Diversity in America: To Assimilate or Not Assimilate

Diversity in America: To Assimilate or Not Assimilate

Diversity in America: To Assimilate or Not Assimilate
Diversity, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, is showing a great deal of variety; culturally diverse population’s subjects as diverse as architecture, language teaching, and the physical sciences. There are many people with their own opinions on how well diversity in America is working. Some beliefs discourage assimilating different cultures as they believe that they will begin to lose their own culture. Others encourage assimilation of different cultures into their own culture as they believe it is ignorant to not be accepting. In itself there are pros and cons to cultural diversity without posing a repetitious desire or resist others into picking qualities out. Most Americans today can relate to the struggles of cultural diversity in one way or another; not just in their work lives but also in their home lives.
Those who are unsupportive of assimilation believe living together in one society causes forgetting one’s way of life, misunderstandings, and emotional stress. Some feel that if they begin to assimilate into another culture they may begin to lose their own ethnicity. Speaking their native language could be forgotten. For example, in the story “The Chinese in All of Us” because Richards’s father, Mr. Rodriguez, was born in Mexico, he believes in staying true by only speaking his “family language” (234). While Richard was in grade school, the teachers (nuns) showed up to his house and asked his parents if they could speak more English at home. They agreed to do so. As a result, hearing more English being spoke in his home, he lost the knowledge of understanding Spanish. “I felt pushed away” (Rodriguez 234). Richard realizing this was upsetting to him. Also, those who discourage assimilation believe in not changing their traditions, instead of weaving the two cultures together because it might cause confusion. For instance, Richards Chinese friend Michael is also adapting to...

Similar Essays