[Marxism] Ehrlich calls multiculturalism 'bunk', 'damaging to society'

[ccarrico@xxxxxxxxxx]

This story was sent to you by: Chris Carrico

I just e-mailed Ehrlich's office saying "I was amazed to learn that your 
ancestors gave up speaking German and Yiddish entirely and began speaking 
flawless English the instant they got off the boat!"

I'll let you know if he responds.

--------------------
Ehrlich calls multiculturalism 'bunk', 'damaging to society'
--------------------

Governor on radio show backs Schaefer's remarks

By David Nitkin
Sun Staff

May 9, 2004
The concept of multiculturalism is "bunk" and "damaging to the society," Gov. 
Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said in defending remarks about non-English speakers made 
by political ally Comptroller William Donald Schaefer.

"Once you get into this multicultural crap, this bunk, that some folks are 
teaching in our college campuses and other places, you run into a problem," 
Ehrlich, a Republican, said during an appearance on WBAL radio Thursday. "There 
is no such thing as a multicultural society that can sustain itself, in my 
view, and I think history teaches us this lesson."

Ehrlich's comments came as he was asked about remarks made a day earlier by 
Schaefer, who opened Wednesday's state Board of Public Works meeting with a 
diatribe about his trouble placing an order at an Anne Arundel County 
McDonald's restaurant because of the counter staff's limited knowledge of 
English.

"Then I got a bag, and instead of having English on it, it had Spanish and 
German and every other" language, Schaefer said. "I don't want to adjust to 
another language. This is the United States. I think they ought to adjust to 
us."

Ehrlich did not attend the public works meeting because he was at a funeral, 
but he said in the radio interview that he supported Schaefer's sentiments.

Ehrlich has worked hard to keep on his side the cantankerous Schaefer, whose 
vote the governor needs to approve most state spending and other policy 
decisions on the three-member panel.

"With regard to this culture, English is the language," Ehrlich said. "Can 
[immigrants] obviously honor their ethnic traditions and languages at home and 
other places? Of course. They are not mutually exclusive. The point here is 
there is a major distinction between ethnic pride, which is appropriate, and 
multiculturalism, which is damaging to the society in my view."

Ehrlich did not define what he meant by multiculturalism, a term that has been 
the subject of fierce debate that has included overtones of political 
correctness and racism.

The concept has its roots in the 1960s, as growing numbers of educators came to 
believe that school curriculums focused on Western European values, history and 
literature to the exclusion of other views.

As the concept took hold, a backlash developed.

"In fact, any group can identify itself as a marginalized culture group," wrote 
Don Closson, a theologian with Texas-based Probe Ministries in a paper on 
multiculturalism available on the group's Web site. "The homeless become a 
cultural group, as do single mothers on welfare. Should their perspectives get 
equal treatment in our schools?"

Said Herbert C. Smith, a political science professor at McDaniel College in 
Westminster: "One of the complaints is that the multicultural curriculum pushes 
into and intrudes into the teaching of American history, given that there are 
only so many hours in a week."

Steven L. Kreseski, Ehrlich's chief of staff, said the governor spent time 
thinking about the concept as a congressman. Ehrlich believes that different 
ethnic groups should embrace American values such as capitalism and the 
celebration of Thanksgiving, Kreseski said. Kreseski pointed to Quebec as a 
place where debates over language and cultures have produced damaging results.

Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons, a Montgomery County Democrat and one of a handful of 
Hispanics in the General Assembly, said he agrees with the governor's views 
that immigrants should assimilate into society, without giving up their 
cultural touchstones.

But he said the governor should have stayed out of the debate, because his 
statements may generate confusion and hostility.

"It just seems to me that the governor should set a higher tone. You can 
sometimes set a higher tone by refusing to exacerbate a problem," Simmons said.

"As someone who sees the positive contributions Spanish-speaking residents are 
making every day, I see Governor Schaefer's comments as mean-spirited, and 
Governor Ehrlich's comments as opportunistic," he said.

A broader discussion of the rights and roles of immigrants was aggressively 
debated in Annapolis this year. Republican delegates from Baltimore County 
introduced bills that restricted illegal immigrants from borrowing vehicles or 
obtaining identification papers, but the measures were defeated.

Ehrlich has worked, however, to enlarge his administration's outreach to 
minority groups. He has refocused the state's minority business laws, and has 
attempted to give Hispanics a larger role - with uneven results.

By making his comments on AM radio, Ehrlich ran little risk of political 
damage, said Smith.

"He's speaking for his core constituency: the Republicans in Maryland. It's a 
pretty monochromatic choir in the main," he said.

Copyright (c) 2004, The Baltimore Sun

Link to the article:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.ehrlich09may09,0,3958673.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

Visit http://www.baltimoresun.com

View the top 25 most popular e-mailed articles
http://www.baltimoresun.com/emailed

Get home delivery of The Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/subscribe

_______________________________________________
Marxism mailing list
Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism