Quote:
Quote by: grandpa  This argument isn't really defensible. You shouldn't just assume there is any absolute "American" identity that everyone must conform to. There isn't. In fact, it's an authoritarian expectation that someone should leave--politely or otherwise--because they disagree with one or more features of a system. |
I agree with this.
Quote:
Quote by: Isherwood Quote: |
"Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism are all too frequently those who . . . ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism -- the right to criticize, the right to hold unpopular beliefs, the right to protest, the right of independent thought."
| -Margaret Chase Smith, the first senator who spoke out about Senator Joe McCarthy's contention that anyone who criticized him was "aiding the enemy." |
I would say that the principles delineated by Ms. Smith are not uniquely American principles.
- Rob