Federalization and the global community

Kudos to the NMI Council for the Humanities for the excellent roundtable discussion presented Monday evening at the American Memorial Park. Any time there is “standing room only,” one knows that they have a “hit.”

The title of the discussion was: “Federalization: Impact on Local Culture.” I wish it would have been: Federalization: Will it Impact the Local Culture,” or better yet: “How Will it Impact the Local Culture?” To me, that would have been an easier question to address and/or answer. I had a sense, as an observer, that many, if not all of the panel members, struggled with the questions!

As I sat there, I thought back to my undergraduate days, when I was a Sociology major, and no matter what the course title, we were repeatedly asked to “define” culture. It seemed that everyone knew and/or had a sense of what it was, but we all had significant difficulty coming up with a “hands-on” definition.

Defining “culture” is somewhat like trying to catch lighting in a jar, or putting toothpaste back in a tube. We have an innate sense of it, but we struggle with a definition. That said, my answer to the unasked question: Will it impact the local culture is ABSOLUTELY! How could it not? It will affect it both positively and negatively. Just like everything else around us.

I sense that everyone on the panel accepted the fact that we ARE a part of the “global community.” How could we be alive and not be?

The ONLY constant in society today is CHANGE! And, that is not very different were we to transport ourselves backwards (something we can fantasy about, but cannot do) some 100 years. The difference is the CADENCE of CHANGE!

Some of the instruments that have affected societal change in the past century: the telephone, air travel, television, the computer, the Internet, cell phones, and the myriad of electronic devices that we are convinced we can no longer live without. Are we ALL a part of the “global community?” Of course, we are! We can communicate with people all over the world by the touch of a button, and we can do it instantly!

And, anyone who knows anything about this “electronic age” knows we have not even scratched the surface of it. Ten years from now, we will wonder how we survived with the out-dated equipment we are currently utilizing.

Saipan, like every community world wide, will have their culture affected daily. Some of it we will embrace. Other changes will create difficulties for us. Hopefully, we will learn to manage these changes.

Think about how Elvis Pressley affected the musical culture. Better yet, think about how the Beatles affected musical culture. There were no announcements! Stand back, we are about to be faced with radical change! Protect your children from this evil music! This change occurred insidiously, and before we knew it, the new music became a part of us. Most people, especially the younger set, embraced the cultural change immediately! Today, most adults embrace “Beatlemania”!

Saipan is no more a “cultural melting pot” than New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, London, or Hong Kong. We are just so much smaller than the aforementioned cities. Everything is magnified here!

The United States has been consumed with safety since 9-11. In some respects, there is better control and oversight relative to immigration here than there is in the U.S. There are thousands of “illegals” walking across both borders, Mexican and Canadian, on a daily basis. Should the U.S. be more concerned about their immigration problems, and less concerned/involved in ours? Perhaps! But, that is not a realistic approach in these times. We must remember that we do exist in a global community. And, we are allied to the U.S.…for better and for worse!

Interestingly, during this election year in the U.S., neither presidential candidate wants to send the “illegals” home to their native lands. Both McCain and Obama claim they are needed to sustain the U.S. economy. If that is so, then no matter which of them is elected, they are NOT going to propose doing something here that they oppose at home! We need to “chill out”! And, they are dealing with illegal immigrants. We have few of those. Surely, we will find a mechanism to protect the “legal” immigrants that have come to the CNMI. They do embellish OUR culture!

And, if we continue to want U.S. money and financial assistance, and we want it without having to repay it, then we best accept the fact that they are going to have major input on how this island is administered, especially in the arena of immigration.

I suspect the cultural changes as a result of federalization will be minimal. Some of the changes will be advantageous. Some will create hardships. Hopefully, we can migrate to a point wherein we can accept those changes that we like and negotiate those we do not.

Some three and a half years ago, prior to the last election, I had a three-hour conversation with an “indigenous local.” He wants his island the “way it USED to be.” I was impressed and thought to myself, he may be right. It is his island. Since then, I realize that no one can go back. I’d like to be 30 again. It just isn’t going to happen.

We must adapt to the changes that are occurring around us. It is beyond anyone’s ability to control these changes. We cannot even control the cadence of these changes! We ARE a part of the “global community.” And, we are connected to the world electronically!

So, again, KUDOS to the Council for the Humanities! Do it again, and again! Open forums are so productive, and can be so enlightening. I suspect many in the population base here are frightened of what will happen next June. We will adjust, and we will survive, and with a positive attitude, we can thrive!