The British
https://www.google.com/search?q=benjamin+zephaniah+the+britons
Poem: https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-british/
Article about America
https://sites.psu.edu/ajwcivicissues/2019/01/21/melting-pot-or-salad-bowl/
Melting Pot or Salad Bowl?
Fig. 1.America: Melting Pot or Salad Bowl.
As children in elementary school, we were told that America is
one big “melting pot.” The “melting pot” metaphor is used to
describe how immigrants who come to America eventually
become assimilated into American culture, thus creating
multiple cultures that have blended into one.
Then, as we got older, we entered the debate of determining
if America is a “melting pot” or a “salad bowl.” The “salad
bowl” metaphor is a different view describing that immigrants
who come to America combine their cultures with others, but
still retain their own cultural identity. Basically, America is one
big integration of unique, distinct cultures.
So which is it? The debate between these two metaphors is
constant and depends on how someone views the world and
the United States.
These two metaphors are used to describe America’s
multiculturalism. The United States is home to immigrants
from all over the world, which has resulted in such a high
amount of multiculturalism. Immigrants are constantly coming
to America and bringing their unique cultures with them.
Fig. 2. Garfield, Leanna.20 photos of Mexico’s breathtaking Day of
the Dead festival.
In reality, the metaphor of a “melting pot” is no longer useful.
Instead, America is more closely a “salad bowl.” We are all
together, as one, but we also all have distinct cultures.
Chinese-American citizens still celebrate the Chinese New
Year. Indian-Americans still celebrate Diwali. And Mexican-
Americans still celebrate The Day of the Dead. The list could
go on and on. So, yes, they are American, but they still
celebrate and practice their own culture.
On the other hand, America has become a “melting pot” in
some aspects. Many cultures celebrate American holidays,
even if it is not part of their own culture. For example, many
non-Christian families who do not celebrate Christmas still
partake in the exchange of gifts on this holiday. This could be
termed as some cultures becoming “Americanized,” that is
beginning to act as “Americans” do.
Fig. 3. Karimi, Faith and Levenson, Eric.Man to Spanish speakers at
New York restaurant: ‘My next call is to ICE’.
On top of that, the majority of immigrants from other
countries that come to the United States do assimilate in the
language area. Although there is no official language declared
by the federal government, English is the most spoken
language in the United States, as well as the official language
in 31 states. Therefore, most immigrants either come to the
United States knowing English, or learn it once they settle
down. There has been heavy controversy over speaking
different languages in the United States. You may be familiar
with the saying: “You’re in America so you should speak
English.” Many videos have surfaced on the Internet of
Americans criticizing people from other countries for not
speaking English in the United States. This shows that there is
somewhat of an “expectation” for other cultures to learn
English if they chose to live in the United States. This isn’t
necessarily correct, but it is a popular viewpoint in the states.
On the social level, immigrants may also assimilate. Every
culture has different social qualities, whether is be related to
eye contact, conversational distance, or physical contact.
When it comes to basic social interactions, like a conversation
or a handshake, immigrants may easily assimilate into
American culture. However, when it comes to more complex
social interactions for immigrants, like friendships or
marriage, the social aspects of their distinct culture may come
more into play.
In some sense, America has become a “melting pot,” but
looking at the bigger picture, it really is a “salad bowl.” People
of other nationalities still keep their cultural identities. A
“melting pot” would suggest that once people come to
America from a different country, their cultural identity is
basically lost and becomes solely American. But can’t you be
American and still have your own distinct culture, even if it is
from outside of the United States? Immigrants do assimilate in
certain areas in order to adjust to the “American way”, but
overall, they keep their cultural identity.
Immigrants should not be expected to assimilate into
American culture. America was founded as the land of the
free and a place where you can be whoever you want.
Therefore, if America wants to uphold this ideal that the
country was founded on, immigrants should be allowed to
decide when and how much they assimilate into American
culture, if they decide to at all.
Fig. 4.The Benefits of Multiculturalism in the Workplace.
If you really think about it, America does not really have an
“authentic” culture, because American culture is a mix of
hundreds, if not thousands, of different cultures. People from
all over the world have been coming to America since it was
first discovered, so in reality, America’s culture is everyone’s
culture. American culture cannot simply be defined as one
thing. It is hard to define it at all, just because of how great
and complex it is. Walking down the street, you see people of
all ethnicities, races, and origins. Everyone is unique with
their own culture, and that is what makes America so unique.
So, we should celebrate multiculturalism, not deny it, because
that is the true definition of what America really is.
