I'll be showing my age as someone who was deeply engaged with the 1990s multicultural moment as a high school teacher in a multicultural community (and, amazingly, a US-Japan program for teachers) when I say I loved this post. There is such a deep truth to this, including how fulfilling it is for young people like your daughter and the mariachi competitors to fully engage without ironic disengagement in something they and their community value. Add to that the way these sorts of things bring folks together in a spirit of cross-appreciation rather than fearful anxiety.
Lovely article that reminds me how much I miss sincerity in culture which I think is somewhat brought along for the ride in the lovely Japanese expression. As a Gen-X'r I feel partly responsible for ushering in the age of snark and (to some degree justified) cynicism. It wasn't always that way. As a kid the first book I ever asked for was Carl Sagan's Cosmos. Sagan was a guy who really did unabashedly embrace sincerity. I love this little clip of him explaining how some of the ancients figured out the shape and size of the planet
“And that, ultimately, the best way to manage our differences is to set up our societies that enable that to happen all the time.”
A noble sentiment—but it only works if our societies also teach the moral weight of effort and accountability.
In Going Varsity in Mariachi, Drake wasn’t coddled or excused when he let the band down. He experienced what might be called a “soft shunning”—not cruel, but clear. His peers and director Abel Acuña expected more. That discomfort became a moral inflection point. Drake chose to work harder, improve his playing, and re-earn his place in the ensemble. That’s character.
In Japan, China, and many Asian societies, this ethic is foundational: effort is a moral duty. Here, we often say, “That’s OK, Billy—sorry you can’t spell ‘dog,’ but we’ll give you a star and pass you anyway.” And we won’t post grades or acknowledge poor performance, because honesty might hurt feelings.
Maybe restoring honesty—and the dignity of effort—is the first step toward getting our society back in tune.
Thanks for the Netflix tip, even with the plot spoiler spelled out. It reminds me of why I like singing in a choir: it’s the dedication to a common, collaborative outcome, with the pressure of performance spurring the effort everyone puts into learning the music. I’ll be sure to link this article when I write something for my own Substack newsletter. Majime!
The melting pot is a very American idea. The Canadian concept, which in my view is a holdover from British imperialism, is a patchwork of separate cultures. Keeping the various ethnic and religious groups separate keeps them from uniting against colonial authorities. In the case of Canada, the military conquest of New France meant finding the means to subjugate an ethnic, religious, and linguistic majority. For example, turning over some legal powers to religious authorities made an ally of religious leaders who had a stake in division. Call it diversity if you like.
I noticed that the article talks about white kids instead of anglophone kids. Of course, Mexican is a nationality and not a race. There are many races in Mexico and there are many people of different nationalities and races who speak English.
Among the many problems with multiculturalism is the need to establish race codes. We saw the problems in the US with both slavery and Jim Crow. Plessy v. Ferguson established separate but equal as the law of the land. Plessy was a Creole of French and African background. My understanding is that he didn’t « look » black. My third great grandmother was Basque-Creole. She would not have been very different from Mr. Plessy. Separate but equal was a terrible miscarriage of justice and I find multiculturalism to have too much in common with it to be desirable.
Today we avoid giving people blood tests or keeping government records by using race, language, and religion as interchangeable. Thus, Hispanic becomes a race, as does Muslim. I just got back from the Basque Country and found myself going to two cafes, one on the Spanish side of the border and the other on the French side. They are not more than 100 meters apart. Remarkably, the employees of one cafe spoke French and the other Spanish . Both spoke Basque. I guess that if the French-speaking Basque came to the States through Mexico they would remain White European, while the Spanish-speaking Basque would become people of color. French and Spanish are both Latin languages. So is Italian.
I apologize for the long reply, but I pondered the different approaches a lot when I had my home in Québéc. I love cultural differences and am proudly multilingual. I can embrace my Basque-Creole heritage and bring it with me into the melting pot. I saw the Basque Men’s Choir for the fourth time last month. I loved it as much as I know that I would love the Mariachi Bands. Your alloy metaphor is perfect. Steel is stronger than iron.
I might trade the melting pot metaphor for a seafood gumbo metaphor. You can usually tell where all the individual bits come from, but there is a strong unifying flavor.
Just loved this piece. I call what you describe here the potluck nation model of diversity work, as distinct from diversity being thought of as either a melting pot or a battlefield. Everybody brings their best dish to the potluck, and the whole nation feasts. It’s part of the long intellectual tradition of pluralism: https://www.persuasion.community/p/how-to-put-a-country-back-together
I just was rewatching the "Breaking Bad" episode where three singers playing acoustic guitars perform a ballad featuring "Heisenberg" - the title character Walter White's nom de guerre. Not my favorite type of music, but the enthusiasm and joy was captivating. I noticed the camera focused most often on the bass guitar (4 strings) and was curious about the difference I'm used to where the six string lead is usually showcased most prominently.
I'll be showing my age as someone who was deeply engaged with the 1990s multicultural moment as a high school teacher in a multicultural community (and, amazingly, a US-Japan program for teachers) when I say I loved this post. There is such a deep truth to this, including how fulfilling it is for young people like your daughter and the mariachi competitors to fully engage without ironic disengagement in something they and their community value. Add to that the way these sorts of things bring folks together in a spirit of cross-appreciation rather than fearful anxiety.
