Cultural Awareness Celebrations
by
Phil Rasmussen

Immigration advocates have consistently referred to the Unites States as “a nation of immigrants.”  They erroneously use this phrase to support open border policies which are counter to national security and our sovereignty as a nation.  The logic behind these advocates that we are a nation of immigrants is highly flawed.  They fail to realize that the population of ALL nations is composed of both indigenous people and immigrants.  There is not a single nation or country that is comprised solely of an indigenous people.

In 1908 a play by Israel Zangwill popularized the US being known as the great “Melting Pot.”  The term is a metaphor signifying the melting together of cultures to form a single culture or monoculture.  Despite its meaning, the US has not become a melting pot of cultures but rather a nation of many complex cultures.  To address perceived discrimination and underrepresentation of selected cultural groups, the left sought to change America’s social structure through the implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and programs. 

Historically the DEI concept is not new.  It served rulers of ancient empires as a means of managing the populations of conquered territories.  In the United States, the foundations for the modern day DEI movement began with the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.  Since then, so-called marginalized groups have pushed agendas calling for “inclusion” and “equity.”  Today there are over 200 awareness celebrations in the US with a minimum of 8 celebrations per month. Of these 200 celebrations, approximately:

• 17 are based on ethnicity
• 13 are based on sex and gender orientation
• 145 are based on health issues

Many of the remaining celebrations could also impact any of the areas above.  For example Manatee Awareness Month and Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month can also be a feel-good celebrations impacting mental health.  AIDS Awareness Month is both sex and health based.

The Department of Defense (DOD) recently ordered the military to stop celebrating all awareness months, with emphasis on all DEI activities and training.  Reasons given for this order include:

• They are a distraction to training and readiness, and
• They interfere with unit cohesiveness and teamwork by creating divisiveness

The president has also ordered that all of the federal government is to remove all DEI policies, training, and initiatives.  This order has created uproar among democrats and far-left antagonists.  Proponents of DEI continue to perpetuate the lie that without it, minority groups will continue to be marginalized.  The reality is that DEI is a stepping stone for socialism and a socialist government.

Like building a house, DEI requires a foundation on which to build its narratives.  Keep in mind that DEI is an acronym for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion.  From a sociology perspective, the common element for the DEI frameworks is CULTURE,

While there are many definitions of culture, a compilation of them define Culture as “those things that people inherit from past generations, share in common and which define them as a collective.” 

Cultural heritage are those things that are passed down from generation to generation.  

It consists of both tangible and intangible elements.

Tangible heritage represents physical objects that are symbolic to one’s culture.  >For example the architecture of New York’s or San Francisco’s China towns represents the community’s ties to ancient China.  On a more personal level, an alter or shrine in a home connects the homeowner to their religion.  Other examples include art, books, furniture, documents, and other objects.

Intangible heritage lacks physical form and entails practices, traditions, festivals, history, values, language, food, and religious beliefs that enhance community cohesion.

At this point we should note that the word culture is often used in an anthropological sense as a synonym for identifying ethnic groups.  Inherent to many cultures is religion.  Both religion and culture are so intertwined that it is difficult to determine which is which.  The major difference is often subliminal in most cultural groups.

Since the 1960s, the concept of culture has expanded to include areas that are not based on historical social groups.  For example, we talk about such cultures as:

• Corporate culture
• Workplace culture
• Military culture
• Healthcare culture
• Elite culture
• Hegemonic culture
• Subaltern culture

There has also been a rise of other social based cultures such as the LGBTQ+ community, various cults, and political groups.

Because DEI is only defined in the broadest sense, its training and initiatives often leave out discussions of religious identity and diversity.  In fact, John McWhorter, in his book, How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America, characterizes DEI as a new religion.  And yet, DEI’s foundation is culture. So, why is it important for us to realize this?

While many people believe that religion is the “the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or any such system of belief and worship” (Cambridge Dictionary), Wikipedia defines religion as a “range of social-cultural systems.”  Regardless of which definition you want to use, both refer to systems of belief.  This means that agnosticism and atheism are in fact alternative forms of religion. 

We need to also definition “social construct.”  Social Construct is a concept that an “idea has been created and accepted by the people in a society.” (Merriam-Webster)  According to Oxford Review, DEI is a social construct, and as such is by default can be considered a religion.

Now we come to the meat of the matter.  Last January, Trump issued executive orders 13985 and 14173, terminating all DEI initiative, training, and requirements in our federal government.  During his reelection campaign, Trump stated on his website that he would end DEI based on ending censorship and free speech. (USA Today)  While democrats and liberals believe that the order is illegal, the opposite is true. 

Removing DEI from the government is legal and never should have been implemente.  Its implementation was just another illegal, and treasonous, action by Biden to thwart our democratic process and to further install the socialist agenda in our government.

Although democrats and liberals believe that removing DEI from government is based on a Trump bias concerning censorship, the fact is that its removal is constitutionally based on the separation of state and religion and in part on censorship.

The First Amendment to the Constitution reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”  This amendment led to what are known as the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause, or otherwise referenced as “separation of church and state.” 

The concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion may be laudable as social constructs, but they can easily be abused along with initiatives and training programs being improperly implemented.  As many Americans became aware of DEI curriculum in education during COVID, it rapidly became obvious that the intent of such curricula was to “brainwash” students.

While DEI does not belong in government, schools or business, it is important that morals, ethics, values, integrity, and conduct are taught in the home.  If this is done, then there is no need for DEI initiatives and training to exist. 

Some may disagree, but cultural awareness should not be taught or celebrated in our schools, government or the military.  Teaching and/or celebrating cultural awareness in these settings is in itself discriminatory.  For example, there are a lot of programs and celebrations for African American (Black) and Hispanic culture.  However, there are not any programs or celebrations for Caucasian American (White) culture; and outside of Alaska and Hawaii, programs and celebrations for the indigenous groups in these areas are essentially nonexistent.

• Reflect on your own culture

• Engage with diverse groups

• Participate in cultural events
• Learn a new language
• Travel abroad