Cultural assimilation has been a topic of opinion writing for some years now, but what really is cultural assimilation and why is it such a problem?
Cultural Assimilation is the fancy term for the metaphor we have heard for decades: America, The Melting Pot. A melting pot, which takes small solids and melts them together to make a bigger dish, held together by binding ingredients.
There are many who would say that cultural assimilation may result in individuals losing their ethnic identity, which is a fair concern. And I understand that heritage and ethnicity are very important for families all across the United States, but maybe we should think about this issue differently.
Is it not possible to live in America and behold an American culture without forgetting where your family comes from? Families, parents, grandparents—adults need to model how this looks for their children, who will outlive them and teach their children the same.
My mother sang me Swedish lullabies when I was a child and makes traditional Swedish food. My father shares his Chicago- Italian roots through music and stories of our family; we also eat traditional Italian meals and he taught us what our very Italian last name means. But, I feel very comfortable in America because we are Americans.
I have family members who have served for the American flag in times of war, they represented America because while they were Swedish or Italian, they knew they lived and benefited from the United States and so they respected and pledged allegiance to these United States.
Being proud of where you come from is a fundamental human belief that dates to ancient times. Families have always held pride in their forbearers or have carried the shame of what their ancestors have done. Knowing where you come from can unlock answers to questions you may have now and there is nothing wrong in being proud of your ethnicity. But there is a difference between refusing to fly the American flag on your American, tax-payer funded college campus and serving a traditional Turkish dish on a Tuesday night in your home.
"American" is an identity and I don’t understand why individuals and families sell all they have and go through the grueling process of getting to America legally just to parade their countries' flags and demand that America become Brazil, Syria, Congo, Mexico etc. "American" is an identity and I behold that identity. Yes, my mother is Scandinavian, but she’s an American. Yes, my dad is Italian and Middle-Eastern, but he is an American and has fought for the American flag.
In the first half of the 20th century, immigrants came to America and wanted American names. Ellis Island has seen millions of name changes because those who came through the doors of immigration offices wanted to be American. Now, the more ethnic the names, the better. And there is nothing wrong with that, I am just pointing out a culture shift. Elizabeth Warren claims and celebrates that she is part Native American, even if it's minuscule, just to prove she is an ethnically diverse person.
But a point of thinking I would like to point out is that if I go to any other country, I would have to assimilate to their culture. I would have to learn French, Mandarin or Spanish in order to be successful in that country, but Americans are monsters when they don’t understand someone who is not speaking English, in a mostly English-speaking country. We get guilt-tripped for being American in America.
Yes, when you enter a country, you should integrate into that society and if you don’t like that society, go integrate somewhere where you fit. This just makes sense. I would not fit into Florida State University, so I didn’t go to school there. I felt out of place on Colombia’s campus in Chicago and so I did not go there. If I went to a death metal concert, I would feel out of place so I do not go to those concerts.
America gives a lot to those who come here, America helps and accommodates to those who immigrate here, but we will not become another country. Yes we can celebrate other diverse lifestyles, that is beautiful and the best part of America, but celebrating diversity and succumbing to another culture are very different. Celebrating diversity looks like a shopping plaza with a Chinese market next to an Armenian restaurant, next to a cycling studio, next to a French art studio. Diversity looks like African, White, Asian, Mexican and Syrian children sitting next to one another in a classroom, learning from an American teacher. We will not pledge allegiance to other nations' flags, we will not make Sharia Law a legal system of living here, will not forget America’s forefathers or history.
America is a melting pot. When you melt things together, they become one, unified substance. But that does not mean the individual characteristics, the individual ethnicities have to disappear. If you melt lavender wax and honey wax together, you can still smell the lavender, you can still see the honey—but they are one.
So cultural assimilation is not the enemy; forgetting where you come from isn’t the only option for those who come to America, but making America your home country isn't the only option either. We can have both and celebrate each other and live in unity with one another.
