Immigration is an integral part of America’s cultural identity
and identity as a whole. There exist two
metaphors that describe multiculturalism in the US and attempt to paint the
picture of precisely what happens to immigrants when they arrive on American
soil.
America is a Melting Pot.
I’m positive everyone’s heard this traditional metaphor that
dates all the way back to the eighteenth century. The Melting Pot is all
about unifying and becoming one (or essentially more homogeneous). According to Politico Magazine, “the melting pot stands for amalgamation, the voluntary blending of previously distinct groups into a new community.” But there’s
a newer metaphor that seems to slowly be taking its place as we continue to
modernize, accommodate, and progress.
America is a Salad Bowl (or Mixed/Tossed Salad).
The Salad Bowl is about retaining the individuality of
immigrants and merely tossing everyone together (or essentially becoming more heterogeneous)
“bound together only by the ‘dressing’ of law and the market” in the bowl that
represents our country.
These metaphors can be interpreted in numerous different
ways and carry multiple positive and negative connotations.
Countless immigrants are genuinely concerned about losing
the unique cultural backgrounds that they brought with them. The Melting Pot metaphor almost implies that
their cultures will melt away in the big pot that is America, leaving them lost
and forced to adapt to an unknown land and its people.
Although immigrants may feel lost and as if the culture that
they hold so dear and close is slipping from their grip, they will be found
again, but as Americans. J. Hector St.
John de Crevecoeur was an immigrant from France who (when he spoke of America) stated
that “individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.” There is a sense of great patriotic beauty in
this, but also a sense of loss – Loss of origin, loss of cultural identity, and
loss of tradition.
Racial profiling has been a huge problem in the US. Many Americans feel generalized by being
forced to check off boxes on Census forms and other government documents. Many peoples’ races/ethnicities are not even
listed as options to check off. People didn’t
want to be defined or confined by this type of racial profiling. The sense of loss people feel may have resulted
in why many people of rich cultural backgrounds wish to be called
Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Chinese-Americans,
African-Americans etc., proudly letting their identities show through.
The preference of hyphenated labels is growing in popularity
as people move away from the cut-and-dry racial and ethnic identity check boxes
on government documents. This is where
the Salad Bowl idea comes in as a protector of these identities and customs. The Salad Bowl advocates for Americans to
cherish their heritage, where the Melting Pot advocates for the unification of
the country by letting go of some customs and ideals that do not match American
ones.
Furthermore, Americans are actually maintaining the Melting
Pot metaphor through interracial marriages. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2010 37.5 percent of newlywednative-born Asian-Americans and 36.2 percent of newlywed native-born Hispanicsmarried outside of their race/ethnicity.
Marrying outside of race/ethnicity is the Melting Pot at work. This displays physical mixing, possible
sharing of cultures, and blending of values, as opposed to strictly marrying
within a specific ethnic group and preserving the same customs together.
I personally believe that the materialism of the salad bowl
metaphor could potentially divide immigrants into fixed groups and eventually
promote ghettos. Assimilation (or more
specifically, amalgamation), as
suggested by the melting pot metaphor, however, could possibly help immigrants
integrate more into American culture.
When they do so, their culture becomes our culture and we can all join
together as Americans on common ground.
Embracing individual culture and background is extremely important in
keeping the multiculturalism and diversity in America alive. However, blending (not merely mixing) and truly
sharing the culture, I believe, is of utmost importance.
So what is modern-day America – A Melting Pot or a Salad
Bowl? Or maybe a little bit of both? –
Like a hardy stew (blended but with some chunks remaining)? What do you
think it should be?
