In the US, Thanksgiving is now considered shameful. This is all elitist rhetoric gained from educational institutions set up by those individuals they proclaim to disdain. A few months ago, I had two women in my house for something that benefitted one of the women, my friend. Somehow Thanksgiving came up and they both made disparaging remarks. One's family came from Pakistan. She has done very well for herself in the US yet showed obvious disdain for the country and extolled how wonderful Pakistan was. I later took an Uber ride with a man from Pakistan. He was grateful to be in the US because, while he loved his country, he found it too corrupt and dangerous. He was grateful for the stability of the US for his family. His optimistic take was a bit jarring for me as I had just left a Ron Paul event and moral optimism wasn't exactly a featured event. But he made me realize what we do have and it is worth fighting for. And I will no longer stay silent for disparaging Thanksgiving or 4th of July occasions. I am learning to play the game. I will tell anyone that it's meaningful for me as my grandmother hosted a large dinner in her own home which was quite a feat for someone born in abject poverty.
Thanks for the comment. We are seeing the same thing up here. My, albeit limited, experience with people criticizing these days and traditions is that it tends to be young people born in the country rather than immigrants. We all need to do what you are doing and push back. I wish you luck with your fight.
In the US, Thanksgiving is now considered shameful. This is all elitist rhetoric gained from educational institutions set up by those individuals they proclaim to disdain. A few months ago, I had two women in my house for something that benefitted one of the women, my friend. Somehow Thanksgiving came up and they both made disparaging remarks. One's family came from Pakistan. She has done very well for herself in the US yet showed obvious disdain for the country and extolled how wonderful Pakistan was. I later took an Uber ride with a man from Pakistan. He was grateful to be in the US because, while he loved his country, he found it too corrupt and dangerous. He was grateful for the stability of the US for his family. His optimistic take was a bit jarring for me as I had just left a Ron Paul event and moral optimism wasn't exactly a featured event. But he made me realize what we do have and it is worth fighting for. And I will no longer stay silent for disparaging Thanksgiving or 4th of July occasions. I am learning to play the game. I will tell anyone that it's meaningful for me as my grandmother hosted a large dinner in her own home which was quite a feat for someone born in abject poverty.
Thanks for the comment. We are seeing the same thing up here. My, albeit limited, experience with people criticizing these days and traditions is that it tends to be young people born in the country rather than immigrants. We all need to do what you are doing and push back. I wish you luck with your fight.
I like recent immigrants. I love hearing their stories about why they immigrated and their experience. Migration is the human experience.