There are 6.3 billion people in the world, each one of them believes and acts differently. But some of them don’t believe what the other believes and acts against them. But in America it is amazing how we open our country to all and can live with so many different people and cultures. Being an American means being able to live with different cultures without dispute. Here in Pittsburgh there are many different cultures and places where those cultures mainly are. In Deutschtown, the population is mainly Dutch. There are a lot of Dutch shops, food, cloths ect… Another example is Squirrel Hill, it has mainly a Jewish Population. 36 percent of the Jewish population in Pittsburgh lives in Squirrel Hill. In Squirrel Hill they have many things related
Michael Walzer’s essay on “What Does It Mean to Be an American?” raises many points about the American citizen. Specifically, he discusses “American” as an adjective (Walzer). “American” is often associated with American citizens; while this is true, the term can also be applied to Canadians and Mexicans (Walzer). American is such an ambiguous adjective that it is applicable to all countries and individuals that are part of the North American continent. Like Mr. Walzer states, American is not a truly defined term and America is not a country (Walzer). Walzer goes on to introduce a Horace Kallen’s opinion on American’s as anonymous and their “unique” pluralism (Walzer). There are exceptions to all things; the positive to being an American is the fact that Americans can be whatever they choose to be. I feel to be an American one must believe in the American ideals, they must believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. American 's in general may be anonymous, however, upon further reflection they have left the definition of “American” open for each American to define the adjective for themselves.
We as humans come in different shape and sizes also with different cultures and beliefs. We humans should understand people do not always have the same belief or the same culture. In “My so called Enemy”, “American stands for Tolerance” by Ronald J. Allen, and “Texas vs. Johnson” by: William J. Brennan. In these three texts they all define the meaning of accepting people’s different opinion or different culture. We human beings must be willing to accept people or their opinions that are different from ourselves.
Reading over the brilliant work of Michael Walzer’s “What does it mean to be an American” I have discovered that the identity of Americans is that of a “melting pot.” We , as Americans, promote an abundance of cultures that are interconnected to make our country the amazing place it is today. Walzer believes in the diversity of America, he realizes that America’s cultural diversity is part of what makes us the best country in the world.
Generally considered the “Great Melting Pot,” America is often noted for hosting ethnicities and cultures of every kind, however it is debatable whether or not they are genuinely welcomed. Some might argue that the prejudice acts throughout our nation such as the Ferguson, Missouri shootings and the disdain among minorities, especially Muslims, prove that our country does not offer a warm welcome towards those who are not Caucasians. Regardless, I firmly believe that America recognizes and cherishes the variation of citizens living among us.
No matter what I tried, I could never truly have an objective mindset if I continued defining the term American as I was. If I clung to my own preconceived notion that there was something unique about Americans, I could never be objective. So instead, I began to look at other countries, trying to find parallels. To my shock and dismay, I found that America is actually similar to North Korea in some ways: citizens of both countries are raised on nationalistic pride and are told that they live in the greatest country in the world, that there is no place better. This corrupts one’s ability to look at their country with a truly objective eye. From this, I discerned a troubling fact: all people are the same, regardless of nationality or personal beliefs. There is no true separation between individuals of different countries, helping to develop my current belief that the term American holds no special regard in comparison to the rest of the world. It is simply a term used to allow an individual to feel
The United States of America was founded on July 4, 1776. Seeking a life free of the British Government, a host of immigrants founded a new nation. Because the United States was created by the migration of people from various parts of the world, it is sometimes described as a “melting pot.” Along with their personal possessions, these immigrants brought their respective cultures and traditions as they meshed together into a new society. Despite being categorized together as citizens of the same country, the independent traditions and lifestyles of humankind have created challenges throughout history. It is important for Americans to share a sense of pride, patriotism and loyalty. Equally important, however, is the need for respect regarding differences and individualism. Ethnocentrism is a barrier between understanding culture and diversity.
We live in a society that has prospered generously over the years. America has opened its doors for so many different people by establishing itself as a free country. Not only have we progressed in technology and economically but we have created our own identity by becoming a free nation in which every individual has the same rights and eligibility as the other. This is the core of our countries success; we are not a nation unified distinctly by a specific race, religion or culture but by the compulsive efforts of our nation’s laws to uphold freedom in every aspect of a civilian’s life. People are not only allowed but encouraged to practice the religion of their choice, eat the food they desire, speak the language they prefer. There is even freedom in the most minute of things such as being able to listen to the music of your choice, these are the laws that promote diversity and strengthen our nation today. Our nation’s identity and prosperity is built upon multiculturalism and ethnic tolerance. However, this was not always the case it has taken many long and brutal years become the stable and versatile country that we are today. Specifically dating back to when this land was first founded and thereafter we see our nation has struggled with conflicts against politics, discrimination, and public affairs up till this very day.
