Nearly five years ago, one of the first Bubbler posts I wrote was called “Celebrate similarity.” Back then, it was simply affirming Prince questioning what we hoped to gain by celebrating what divides us instead of celebrating what unites us. Because we don’t really teach US history anymore, fewer and fewer people understand this. But the United States was founded on a set of principles that attracted a diverse set of people from all around the globe – all of whom were united by one core idea: Freedom. They came to build a better life. Hard to say whether…
Ignore diversity
We’re often told that one of the United States’ strengths is its diversity. Some will make the assertion that this country was founded on diversity. The funny thing is that the people who originally migrated to North America to establish the United States share critical traits, to this day, with most everyone who still comes legitimately to this country – the desire to realize their potential and make a life for themselves without intervention from the government. Let me stress again, they came here because they had one trait in common. People didn’t, and don’t, primarily come here seeking…
Celebrate similarity
In 2002, during a performance of “Anna Stesia”, Prince said, “‘We should champion our diversity…’ Ha!” “We should champion our similarities. We should meet on a higher level. Instead of looking at white, black… rich, poor… young, old… Differences. Differences. ‘Diversity.’ Let’s meet somewhere higher.” You can’t get through a week without seeing a “celebrate diversity” sign or hearing someone talking about the importance of diversity. It’s never made any sense to me. Why aren’t we celebrating the things we have in common? The things that unite us? People keep trying to break us down into groups: white, black,…