It isn’t a skirt it is a kilt

[Geoff Withnell]

My goodness, that IS a run on sentence, isn't it? Just for fun, I reached back into my memory of junior high school English classes and diagrammed it! It covered an entire sheet of paper, in landscape orientation.

As an extension of my previous comment, it sometimes seems to me that if more people would type, spell, use proper English in the style of either side of any pond and select their vocabulary accurately without using acronyms or initials (a pet peeve of mine - why for example should anyone in the world outside of the United States know that "MO" means Missouri?) ... anyway, if more folks would use jargon-free, well-written English, then there would be less need for capital letters and folks would be much better able to discern the intent of speakers.

Now, following that terrible run-on sentence, I'll admit that my prejudice and bias are likely those of an old English teacher. A lot of the misunderstandings I see here are based on poorly-written posts. Re-read and edit, boys and girls (said the old teacher) before you hit the <Post Quick Reply> button. It will avoid a surprising number of spats, and I am not referring to shoe protectors there, so let's not get onto that particular topic either!

[Tobus]

It was enlightening to see how Americans are perceived from the old world. They see dilution where we see inrichment of the community and culture.

To be fair, not everyone here sees it that way. The whole "melting pot" thing is drilled into our heads in our formative years as a form of social conditioning, but there is a large contingent of Americans who don't feel "enriched" by the mish-mash and competing cultures of American society. There's something to be said for having a solid sense of identity, continuity, and stability as a culture. That's something I feel we lack in America, and for which I envy the "old world" cultures.

This, of course, doesn't mean I hold any animosity towards our eclectic American culture. But it's more of a sense of lament for things lost.

[tundramanq]

Tobus you are a Texan. Rank your identity in order for me. ( Scotsman, Texan, American) Most Texans are Texans first. A lot of state pride - for good reason - I like it. This from a guy with little state pride. New Mexico is always at or near the bottom of most rankings. This desert rat thinks often of moving into tornado alley.

My routine answer to the "are you ___" is "comfortable American". I am a shill for kilts

Father Bill, ditto the acronyms. The older we get the more we know and I get confused hearing them - even in context there is usually more than one possible meaning. Verbally, I miss the next few sentences trying to sort what is ment. And there is really no time saved using them, it's just lazy. I won't comment on my grammer as I am too close to the top of the list for butchering english..

[Geoff Withnell]

Many Americans, myself included prefer the "salad bowl" analogy to the "melting pot" In a salad, the constituent ingredients retain their individual identity, but a salad is a unique new thing itself. Of course, you do end up with grandchildren who are (taking a deep breath) Scottish-Irish-Welsh-English-German-Lithuanian-Palestinian-Jews.

To be fair, not everyone here sees it that way. The whole "melting pot" thing is drilled into our heads in our formative years as a form of social conditioning, but there is a large contingent of Americans who don't feel "enriched" by the mish-mash and competing cultures of American society. There's something to be said for having a solid sense of identity, continuity, and stability as a culture. That's something I feel we lack in America, and for which I envy the "old world" cultures.

This, of course, doesn't mean I hold any animosity towards our eclectic American culture. But it's more of a sense of lament for things lost.

[Tobus]

Many Americans, myself included prefer the "salad bowl" analogy to the "melting pot" In a salad, the constituent ingredients retain their individual identity, but a salad is a unique new thing itself. Of course, you do end up with grandchildren who are (taking a deep breath) Scottish-Irish-Welsh-English-German-Lithuanian-Palestinian-Jews.

And that is precisely why people like Jock Scot think in terms of "watered down". If one's cultural heritage is only 1/16th of something, 1/8th of something else, etc., etc., etc., then it's simply too much. A person can't stay 'true' to too many things at once. Because of this, a lot of Americans have given up on the idea of retaining any old cultural attachments, and simply consider themselves "American". But no one can really define what being American is. Or, rather, there are so many definitions that the term becomes meaningless and no sense of identity can exist.

[tundramanq]

Oh it exists. Think 9-11 or Pearl Harbor - the whole country unites as one ( with the exeption of the squirrels ).
But I see what you are saying.
I still prefer the melting pot, as in metals, where combining elements makes an alloy much stronger ( or what ever property is sought) than any part. Anyone involved with animal breeding know this one. Inbreeding brings out a whole slew of recessive gene weaknesses as well as reinforcing the desired trait.

[EagleJCS]

Amen, Father Bill!

I learned many years ago to ignore apparent typos and certain malapropisms in posts and email, as long as I could figure out the gist of what was written. Sometimes, though, it is very difficult to understand posts that do not have at least a passing acquaintance with common English (with either an American or British accent!).

[Tobus]

Oh it exists. Think 9-11 or Pearl Harbor - the whole country unites as one ( with the exeption of the squirrels ).

That's totally different. Uniting in a common cause is not the same as having a common language, ideals, origins, etc. Any tragedy can pull folks together temporarily, but it does not give them a lasting sense of common identity.

I still prefer the melting pot, as in metals, where combining elements makes an alloy much stronger ( or what ever property is sought) than any part. Anyone involved with animal breeding know this one. Inbreeding brings out a whole slew of recessive gene weaknesses as well as reinforcing the desired trait.

Well, we can make all the comparisons and analogies we want, and each one will have different conclusions. But at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. There are many folks out there (which you seem to identify with) who see it as a good thing for traditional cultures to be dissolved into a larger and more homogenous pool, where nothing original is retained but all take on a new identity.

But my only point was that there are others out there (and I count myself amongst them) who don't necessarily see it as a positive. I see it sort of like the Borg from Star Trek. Assimilation into the hive identity is indeed a loss of something important. I much prefer a world where we respect and celebrate our different cultures and live together in peace than one where we toss all of that aside and strive to be the same, and constantly struggle to figure out what that should be.

As a side note, I dislike any comparisons to "inbreeding" and genes, as it can easily become a discussion on "racial purity" or other such nonsense. We're not talking about race (a flawed term anyway), but culture. Scottish culture was already an amalgamation of other cultures, but developed its own unique sense of individuality. I think it's worth retaining instead of throwing away. But your point is well taken here, in that it was the mixing of other cultures that created it and made it something of value in the first place. Perhaps after a couple more centuries, America may do the same. But I doubt it, given the size of this country.

[tundramanq]

Maybe the national dress will be Levi's? with the Texas clan wearing cowboy hats?

[kiltedsawyer]

Okay, okay already,.................. but back to the OP. Just where is this "Application" Trail? Is it on your I-phone?