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alexsyd's avatar

I think your points are basically valid except for this odd idea:

"the requirement to learn the English language, and the cultural deracination of those who are allowed to participate in our society"

We did this already with blacks. They were/are called Uncle Tom's by their own people. Salman Rushdie was almost murdered by a fellow Muslim in the US for offending Allah. You can't "culturally deracinate" anybody because cultural is partially, say 50%, nature, and not nurture. It's why kids of mixed marriages have big identity problems. It's not their fault, mind you.

Better to think in terms of perceived kinship: It works both ways. Rachel Dolazel thinks she's black and the NAACP thought she was too until they got a look at her parents. They then decided she''s not one of them. You need to think of race as looking at a work of art. At first glance you either are attracted or repelled (or neutral). After a while, your cultural overview kicks in and you decide if it's good or not.

I'd also lay off the idea that European culture is superior. Numero uno, Moderism, or modern liberalism, is European culture, and it's committing suicide. Killing oneself isn't exactly a shining example of superiority. Number 2, you don't need to tell people a cathedral is better than a mosque or a Hindu temple or even some mud structure. Self-conscious superiority invites nemesis, revenge by the gods, pride comes before a fall, and all that. Better to walk softly and carry a big stick. Let the other groups decide what you are. They do it anyway.

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MEL's avatar
May 29Edited

> which we now know imprints onto the brains of young children, which is why they learn their native languages heuristically, rather than through rote memorisation as do those who learn a second language after puberty

This is a myth. Adults are far better at learning languages than children, provided they aren’t feral. The only advantage children have is constant involuntary exposure to their target language.

Adults use more heuristics than do children, because children are, relatively speaking, pretty dumb.

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