[quote=@Buddha]
I also wonder why Americans are so obsessed with heritage and culture. Most Slavs living in America are barely Slavic at all. Most Irish living in America are barely Irish at all. It seems like some vague attempt at getting glory and/or something to be proud of because you are lacking in personal achievements. 
[/quote]

I think ethnic heritage is part of American culture really. I will say for one the Irish get more than anybody because St Patty's is a drinking holiday so everybody gets into it. You'll see black guys marching down the street with "Kiss me I am Irish" shirts. 

But that sort of goes into it. Our national identity isn't attached to a racial one like it is in Europe, so the idea of people celebrating ethnic heritage doesn't feel out of place. Most small town ethnic festivals are more about getting people to visit and buy stuff than anything else, and we like it because we like the idea that we are a nation of immigrants (despite what some people think about new immigrants.) Our national identity is basically "Everyone left their shitty European countries to create a country in the new world that isn't shitty", and ethnic festivals back up that idea. So in a sense for us, celebrating divergence is part of celebrating being an American. I would suspect that cultural tendency is part of the reason the Pride parade is an American invention.

I would generally agree with you about the last part, that someone who becomes obsessive enough about heritage might be making up for personal failings, but these things can surely be measured in degrees. Marching in an ethnic parade, or a gay pride parade, doesn't necessarily mean that is all you ever do or all you are interested in.