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One of the problems we have on this topic, is that we confuse ethnicity and race. It is sometimes necessary to identify race because it may have a medical implication and it is the second most important part of any description (after gender). Other than that, I could not care less what someones race is. On the other hand, I feel my life in enriched by experiencing and learning about different cultures.
This does not mean that all cultural values are equal. Frankly I favor American culture that emphasizes individual rights and freedoms while encouraging community and cooperation over a culture that believes in the divine right of a monarch or intolerance. But there are good things that can be gleamed from a variety of cultures and these should be celebrated and remembered.
We need to drop the hyphens and focus on being Americans. But that means that we celebrate, and more importantly, share our cultural heritage.
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I was there to see beautiful naked women. So was everybody else. It's a common failing.
Robert A Heinlein in "They Do It With Mirrors"
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