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<body class='hmmessage'>Chas-<BR>
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I totally agree with you on the fruit salad. When I said that one day we wouldn't need to rely on those categories it was the idealist in me hoping that one day we can all appreciate the differences among us and not wall ourselves off into homogeneous groups that banter and spit on each other like children on a playground. The realist in me knows that we are far from celebrating differences and living in harmony, but I believe that it could one day happen. <BR>
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I would love to live in a fruit salad society! There are so many good "fruits" out there!<BR>
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-Mo<BR>
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PS- While I at times have been mistaken for a male in the restroom, I am at the moment female. I know that Mo is one of those names that isn't gender specific. No offense was taken for you using the male pronoun, I just that I would let you know. <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
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> Date: Tue, 13 May 2008 16:36:42 -0700<BR>> From: chasuk@gmail.com<BR>> To: hend5953@vandals.uidaho.edu<BR>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Interfaith Panel Thurs. May 15<BR>> CC: donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com; suehovey@moscow.com; mhamilto@vetmed.wsu.edu; kjajmix1@msn.com; london@moscow.com; vision2020@mail-gw.fsr.net<BR>> <BR>> On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 3:26 PM, Donovan Arnold<BR>> <donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com> asked:<BR>> <BR>> > Why are some people so obsessed with a person's gender, race, religion, and<BR>> > sexual orientation? Does it matter?<BR>> <BR>> On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 3:54 PM, Mo Hendrickson<BR>> <hend5953@vandals.uidaho.edu> replied:<BR>> <BR>> > It is important that we realize the inherent worth in all people<BR>> > for what they have to contribute to the betterment of our nation and world.<BR>> <BR>> And:<BR>> <BR>> > We all should be trying to make spaces for diversity to enter<BR>> > into the conversation so that one day we won't need to rely on those<BR>> > categories.<BR>> <BR>> For Mo's first point, unconditional agreement. For his latter point,<BR>> I provisionally agree, as long as we are not talking about<BR>> homogenizing those categories to the point that they are nonexistent.<BR>> I'm not a melting pot proponent (an assimilationist). I'm a fruit<BR>> salad proponent (a multiculturalist). The Mauritian Catholic priest<BR>> Henri Souchon spoke of fruit salad and fruit compote. I wish I could<BR>> quote him directly, but I am depressingly monolingual. But I can<BR>> quote from someone who explicates his point very well:<BR>> <BR>> http://folk.uio.no/geirthe/Multiculturalism.html<BR>> <BR>> "... Souchon sees two possible scenarios for Mauritius regarding the<BR>> relationship between ethnic boundaries and the formation of identity<BR>> categories oblivious to ethnicity. He calls them the fruit salad and<BR>> the fruit compote, respectively. In the fruit salad, the components<BR>> are clearly distinct; ethnic boundaries are intact, and reflexively<BR>> "rooted" identites are secure and stable. In the fruit compote, on the<BR>> other hand, the different fruits are squashed and mixed together with<BR>> substantial use of force. (This metaphor, it may be noted, is a<BR>> variant of the American melting pot metaphor.) The result of the<BR>> compote de fruit, in père Souchon's view, would be uprootedness,<BR>> nihilism and confusion. He himself therefore supports the fruit salad<BR>> variety..."<BR>> <BR>> I was in a bookstore in Vancouver, B.C. a few years ago and read some<BR>> translated Souchon expressing these ideas, and they spoke to my<BR>> cosmopolitan soul. I've thought of myself as a fruit salad guy ever<BR>> since.<BR>> <BR>> Chas<BR><BR></body>
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