not a process along a single curve (culture) that is appropiate and where the other curves (cultures) adding different backgrounds are O.K. as far as they don’t create a rupture of the main stream.

Let me explain the point. Hagen tries to define a “pure” American culture as the result of English, American-Indian and other cultures and with emblems such as baseball, hot-dogs and hamburgers. I completely disagree. First, because there is no such a thing as an American culture. There is American flocklore -a part of a culture’s signature- that differs either if we analyze, for example, the East Coast, West Coast or the MidWest. There is not a “pure” English culture as England is made of a series of culture and folcklore from Scottland, Ireland, Wales and England that also acquired elements from other European backgrounds (mainly French) and the Roman Empire.

History shows that there has been always a dominated culture among national or local folcklore living together. Every culture has had a raising cycle, a climax and a decay along time where it has been replaced by a new strongest current. Egyptian culture gave pass to Greek culture that was replaced by Roman Culture and so on. But the new culture has not been a completely new thinking with a radical different set of values but strongly rooted on the previously dominant one and enriched by the new. Now, the dominating culture is of Western European Origin with one main source: Judeo-Christianism.

Hispanics belong to the same original cultural mainstream as Americans. With differences in folcklore -even among them- and a different language, but basically, they share the same core values and beliefs. They even share quite similar Amerindian native backgrounds. Then, to categorize America as a main culture and hispanic as part of the Third World cultures is a mistake. Both Americans and Hispanics share more things than those dividing them, while there practically are no cultural similarities between hispanic and other Third World streams as Asians (mainly, Chinesse and Hindues) Both Hispanics and Americans also share an important African element in their cultures brought by the slaves (specially those hispanic countries above the Ecuatorial Line)

Andrew, hamburgers and hot-dogs are as American as they are of German origin or part of the folcklore of most countries in the world right now. Freedom was probably the American emblem most recognized but not its culture as the country has been the shelter for several different waves of immigrants, each one with a predominantly different culture background. Multiculturalism is a distinctive American process as many cultural waves has been living together without being wipped out by the main stream as a result of the American care for freedom and minorty representation.

As per the future, I have the vision of the Western Culture blending with the main Asian cultures and creating a new Global dominant culture that will be dominating in years to come. The more multiculturalism and the more global a culture is the better the possibilities for a longer period prevailing as the mainstream. That’s why America is so powerful right now, because its believes are the result of the most multicultural array in the world.

Ultimately, Andrew, I don’t share your fears but I feel that the more blended the different flocklores in America are, the better chances to create a new mega-culture that will survive and be the dominant current worldwide.

Not that it is specific but inclusive as it is a hot topic today being that American culture is changing or should I say evolving. For instance salsa now sells as much or is out selling ketchup.

As long as culutre does not harm then hot dogs, ketchup or salsa can not be deemed good or bad.