Melting Pot?

[John McPain]

In 6th grade I learned how amazingly different our society is, and has been (thoughout history). I was tought that we as a country are a "Melting Pot" of sorts. Many cultures come in and add to the culture of the whole.

While this may have been true when our country was being founded, I do not belive that this is the case in this day and age. Almost every time I hear a discussion (irl) about immigration and Spanish speaking Americans it comes to the same thing.

"If they come to OUR country they should learn OUR language"

I live in a very very conservitive part of the country (my county has voted republican sence the civil war). I have only traveled out of the country twice. Both times I went to mexico.
When I was down there I noticed somthing that really shook the way I saw the idea of America being this amazing "Melting Pot". There culture and people were very give and take. Whenever I would try to comunicate with a non-english speaking person & learn a word (like sun glasses or chess set) they would tell me what it is in spanish. This didn't suprise me at all. I expected to learn parts of their language because I was visiting THEIR country. What did suprise me was after they told me how to say it in Spanish they asked me how to say it in English, and that was to me was a (very) small trade of culture.

I have had very long and deep conversations with my army recruter. One of the chats we had was about one of her many trips to Japan. She told me that the Japaniese are kind of greedy, but not in the way you might think. If you want to know how to say somthing in Japaniese and ask a random stranger (you of corse using crude Japaniese) how to say somthing or go somewhere (like a museum) they (the Japaniese people) would like to learn the English word for museum alot more then tell you the Japaniese word.

So, here are the questions.

Are we the same "Melting Pot" as we were when we founded this great country?

Should we be more open to learn new words and ideas?

Have we become a solid impregnable culture that has no room for change?

[kmay]

Re: Melting Pot?

umm more recently we have been "classified" as a mosaic tile. each piece is separate but together we make a work of art. something along those lines. so to answer your question, no, we are no longer a "melting pot"

[MooMoo_Cowfreak]

Re: Melting Pot?

The idea of America being a melting pot is ridiculous because there will always be racists here. Yea, okay, pretty much a little bit of every continent and country is here, but we aren't "melting" together at all. We're more like the mosaic art piece kmay mentioned.

Also, I don't think America ever was a melting pot. Slavery is your prime example, it was around soon as America was founded. Then Italians and Irish people were stereotyped, and it never really has stopped.

[x After Dawn x]

Re: Melting Pot?

umm more recently we have been "classified" as a mosaic tile. each piece is separate but together we make a work of art. something along those lines. so to answer your question, no, we are no longer a "melting pot"

No, Canada is a mosaic tile, a cultural mosaic. The US is a melting pot. If the government said "we are like a mosaic tile", it's probably their way of trying to be politically correct.

[kommisar[os]]

Re: Melting Pot?

the american ideology for centuries was the melting pot. you came to america, forget your culture or where you came from, you're an american now.

this day and age it's a little different. while people may still have this mentality, there is more cultural diversity than ever in america. USA is the only country in the world where the english speaking population is decreasing.

[John McPain]

Re: Melting Pot?

wow that girl cannot sing in the second video and why are the drums do dam quiet

This is CT not chitchat.


*edit*
Okay I like that alot better.
You mean like how broth has fat that won't mix with the stock. I completely agree.

[tupacodaman]

Re: Melting Pot?

fine

the american ideology for centuries was the melting pot. you came to america, forget your culture or where you came from, you're an american now.

this day and age it's a little different. while people may still have this mentality, there is more cultural diversity than ever in america. USA is the only country in the world where the english speaking population is decreasing.

agreed on all points. problem now is immigrants are having more kids than your typical WASPs, a trend that's present all over the world, especially Europe. france has like twenty years until whites aren't the majority and I think like til 2050 until muslims are the majority. I might have the numbers mixed up and muslims might be majority in twenty years, but yea.

i'd say we've always been a melting pot, it's just been filled with liquids of different polarities/densities that will sometimes intermingle but will rarely do so

[devonin]

Re: Melting Pot?

http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/...ad.php?t=82311

[AquaTeen]

Re: Melting Pot?

[/QUOTE]So, here are the questions.

Are we the same "Melting Pot" as we were when we founded this great country?

Should we be more open to learn new words and ideas?

