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American Values, Cultures And Culture Of American Culture In America

Satisfactory Essays

There are many ways that Americans of different cultures and upbringings are discriminated against, among these are “isms” such as ethnocentrism and nativism that prize so-called “American” values and culture over the values and cultures of immigrants and foreigners. In particular, ethnocentrism has existed in our country for decades upon decades and continues to strip immigrants of their culture, and even their names. Ethnocentrism is defined as “the belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture” leading Americans and English speakers to think less of speakers of other languages (dictionary.com). Because America has almost always been a “melting pot” where someone may immigrate to in order to pursue their dreams thanks to the incredible opportunities of our country, there have almost always been immigrants. Unfortunately, immigrants of many groups have felt resistance to their languages and cultures in America; consequently, these immigrants have been made to assimilate into American culture. Manuel Muñoz, a Mexican-American novelist writes “The corrosive effect of assimilation is the displacement of one culture over another”(Muñoz), illustrating the pain that immigrants go through when subject to a situation in which their culture is unwelcome. The process of Assimilation is often used entirely to get rid of cultural flavors that Americans do not like, and to Americanize every immigrant, rather than to open the eyes of Americans to other

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