American Culture Has Become A Melting Pot

As children, the idea of stealing is engrained in our heads as an unethical line of which you do not cross. In school we learn that taking information and not giving its proper source credit is plagiarism. We live in a society where the idea of taking something that doesn 't belong to you is shunned, but why does that mentality alter when things begin to involve cultures? Certain people everyday seem to be given a free pass when it comes to “borrowing” key components to other cultures. They are almost celebrated for this “multi-cultural approach” to life while the cultures of which these things come from are often subjected to disparagement for celebrating themselves. There is no way to describe it as anything but the heinous thievery of culture by those whom are in power. (Nittle)

It is not wrong to wear clothing or eat food from cultures different from your own, but the minute credit is not given to the right people is the minute one’s “appreciation” turns into appropriation.

The United States of America used to be known as the world’s largest melting pot. Meaning many different ethnicities and backgrounds coming and living with one another, and sharing each other’s culture. This can also be defined as assimilation. The United States of America has slowly drifted away from assimilation to isolating those who are different and diverse.

Known to many as the ‘melting pot,’ the United States consists of a variety of cultures and peoples. Immigrants from near and far traveled and continue to do so for economic opportunities or to escape persecution. One particular group of people who immigrated to the United States were the Filipinos or Pinoys, as some like to call themselves. Due to its 400-year colonization by Spain and the United States, the Filipino American populace increased after the Philippines became a territory under U.S. control. The last Asiatic group to migrate to the United States, the Filipinos have contributed to the American society through a variety of occupations, such as sailors or nannies. Moreover, the U.S. colonization of the Philippines from

America is a melting pot filled with many different cultures; moreover, the changing color of America has made it one of the most diverse place to live. Though rich in culture, minority groups suffer from health disparities due to their socioeconomic status, education, language, and political beliefs. As most minority group will find they have similar barriers that they face during the assimilation to the main stream culture. The minority group that will be focused for this discussion will be Vietnamese Americans.

In Forging a New Vision of America 's Melting Pot by Gregory Rodriguez the author expresses support for a heavy Mexican influence in the United States and integration of races. The author made some points about how legislatures have tried to stop Mexicans from entering the country and have repeatedly tried to keep them down as second class citizens. It seems that he wants Mexicans to have more influence in mainstream media, but I feel as if he 's pushing it too strong. I 'm all for equality, but it seems that he wants Hispanics to take a very large piece of the pie. I prefer an equal amount of the pie for all. It seems that the issue the author is stating about discrimination and legislative action against Hispanics comes from issues stemming from the old days. He mentions the Nineteen-twenties Texas representative John C. Box and his controversial views on immigration of Mexicans, but then he states a strong support in the Nineteen-nineties and their “Latino issues are American issues” mantra. I see why some people may be worried that Mexicans are taking over, because they may lose a little of their culture. Although change isn 't always bad, we cannot just barge in and force a change. America is a diverse country and we have a piece of the whole world here, so for one social group to complain and want their influence to be on a grand scale is just preposterous. We all need to share this melting pot of stew.

The United States of America is considered a melting pot of heritages and nationalities from all around the world. There is no official language, and no one culture all citizens abide by. Despite the fact that everyone in this country is different from one another, there is still a constant uniform citizen that has a more favorable position. This citizen is white, English-speaking, and somehow always in the front of the public sphere. In the recent years, there has been an increasingly dominant Latino presence in America. Their strength in numbers challenges there being a poster American citizen, and that that citizen will remain white. When working to assimilate to America’s “culture,” Lations seem to believe that there is one America, within which people speak a singular language and experience one culture. The pressure to assimilate stems from the white citizens of the country feeling threatened when there is a new culture and language, which they do not understand. As a result they feel personally threatened by the people who can speak both Spanish and English, and their response response involves marginalization and the obvious exclusion of Latino groups in the United States. There is a phenomenon, cultural citizenship, where Latinos perform their cultural practices to stretch their identity into the states, and practice their right to be authentic members of their community.

