- The Amphibians are pluralism personified. Pluralism, remember, isn’t just living with difference, or tolerance. It’s the weaving together of different life commitments. It’s being planted here and also being planted there, but somehow forming yourself into a third thing, one coherent personality. Amphibians make E pluribus unum their life mission.
Serious question. Is there a criticism here, other than his somewhat awkward metaphor? I mean, fuck, I'm full of awkward metaphors. He's trying to say something positive here though and I think he has some points. I mean, he's no Desomnd Tutu, but his heart seems to be in the right place on this one.Their lives are examples of the power of love to slice through tribal identity. If you start with the Amphibian approach - that every new and different person you meet is first of all my brother, my sister - then the concept of difference changes. The emotional atmosphere is transformed.
To me the humor is in how his worldview clashes with what he looks at. Got lost in the trees, trying to find the forest. First he writes some articles kinda friendly to less conservative ideas, then he writes some articles explaining how masking those ideas conservative is the best way to implement them, because. That's my take, anyway.
I don't care how old and white you are, the idea of a "melting pot" is hundreds of years older and whiter than you. This is effectively LolBrooks going "hey you guise like young people are interesting and shit" because he just learned that. It's such an appallingly elitist, cloistered viewpoint that it's like George Bush and the grocery scanner except true.Serious question. Is there a criticism here, other than his somewhat awkward metaphor?
One thing that’s hit me over the head right away is how many young adults have interesting backgrounds — one is part French, part Costa Rican. Another is a conservative lesbian from the rural Midwest who came to study in the urban East.
To be fair to Brooks, and I'm being serious here when I'm saying "to be fair to Brooks," no one is ever too old to make positive discoveries. That he is enthusiastic enough to want to write about the issue and show it to the world, shows he's either A) somewhat sincere in his thoughts or B) finding positive encouragement to try and think this way. Naive or not, cloistered or not, elitist or not, awkward metaphors or not, he's trying here, and that's something to be not only encouraged, but celebrated.This is effectively LolBrooks going "hey you guise like young people are interesting and shit" because he just learned that.
I prefer the time you compared him to an alien reporting from a totally remote reference frame on what these humans seem to preoccupy themselves with. I think he just described America and the promise of its concept while wholly in a vacuum from that concept