To be an American, means to me, that you are accepting of the differences around you; however, we as Americans are not very good at accepting those who do not agree with us. In an article,a publisher for NBC News, quoted a leading crimes researcher who stated, “hate crimes in nine U.S. metropolitan areas rose more than 20 percent last year, fueled by inflamed passions during the presidential campaign and more willingness for victims to step forward.” Many believe being an American means you have freedom, but what freedom? Freedom of speech? Freedom of Religion? The other “freedoms” stated in the Bill of Rights? How true can that be if those around you are so quick to go as far as harming others just for being different. Americans often hide behind their right to freedom of speech to be demeaning, but
In America the most known motto has to be “Land of opportunity.” This is available to anyone in this country, even to those who are discriminated just by their religious or ethical background. For the life of Noor Bagi who is Muslim American goes through racial profiling everyday, looked at differently because how she looks. But being in America it doesn’t say “land of the free ___ American”, simply “Land of the free”. We must see one another's point of views and respect each other because everyone you or I make fun of, at the end of the day is trying to live life to its fullest just like everyone else. America has been diverse every since the beginning. Having other settle here, for all of us who come from different should be proud of who
Even though there are set values that are universally known to the public, people do not always follow those values within their groups. However, these people have to act in conformity and abide by the values in public. Although everyone assumes that “imagined communities” contain a common culture, in reality, they really do not due to the fact that there are many body of ideas and practices that are not shared. Many languages are spoken and countless number of religions are practiced in various countries, so these make the “common culture” idea a misconception among citizens of different countries. For example, people tend to think that America consists of culture that is common, but they do not know if the beliefs, values, and practices are universally shared by all Americans. Nonetheless, there was a time when a dominant culture in the United States actually existed. It was during when the religion of Christianity was prominent and when many countries in Europe spoke the English language. It should be known that black Americans, Chinese-Americans, and white Americans have a common culture because of everything they do and do not share. From the common culture would arise the social identity, which can cause problems in diversity. Diversity can be an issue because of the ignorance of all the contrasting values. These issues arise because racial and ethnic identities are compared to one another and both can also relate to genders and sexualities. Nevermore, distinct genders and sexualities often live together now with the same knowledge and values and can still grow into opposite racial identities. Ethnic identities are so different since they are created in family and community life and people want the solidarity from being unique to one
What does it mean to be an “American”? To each individual person it means something very different. For the writer Bharati Mukherjee, who wrote the essay, “American Dreamer”, to be a true American someone has to want to be an American, not just prove that they merited citizenship. Her essay “American Dreamer” goes in depth into this idea and her opinion that as an American one should believe in bringing together the cultures in America. “We must think of American culture and nationhood as a constantly reforming, transmogrifying “we” (Mukherjee 438). For the author James Baldwin, who wrote the essay “Stranger in the Village”, an American is a person who is integrated with other cultures, and
We live in the country which was very big and here are the people from different race, culture, and country but we have accepted and treat everyone equal. The United States
Americans are not only the people that have many generations already expanded threw out the states. Americans are the people who have found a way of life in this country, citizens that understand what is expected from themselves. If people do not understand that The United States is not only made up of people that have lived here for many generations then America may fail as a country for it has failed the meaning of being united. Together the people unite so create a safe country to raise many generations. As a salad bowl America has its own cultures that have continued to grow threw out the country. Some religions or cultures however, have been lost threw out the salad bowl. But some citizens still unite and keep the lost cultures alive by sharing them threw out the country. America as a country is not fully understanding.The people all have our own disagreements or opinions on different ways of
I am very excited to be writing this information here on this page as I always keep asking this question from myself almost every single day. As a global citizen i believe i am from this earth not from one country of another and this reminds me that we are all the same, despite of our differences we are all still human beings with the same origins, a beating heart and blood running through our veins. My consciousness towards my Creator(GOD) leads me to be conscious of all lives, cultures, races and beliefs.
Firstly, diversity is the greatest capability which adds all different flavors in that society. Different religions, lifestyle, background and values are coming together and building new unique culture. Each person brings experience and thoughts. They want to have something also they have some perceptions which they don’t want to have in their life. Because of that in my opinion United States is the country which is not attached to the fixed culture. But, it is culture like a growing child. It changes to the best side according every evolution. In the United States different religions also irreligious people are able to live together without any problem and