According to The Bureau of International Information Programs of the US Department of State, "Becoming American: Beyond the Melting Pot" they stated that, "The United States has been ‘a permanently unfinished country' because it has been continuously built and rebuilt by immigration" (5). So what does it mean to be "American" in a country as diverse as the United States? In Immigration Issues: Major Issues in American history, Henry Bischoff stated, "The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else" (201). This acknowledges the fact that in order for immigrants to be given the favorable circumstances of being accepted into the American mainstream, it is required for them to lose their identity and adapt into

“Although dominated by white Anglo-Saxon sociocultural patterns, American culture is in fact a tapestry woven of diverse threads that include Native American, Hispanic, Asian and African traditions, as well as those of European origin” (Craven, 2003, p. 529). America is often described as the melting pot; the concept of culture is formulated around the notion of many subcultures inside one larger nation in which, “the melting pot has not merely melted; it has cooked a broth with an unmistakable favor of its own” (Perry, 1949, p. 357).

Cultural Appropriation is defined as when you take intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions or artefacts from someone else’s culture, without permission (Scafidi, 2005). In mythology and folklore it can have very negative consequences as often a cultures traditional stories are taken without consent and adapted significantly, usually from a western lens. These texts are often not treated with respect, and elements which seem unusual or interesting are sensationalized and exaggerated. The original creators then find that their stories have already been told, complete with misunderstandings and disrespectful changes. Eventually, people within a cultural context can lose control over their own stories and mythology completely.

The United States is commonly know as a melting pot of nations, in which people from around the world have emigrated to form a homogeneous yet varied culture. Although we come from different ethnic groups, we are usually bound together through our common English language. This becomes an issue, however, when immigrants are not familiar with English and American culture, and instead attempt to keep their own heritage alive. They are often torn between identities through language, the one they speak at home which they are familiar with, and the one they must adhere to in public. This often leads to struggle and conflict on both sides, dealing with different cultures and how people react when assimilation occurs. Because of this, living in the United States often requires us to completely accept only one identity, even though hints of the other may spill over at times.

CULTURE! he pride, the identity, the history, the importance it serves to its people. Culture show the struggle the knowledge, the life, and the death of a people. Cultural appropriation is defined as the adaptation or use of elements of one culture by the members of another culture. Seen by some as controversial where minority culture is used by cultural majority (whites), and is seen as stripping it of its importance and intellectual properties.Cultural appropriation, it is something that we as a people should not accept nor should we ignore it.For it has been committed on many platforms such as music and fashion, and is a way to keep black people oppressed by stereotypes and strip them of their pride.

The history of American music begins with a fundamental process of exchange through all different social lines, where diverse cultures meet, and mix. Music has and always will be defined as sounds that are arranged in a particular pattern that are played to be meaningful and pleasurable. The chronology of music began in the Medieval period, when chanting was introduced into the Church. Music has then moved its way through many stages: renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic and leading up to 20th century American music. American 20th century music is made up of a diverse number of styles that are reflected by cultural traditions and the era’s of the past. Immigrants from Spain, France, England, Germany and Ireland all contributed and brought their own unique styles to the forefront, hence creating American music. African Americans created influential musical traditions that include rhythm and improvisation that were later combined with European traditions and other indigenous music.

Culture is a behavior that consists of several critical elements, such as language, religion, race and ethnicity, clothing and politics. Culture is what one does in his/her daily life. In order to understand others, we must first keep in mind that every culture carries its own set of values and assumptions. Culture is an evolving, ever changing civilization, which includes several different groups people. For immigrants, America is a land of opportunity; for others it is just the best country in the world because of its economic success and/or its democratic political system. Americans usually value independence a lot, believe in equal opportunity, and have a direct communication

We, as U.S. citizens, have a unique position in the world’s affairs as a developed global power. Despite this, the mindsets held by most modern Americans regarding the rest of the world tend to be shallow or ill-informed. Even further, these beliefs harm the minority communities residing within our own country as well. Monoculturalism refers to the act of encouraging /a national popular culture via the exclusion of outside influences. A monocultural society in today’s day and age can have several negative impacts on our society such as an dismissive, closed off mindset and a shift towards homogenous thinking in the human species.