if we're multicultural, that IS part of our heritage..*smile*...I know some Japanese things and some Swedish things etc....but my strongest influence is Western European filtered thru midwestern American schools....and let's face it, the evening news, (unless you look hard for alternatives) is delivered by people partly chosen for their accents and background.

Diversity has wonderful aspects, but diversity for its own sake, unregulated, can easily lead to de facto segregation and adversarial attitudes as groups try to retain their language and customs to the exclusion of the majority.......I know this opinion in NOT PC these days, but I live in area where it simply IS a major issue. Not an easy situation to resolve!...The goal is to minimize "cultural losses" while promoting some standards of knowlege, behavior and societal norms.

(yes, I'm aware there are 3 doctoral theses buried in that little paragraph)