It is 8:00pm Sunday night, my two children have been in bed for ten minutes and I am getting ready to turn in too. My euphoria about being on schedule tonight was soon eclipsed by someone knocking on our front door. Then they rang the door bell. Both children, were startled by the knocking and were on their way out of bed to find me. By the time the door bell rang, all my efforts to calm them down again were vanquished.
At this hour, it should be someone pretty close to us at the door. Peering out of the living room window, I saw a woman at the door. She was Hispanic and I did not know her. She was talking and gesturing to someone else in the direction of the street. Through the glass, I asked her what she wanted. Soon, she was joined by a toddler, a little girl. She would not reply in English, but in Spanish. She was holding up the lunch sack draped over her shoulder. She's selling tamales.
I like tamales, but I was annoyed. One, she woke up my household. Two, she's trying to get the kids, attention, and I'm trying to get them back to bed. Three, she would not respond in English. There are two cultures clashing here.
American life is enriched by our welcome of people originating from different cultures. Most western nations are in fact immigrant nations. We are not THE immigrant nation. But if we don't insist on living together under one culture—not two or three—we invite an ancient problem. One we should be wise enough by now to avoid. I don't care what anybody says, it's never going to be okay for a stranger to wake up my family at night to sell us something. Neither will I ever care for six foot tall speakers in a nearby front yard blaring Mariachi (or any other) music at 10 o'clock pm to kick off a barbeque. This is a culture issue.
Culture clashes occur because they threaten the routines of family life and business life, etc. Expect deep-seated reactions when you disrupt family routines or the way people do business. If America is not a land of one culture, all our "open-mindedness" will be lost in the ensuing war. Most Americans boast "open-mindedness" but only their brand of open-mindedness. Let a family move next door that threatens their way of life, and you will soon find out what their brand is about. Open-mindedness does not mean you acquiesce to the disruption of routines that sustain your life. That's insane.
My parents experienced housing discrimination before the laws were changed. The predominantly Jewish subdivision was set up for the Montgomery County Maryland Jewish, and they did not want new people upsetting their way of life. We were not a threat to their way life because we subscribed to the same values they did, but ultimately, my folks signed a contract agreeing to conform to certain community rules as a condition of the sale of the home. And you know why they signed it! They wanted the same protections for themselves.
It makes sense to protect when we can put our children to bed and how much sleep you can get at night. It does not make sense to dislike someone because of the color of their skin. It doesn't take a high IQ to tell the difference either. One is a culture issue and the other is racism. The former is defensible and the latter is not. And may good people defend the defensible. It is illogical to think that a preference which keeps up the neighbors at night is going to co-exist peacefully in a culture weaned on "Early to Bed Early to Rise, Makes a Man Healthy Wealthy and Wise." Indeed, American culture defines certain routines for family life, and I defend this one without apology.
Evil practices notwithstanding, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. That's good wisdom for multi-ethnic living.
