Rampisad
I did not want to be racistic, or sounding rasistic. Quite the contrary.
I know a few examples of minorities that think: “We are here as foreigners, our position is number two, let’s try to be number one”.
Like an Afro-American said once to Archie Bunker: “Yeah, let’s be like Avis!”
Joke aside, but I have seen very positive things in this “struggle upwards”.
One example I know is the Tatars moving to Finland some 130 years ago. They were totally outfrosen, by the majority and especially by the establishment.
Today their grand-grand-children are very educated, better than the average, and have top jobs in the business field. Absolutely no-one looks down on them, we look up at them!
I do not agree that a group can not reach a higher cultural/economical position than an other group. That depends very much on what background and back up You have.
One example: We that are ice-hocky-fans in Finland admire the Americans (including Canada in this respect, because they never give up!!!.
(And hockey is culture, do not try to argue about that ;)).
The US team can be behind 5 -1 when the last period begins and they just attack, attack and attack. And make scores! Not always winning, but never giving up.
And I call that “the true American spirit”.
Do not think that I am buttering You up here. I hate Your foreign policy!
But I admire the Americans. As people.
And am I wrong if I tell that the American people often in individual situations are stepping on the same side as the under-dog?
Anyhow You have many films where the guy in a totally impossible situation begins to fight upwards. Against anything that is wrong, or because of something (s)he thinks is right.
(S)he can win, (s)he can lose, but (s)he always win morally.
That is also, as I see it “the American spirit”.
That Washinton is not always on the side of the under-dog, to put it mildly, is another story.
So, I think people are different, but naturally a group can’t be stereo-typed.
Still about America: I do not know how much You take advantage from the fact that You have all the world cultures gathered together? I think here You do not use the opportunity fully out. (I do not mean every individual, I do not want to stereo-type people in this way).
Here in Europe, it is “finer” and “more educated”, to be able to speak eg. French than eg. Polish or Finnish.
So the 'fine" cultures are chosen to be “fine”.
Don’t ask me, by whom?
History in short: Finland belonged to Sweden for 800 years and to the tsarian Russia for 110 years and got it’s independence 1917 after an civil war.
Ther was never a conflict with Sweden, but in the 20’ties and 30’ties there was a nationalistic movement: “Finland to the Finns”, etc., while it was economically mostly “ruled” by the Finnish-Swedish 5 - 6 % minority.
The racism begun to tone out during the war, when Stalin attacked Finland and everyone was at the front.
Marschalk Mannerheim, a Finn-Swede, led Finland to many victories, and nobody cared about the fact that his Finnish language was not so good, and he spoke to the generals in Swedish.
OK, this begins to be a rant, I just want to say, that there are suprisingly many minorities in this world that has “made it”, and I admire these minorities.
That does not mean that I begin to look down on the majorities, but they are usually safe, anyhow in many countries, so they do not have the need to “try harder”.
