For my Civic Issues blog, I decided to pick the topic of multiculturalism. This topic focuses on the idea of the United States being viewed as a “melting pot” of cultures and looks at if this term can still apply presently. It also will look at what assimilation and acculturation does to the cultural identities of people of other nationalities when they emigrate to the United States. I will look at what other metaphors are being used today for the United States. This blog will also look at what extent immigrants are expected to assimilate and how much they should be assimilating. It will look at questions such as how immigration and American identity has played out in the past and if there is anything such as an authentic American culture. What exactly does “mainstream” mean and how does a subculture become a part of it?
Although I am not an immigrant myself, my mother immigrated to the United States from Italy when she was two years old. My grandparents had to go through an assimilation to become an “American.” They emigrated from Italy in the 1970s, and for them, assimilation included learning English from the people they worked along side with, accepting the fast pace of American life while trying to preserve Italian traditions, and being open to teaching their family both the Italian and American way of life. They successfully achieved all of these aspects, and although my grandmother was more open to assimilated than my grandfather, he still respects American culture while having pride in Italy.
Because of this experience, I have come to believe that when immigrants come to America they should be respectful of American culture and learn the language of the country in which they are living. That being said, I think that America has become much more tolerant of immigrants and tries to cater to there needs in ways such as having multiple language explain directions on amusement park rides, or having multiple languages on the back of shampoo bottles and everyday household items. While it is great that we are accepting of so many cultures, I think that this has also prevented an authentic American culture from being formed. Because America caters to the needs of many countries, I think they many immigrants lose motivating because they don’t really have to anymore since most of their native language is provided to them. It also cost a lot of time and money to assimilate into a culture and I don’t think people are willing to do that if they do not have to.
While researching this topic, I came across an article in the New York Times that had quite the opposite opinion from the one that I hold. I am always open to new perspectives and this article was actually very surprising to me so I am glad that I came across it. The article is entitled, “Newest Immigrants Assimilating as Fast as Previous Ones, Report Says” by Julia Preston. The article states that a report was done by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that proved that presently immigrants are becoming integrated into American culture just as fast as previous ones have been and that this is increasing over time. In fact, according to Professor Mary C. Waters, a sociologist at Harvard, “The desire on the part of immigrants to learn English is very high” and that Americans should not be concerned that immigrants are trying to impose their language on the United States. The article goes on to talk about how learning English “is happening as rapidly or faster now than it did for earlier waves of mainly European immigrants in the 20th century.”
I had always thought that because immigrants in earlier centuries were forced to learn the English language in order to survive in the workforce that they would have learned it faster, but I was surprised to find out that this was not the case.
Even though the English language may or may not be seen as a unifying factor for becoming a United States citizen, I think that one idea that still remains prevalent in the minds of all immigrants, both past and present, is that they come to America in hopes of finding a better life. In an article entitled, “Should Immigration Require Assimilation?” from The Atlantic, an recent immigrant from El Salvador, Marta Quintanilla Call, talks about her views on America. “America to her was the place where imagined futures did not seem hopelessly out of reach, as they would have in the village where she was raised.”
Although much has changed from past to present, I think one thing remains the amount of opportunity found in America is unmatched by other countries, which keeps immigrants coming to America hoping to get their chance at a better life.
Jim Davidson says
Hi Alexia,
I think you’ve raised lots of great points in this post, especially with regard to the seeming lack of culture in America and the life of the modern immigrant.
I agree that the American “mainstream” culture is difficult to identify because the country is so diverse. Other than, say, the fourth of July and Football games, you rarely hear of unique American traditions. Ethnic and international pride and practices are much more common and well known. It’ll be interesting to see what you discover about this trend in your research.
This post was interesting to me because it focused on the modern immigrant. When I think of immigration, I picture either Ellis Island in 1920 or the efforts of current lawmakers to curb illegal inmigration because I think those are the two situations most often portrayed by the media and entertainment mediums. We rarely pay attention to the struggles of new, established Americans.
I think your post is excellent because it highlights the transition process of the modern american immigrant. With new technology and a greater societal awarness of the difficulties immigrants face (as you described), I find it unsurprising that immigrants are assimilating faster than ever before.
I was very interested to read that the classic “American Dream” attitude still persists among immigrants seeking a new home in the United States. Social mobility and gaining financial independence has always, in my mind, seemed to be the goal for those chasing the American Dream. But according to USA Today, this type of mobility and growth is declining in modern America.
This article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/12/09/income-american-dream-kids/95190206/ summarizes those stats and explains their decline. Of course, it’s not impossible to ‘move up the ladder’. But these stats and others suggest it is much more difficult than it once was due to an unequally distributed economy and a decline in manufacturing jobs, among other things.
I’d be interested to learn more about the immigrant perception of America. Where do non-americans get their information about America? Do most still view it as the land of opportunity that it was built on during the last century? What sets America apart from other countries in the eyes of someone trying to leave?
Jim.