The Daily Eagle

The Wal-Mart of All Exoticness

Chris Spangenberg

The truth is, most of us only want a “superficial multiculturalism”. Sushi for a Saturday lunch. Tattoos with Chinese characters. Persian swear-words in one's linguistic arsenal.

Multiculturalism is truly only able to exist when all involved cultures attempt to connect and have a sincere knowledge and respect for each other. Not when it's a “convenient commodity”, or seen as “exotic”. A holiday to Hawaii might be healthy for the Hawaiian economy, but I'll bet you a cache of Monopoly money that the natives find it patronizing when you're flashing cameras, and pretending to be a Hula dancer. Same goes for any country, except for the USA. They find it intimidating and strip-search you at airports.

I'm still waiting for the time when cultures truly cast away the confines of comfort and prejudice, and really try to gain a deeper understanding of different cultures...a veritable melting pot of ethnicity coming together to wise up and gain more knowledge, and enforce a bond of peace and mutual appreciation.

Sure, the barriers of racism have broken down, and Lil Wayne, a visible minority, appears on the same shelves as Caucasians like Maroon 5 and Katy Perry. But for what I know, it's the same caterwaul, thus rendering the comparison obsolete.

Until the fateful day when the walls come crashing down, eating a Burrito at Taco Bell does not make one a Mexican. Or even multicultural. It makes you a fast-food connoisseur.

Inspiration and footwork from When Rap Music Had A Conscience by Tayannah Lee McQuillar