Have we become a solid impregnable culture that has no room for change?[/QUOTE]

I don't believe that we were ever a "melting pot" because there's been so much racism and discrimination. I mean look at the segregation issue in the time of Martin Luther King jr. There still is some discrimination and racism around. People are assuming that all Iraqi people are evil due to 9/11 but there are some Iraqi's out there that are supportive of America. Look at all of the derogatory words that are spoken to describe people of other cultures. We should definitely open up and learn new ideas to clean up the discrimination and racism so that we can be considered a "melting pot."

[devonin]

Re: Melting Pot?

The term "melting pot" is used to indicate that the culture of the destination country tries to encourage those immigrating into the country to forego their preexisting cultural identity to "melt into" the homogenous mixture of "American" or "Canadian" or "Whichever other country"

To open up and allow immigrating peoples to retain their cultural identity through religion, language, culture, politics etc etc works counter to the "melting pot" idea.

[Cavernio]

Re: Melting Pot?

I think that the OP was trying to say that they learned that the US is more of a mosaic than melting pot.

In any case, I think that the OP also is only looking at a small part of what a culture is. He/she talks about language specifically. English is becoming the global language, and as such, one who doesn't know it would very much like to know it. If knowing japanese were as useful to Americans as knowing English is to Japanese, then there'd probably be a lot more Americans asking Japanese tourists about japanese words. The fact that English has become the language of choice is simply a sign of the influence the US has on the global economy.

To say that the US is totally culturally diverse would be wrong. However, I think that, oh, New York city is very diverse. In Canada, Toronto is incredibly diverse in culture, but most of New Brunswick is not. I've been told and have read that North America, compared to Europe, is in fact very diverse, in that within a single city or a single country, various cultures abound. I don't think we're losing our cultural diversity.

[devonin]

Re: Melting Pot?

The fact that English has become the language of choice is simply a sign of the influence the US has on the global economy.

Because the spread of english had nothing to do with the nigh-global reach of the British Empire for decades and decades. *grin*

[funmonkey54]

Re: Melting Pot?

Because the spread of english had nothing to do with the nigh-global reach of the British Empire for decades and decades. *grin*

Haha. That really was literally what I was thinking.
I agree with that one hundred percent.

[bobeck2]

Re: Melting Pot?

So, here are the questions.

Are we the same "Melting Pot" as we were when we founded this great country?

I believe that America is even MORE of a ''melting pot" now than when our nation was first conceived. I'm taking the term ''melting pot" as it defines America as meaning that we are a blend of religions, race, lifestyles, languages, customs etc. Further, we are tolerant of such eclectic lifestyles.

I saw we are even more of a melting pot as compared to when our country was founded because of the laws that are passed which effect is to preserve equality among all. I've heard in this topic talk about the issues of slavery, but where is slavery today? For the most part abolished. Discrimination based on gender use to be common and a general practice, and again today for the most part such discrimination is done away with. (yes, i realize there are always exceptions, but i'm speaking as the majority). This same cycle is true also of religion and race. The government has gone to great extremes to make America the ultimate ''melting pot'' by eliminating as much discrimination as possible. Take a look at the first 10 bill of rights, along with the 13th and 14th amendments and you'll find underlying tones if not an ostensible call for equality amongst all citizens of America, whether it be through fair judicial trials, freedom of religion or abolition of slavery.

Yes, I am not oblivious to much of the racial prejudice and negative stereotypes of those who are different. We still have those who despise those of an ''inferior'' race, or hire based on sex, or discriminate based on religion. Yet one can not expect the melting pot to be completely free of all ''clumps of dissension". Further we must make note of where we have been and where are are now. For one living in these current days to look back on our countries beginning and say that the melting pot is less a melting pot now than it was back then is one unsupported by fact.

The government has acted so as to create the most idea environment for those of all race, religions, gender, customs etc. to live at peace and co exist with one another, free from discrimination. It is up to the people to abide by our countries high tolerance for diversity and i believe that we have come along ways in creating the ultimate melting pot. Discrimination will never be fully eliminated, and thus all we can hope for is an upward slope of tolerance, something that I believe we have been achieving thus far.

[Lightknight924]

Re: Melting Pot?

We weren't a melting pot when we were first founded. The majority of early settlers were English in North America, hence the Puritan age. Immigration didn't become as widely popular until the late 1800s or early 1900s. We're not considered a melting pot anymore, as much of Europe and the world are as culturally diverse as we are, since travel and transportation is far easier present day.