(no subject)
I feel the need to weigh in on something that has been bugging me, in part because a recent post of mine agreed with some of writer Elizabeth Moon's thoughts on gender bias in publishing, and then she went and posted something with which I emphatically do not agree.
For context, her original post is here: Elizabeth Moon on Citizenship
And here is a response to it with some comments, since she deleted the comments from her own blog: Elizabeth Moon on Islam
These folks have written great responses on their blogs:
Assimilation
Dissimilation
I don't have much to add except to share a recent experience of mine that may be relevant, which I've also posted about in the comments of sartorias's blog.
I sang in a wedding a few weeks back that was conducted entirely in Vietnamese (except for the parts of the mass and hymns, which I sung in English). I felt pretty lost because though I know the parts of the mass, I couldn't understand anything and had to guess when it was time for me to sing. The Vietnamese priest, family members, and friends sang lots of beautiful responses that I didn't know, so I remained silent. It was lovely to hear though, and to hear how well they responded and sang, unlike the English-speaking congregations I'm used to. I recall thinking with longing of how I wished I could sing along, how I wished that I could learn this or fully participate.
It would have been easy to feel isolated, maybe out of place. They're in America getting married in a Catholic church. Surely they all speak English. Why have the wedding in Vietnamese, so their English-speaking friends can't even follow what's going on? That would be one response. I admit to feeling lost and out of place. But isn't it a good thing every now and then to be reminded that the mainstream American, English-speaking culture isn't the only way to go? I got to take a vacation of sorts into another culture without leaving home. That's worth more to me than any mild discomfort I may have felt from feeling out of place.
And after all, I was the hired singer. This wasn't about me. It was about the couple getting married, and it was a beautiful ceremony. I feel enriched by exposure to unfamiliar cultural traditions. I hope that we can be open to things we don't necessarily understand.
The greatest movements in art, music, etc. often happen when very different cultures collide. I'd be saddened to think our ultimate goal would be to end up as some homogenized, boring society where anyone with minority cultural traditions felt compelled to keep those traditions to themselves. Why does only the dominant culture get to say what is valuable?
For context, her original post is here: Elizabeth Moon on Citizenship
And here is a response to it with some comments, since she deleted the comments from her own blog: Elizabeth Moon on Islam
These folks have written great responses on their blogs:
Assimilation
Dissimilation
I don't have much to add except to share a recent experience of mine that may be relevant, which I've also posted about in the comments of sartorias's blog.
I sang in a wedding a few weeks back that was conducted entirely in Vietnamese (except for the parts of the mass and hymns, which I sung in English). I felt pretty lost because though I know the parts of the mass, I couldn't understand anything and had to guess when it was time for me to sing. The Vietnamese priest, family members, and friends sang lots of beautiful responses that I didn't know, so I remained silent. It was lovely to hear though, and to hear how well they responded and sang, unlike the English-speaking congregations I'm used to. I recall thinking with longing of how I wished I could sing along, how I wished that I could learn this or fully participate.
It would have been easy to feel isolated, maybe out of place. They're in America getting married in a Catholic church. Surely they all speak English. Why have the wedding in Vietnamese, so their English-speaking friends can't even follow what's going on? That would be one response. I admit to feeling lost and out of place. But isn't it a good thing every now and then to be reminded that the mainstream American, English-speaking culture isn't the only way to go? I got to take a vacation of sorts into another culture without leaving home. That's worth more to me than any mild discomfort I may have felt from feeling out of place.
And after all, I was the hired singer. This wasn't about me. It was about the couple getting married, and it was a beautiful ceremony. I feel enriched by exposure to unfamiliar cultural traditions. I hope that we can be open to things we don't necessarily understand.
The greatest movements in art, music, etc. often happen when very different cultures collide. I'd be saddened to think our ultimate goal would be to end up as some homogenized, boring society where anyone with minority cultural traditions felt compelled to keep those traditions to themselves. Why does only the dominant culture get to say what is valuable?