Ignorance is bliss; Debanjan's a happy man.

Submitted by Jeff (United States), Feb 12, 2012 at 13:09

Mr. Banerjee, I can only tell you that the country you describe simply bears no resemblance to the country I live in. Anyone here is free to study his ethnic history, or any history, for that matter. A public library exists in every town that loans any books for free to anyone who wants to borrow them.

We have lots of ethnic groups here, and they generally keep and celebrate their cultures while also celebrating being American. Not far from my house, there is, for example, there is a Franco-American club. And an Italian-American club. And a Portuguese-American club. And an Ancient Order of Hibernians (that's the Irish, who were once discriminated against but rose above it without any special history courses in the public schools). And an India Society. Every year, the India Society puts on a weekend of cultural events that are well attended by Indian immigrants and thousands of non-Indians as well, who enjoy the experience and appreciate the opportunity to learn about Indian culture.

There are entire Indian neighborhoods in my town, filled with Indians who work hard and contribute to our society. Having patiently followed a process to immigrate legally and obtain American citizenship, none of them has any kind words for those who jumped ahead of them in line by sneaking illegally into the country.

Traditionally, all ethnic groups have preserved their culture in their homes, clubs, churches and temples. Only the so-called leaders of one Hispanic group, basically ignored by most Hispanics, demands that the public schools teach their particular history. The Arizona schools simply decided, with the limited number of hours in the school day, all students are better served learning how to read and write, and learning math, science and the history of all of us. Anyone who wants to explore other subjects is free to do so, with the help of his local free library.

However, none of this will matter to you. While you brag about your patience, you have no interest in simple facts, refuse to answer simple questions, pretend to be an expert on subjects about which you know nothing and are sadly blinded by prejudice. One thing, though, I'd like to know: what the heck is an exceptionalist???

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