Lovely article that reminds me how much I miss sincerity in culture which I think is somewhat brought along for the ride in the lovely Japanese expression. As a Gen-X'r I feel partly responsible for ushering in the age of snark and (to some degree justified) cynicism. It wasn't always that way. As a kid the first book I ever asked for was Carl Sagan's Cosmos. Sagan was a guy who really did unabashedly embrace sincerity. I love this little clip of him explaining how some of the ancients figured out the shape and size of the planet
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/T0f6u39jlRA
Its just pure and simple admiration and respect for discovery.
“And that, ultimately, the best way to manage our differences is to set up our societies that enable that to happen all the time.”
A noble sentiment—but it only works if our societies also teach the moral weight of effort and accountability.
In Going Varsity in Mariachi, Drake wasn’t coddled or excused when he let the band down. He experienced what might be called a “soft shunning”—not cruel, but clear. His peers and director Abel Acuña expected more. That discomfort became a moral inflection point. Drake chose to work harder, improve his playing, and re-earn his place in the ensemble. That’s character.
In Japan, China, and many Asian societies, this ethic is foundational: effort is a moral duty. Here, we often say, “That’s OK, Billy—sorry you can’t spell ‘dog,’ but we’ll give you a star and pass you anyway.” And we won’t post grades or acknowledge poor performance, because honesty might hurt feelings.
Maybe restoring honesty—and the dignity of effort—is the first step toward getting our society back in tune.
Thanks for the Netflix tip, even with the plot spoiler spelled out. It reminds me of why I like singing in a choir: it’s the dedication to a common, collaborative outcome, with the pressure of performance spurring the effort everyone puts into learning the music. I’ll be sure to link this article when I write something for my own Substack newsletter. Majime!
I never understood the objection to the melting pot metaphor. Don’t people understand that every new bit added changes the alloy?
The melting pot is a very American idea. The Canadian concept, which in my view is a holdover from British imperialism, is a patchwork of separate cultures. Keeping the various ethnic and religious groups separate keeps them from uniting against colonial authorities. In the case of Canada, the military conquest of New France meant finding the means to subjugate an ethnic, religious, and linguistic majority. For example, turning over some legal powers to religious authorities made an ally of religious leaders who had a stake in division. Call it diversity if you like.
I noticed that the article talks about white kids instead of anglophone kids. Of course, Mexican is a nationality and not a race. There are many races in Mexico and there are many people of different nationalities and races who speak English.
Among the many problems with multiculturalism is the need to establish race codes. We saw the problems in the US with both slavery and Jim Crow. Plessy v. Ferguson established separate but equal as the law of the land. Plessy was a Creole of French and African background. My understanding is that he didn’t « look » black. My third great grandmother was Basque-Creole. She would not have been very different from Mr. Plessy. Separate but equal was a terrible miscarriage of justice and I find multiculturalism to have too much in common with it to be desirable.
Today we avoid giving people blood tests or keeping government records by using race, language, and religion as interchangeable. Thus, Hispanic becomes a race, as does Muslim. I just got back from the Basque Country and found myself going to two cafes, one on the Spanish side of the border and the other on the French side. They are not more than 100 meters apart. Remarkably, the employees of one cafe spoke French and the other Spanish . Both spoke Basque. I guess that if the French-speaking Basque came to the States through Mexico they would remain White European, while the Spanish-speaking Basque would become people of color. French and Spanish are both Latin languages. So is Italian.
I apologize for the long reply, but I pondered the different approaches a lot when I had my home in Québéc. I love cultural differences and am proudly multilingual. I can embrace my Basque-Creole heritage and bring it with me into the melting pot. I saw the Basque Men’s Choir for the fourth time last month. I loved it as much as I know that I would love the Mariachi Bands. Your alloy metaphor is perfect. Steel is stronger than iron.
I might trade the melting pot metaphor for a seafood gumbo metaphor. You can usually tell where all the individual bits come from, but there is a strong unifying flavor.
Touché
Just loved this piece. I call what you describe here the potluck nation model of diversity work, as distinct from diversity being thought of as either a melting pot or a battlefield. Everybody brings their best dish to the potluck, and the whole nation feasts. It’s part of the long intellectual tradition of pluralism: https://www.persuasion.community/p/how-to-put-a-country-back-together
I just was rewatching the "Breaking Bad" episode where three singers playing acoustic guitars perform a ballad featuring "Heisenberg" - the title character Walter White's nom de guerre. Not my favorite type of music, but the enthusiasm and joy was captivating. I noticed the camera focused most often on the bass guitar (4 strings) and was curious about the difference I'm used to where the six string lead is usually showcased most prominently.
It’s probably an acoustic bass guitar not a Mexican style guitarron . They play the same as the electric bass guitar
Yikes, it was actually an electric base: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ykOTpzuZN0&list=RD_ykOTpzuZN0&start_radio=1
Mahalo nui from Hawai’i. Brought a happy tear to my eye. 🤙
American kids clearly need a lot more of majime!