I can’t imagine a more open and accepting group of people than those in the contra dance community. At any contra dance there are young people and old, rich and poor, conservative and liberal, blue collar and white collar, all sorts of different people from different walks of life.
And almost all of Northern European descent. It’s rare to see anyone of African descent, or Latin American, or Asian, or even Southern European.
Is this a non-welcoming community then? Are we in contra not as open as we like to think?
I don’t think so. Even the Republicans in the contra community have a lot of ‘Snow Flake’ in them.
I think it’s the music. A music that resonates with our shared cultural roots. A music that speaks to us at a level deep below the diversity-loving part of us that yearns for a society that is fair and equitable for all.
We’d love to see all those other cultures at our dances. We’d love to interact with them, share a do-si-do down the line, a smile, eye contact, talk during the break, get to know and understand each other. But I just don’t think the music speaks to them like it does to us.
Them and us.
This is a problem in a country as culturally diverse as ours. It’s what we wrestle with, trying to establish the boundaries, the interconnections, the ways to preserve one culture while still being able to live and work in harmony with others.
E.B. White understood all of this in 1949. Here’s his essay on how all the myriad cultures in New York get along each day. And the dangers that lurked ahead.
Quotes from This is New York by E.B. White
The full essay, but definitely a book that should be bought as well.
