Ok, I really do know that In my case, no - no cigar.. The records in East Germany was destroyed and all of the elders are gone so the verbal history was lost. As mom is adopted and a long time ago - no records were kept in a way you can trace it - it was a closed adoption and that information was not kept back then.
Sorry, not to get personal, you can cuss me out if you wish, but what do you gain by knowing that? You are an american educated scientist, successful in what you do, very knowlegable about lots of stuff, so you do not know your dad side of family tree, why is that a big deal to you? what is that going to change?
I will never cuss you out and it is a big deal, maybe it can not be understood unless you have no history??? Its not that I go around every day thinking about it - its not my MO.
The more I read these threads I think about Carlin's bit on pride. Can someone do me a huge favor and put up for me. It's on YouTube. I'd do it myself but I'm on my iPod touch right now. Btw I think acknowledgement of human history is a great thing but cultural or even nationalistic pride is what often leads to divisions which result in war and when we boil it down we're all more or less the same. Ten fingers ten toes and a need to eat drink breathe and fuck. How we go about getting those things makes people feel superior and/or inferior. Seems lukecwasted energy.
Unfortunately - some misstake cultural pride with some werid sense of being better than everybody else and think they have a right to stuff theirs down everybody elses throat. But I do think it is important to know and understand the history.. if you forget, we will repeat the mistakes already done...
LOL... I understand how it is FG. My father is European and I couldn't find shit on his relatives that didn't stop here in America. I wanted to know stuff past his grandparents and I couldn't find anything. Yet on my moms side, our Turkish lineage goes back to the 1600s and although it's hard as fuck, I was able to get a lot of info. Reason I said my Moms side, is cause my fathers side sucks donkey and horse balls. After I found some of them, they could care less if you keep in touch. Yet, I found relatives from 4 generations ago related on my mothers side who are in different countries who like to keep in touch.
What's to be proud of if one is from a rat and roach infested tenement? Or growing up having to listen to gunshots, police sirens and helicopters every night? Or knowing that you had to struggle, scramble hustle and fight everyday?
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Lmao. Arent we all just part of the human family going through the rollercoaster of life together. Does it matter if you're in the third car or the fifth or what color the car is or who manufactored the car it just matters that we get to ride together. Yes I know I'm cheesy lol.
Good analgy and no, in essence it doesnt. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE cultures and dont think valuing it and wanting it to be a part of it al means that it matters in the sense you describe. Its not mutually exclusive. Its a differnec between the people that drive racist and religious believes on culture and just simply admiring it and appreciate it. I can never get enough of any culture, I love it. Maybe this country value it less?? I dunno. I personally would not have the world to go all beige with all the same culture. I dont want cultures to die off and dissapear.
Oh yeah me too. It's a glimpse at a side of me I don't get to see often so I love it too. I just think too many people attach so much of who they are based on how someone else lived their lives and it keeps us divided. I'm all about the togetherness.
well that is true and I dont like when people do that - because they isolate themselves from other cultures. I look at it as a beautiful tapestry you can take a look at and admire and go all "chimpy" as my X would say (oohhh ohhhh ohhhh) LOL. and perhaps understand some things about yourself. I think if you are aware of your culture, you are also more aware of why you do certain things and why you react to certain things a cretain way. Its a way to keep you aware and understanding, not only of yourself but of others. But there is a danger when you take pride in culture to places it was never intended to go.....
I guess my definition of culture is the human culture not the Jamaican culture. Certain things are more familiar because of how I grew up but I can myself in every culture every where because we have the same origin and we're going to the same place.
Variety is what makes life so fun. Wars, racism, supremacy, hate, greed, and the desire to dominate others is a direct result of people being ignorant or lacking respect for other cultures. Confusion is not created by the EXPRESSION of different cultures but by the LACK OF TOLERANCE dealing with different cultures (cultural bigotry, ethnocentricity, etc.). You made a very valid point flyinggeek.
