Many first and second generation Canadians are struggling to balance their ethnicity and nationality. Once one may embrace who they are, they can express and be who they truly are. David Suzuki, Amy Tan, and Jhumpa Lahiri’s have demonstrated that no matter how much a person changes themselves on the outside, they will always remain the same on the inside. As a result of separation between the first and second generation it can cause a struggle for them trying to balance their ethnicity and nationality. David (Suzuki) is a prime example of this he may look different on the outside but at heart; "I'm a foreigner and I can't speak Japanese." Even though he is genetically tied to Japan it is astonishing that you make look similiar but when …show more content…
Two authors that had shared there struggles with dealing with the concept of being transcultural and how trying to fit in made it very difficult, Amy (Tan) and David (Suzuki).Wrote About how being born as one culture and growing up in a different doesn’t mean you have to fit in letting yourself be who you can let you grow not only in your culture but you genetic one. For example, Amy Tan’s Fish Cheek helps understand a deeper meaning about trying to fit in with being an average; “American Girl.” The article is about a real story about how she wanted to change herself genetically so that she could look average and the person she was trying to impress would like her. As a child she didn't understand the importance of being unique and happy with your culture, her mother explained to her that; "But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame." Most people might find it easy by not trying to fit in but in reality we all want to fit in and be like everyone else. Furthermore, David Suzuki is another person who had struggled with accepting the idea of never fitting in he writes that; “I was born a Canadian.” He writes that he is proud that he is different through the struggles of dealing with not fitting in with either cultures he accepted that
Being who you are is easier said than done. We all have heard this lesson before, but it is much harder to actually do this in front of friends, and relatives. In “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, and “Taco Head” by Viola Canales, both narrators face the struggle to fit in. They come from smaller cultures rather than the larger American culture. In the end, both girls learn a valuable lesson to be independent, and to be proud of who you are. In “Fish Cheeks” and “Taco Head” the similar lessons the narrators learn is, to be proud of who you are. However, the stories are different because in “Fish Cheeks” being American on the outside is okay, but you must remain Chinese on the inside. In “Taco Head” the lesson teaches that
She clearly and logically illustrates her point of view. She writes, “cultural differences are assumed and expected. But when the cultures of individuals are under scrutiny, it becomes clear that cultural borders do not hold their dividing power.” (98) Combined with her ability to logically expound on her view of cultural borders, she uses several anecdotes to further her point. She identifies four individuals who exemplify multiculturalism. Each of these examples share a Korean heritage but have adopted many other cultural markers from additional sources including non-Korean parents, U.S. society, immigration, and through adoption. Chang poses the question, “Would it be possible for one to become culturally more Korean in the morning, German for lunch, ‘American’ in the afternoon, and back to Korean in the evening? In her conclusion and in answer to that question she states, “Once different standards are embraced by individuals, the differences are incorporated into their individual cultures…the cultural differences are reframed into multiculturalism.”
There has been many discussions about how people try to fit in society, whether it is for music, interests in subjects, or even trying to fit in a specific culture. Groups and individuals seems to have a distinction among each other when it comes down to fitting in society and how they differ and have tensions among each other to conform to social norms. In “Making Conversation” and “The Primacy of Practice” by Kwame Anthony Appiah discusses how all cultures have similarities and differences but sometimes those differences are so different that they can not connect to another nation. Manuel Munoz in “Leave Your Name at the Border” argues how immigrants in a city are forced to act more societal and how it typically affects the diversity in
I agree that non-whites possess little to no ethnic options. If you are half white and half Mexican, you are most likely going to be categorized as Mexican, regardless of which ethnic option you would prefer to identify as, you are always going to be categorized as whatever ethnicity you physically match the most.
In today’s society, it is acknowledgeable to assert that the concepts of race and ethnicity have changed enormously across different countries, cultures, eras, and customs. Even more, they have become less connected and tied with ancestral and familial ties but rather more concerned with superficial physical characteristics. Moreover, a great deal can be discussed the relationship between ethnicity and race. Both race and ethnicity are useful and counterproductive in their ways. To begin, the concept of race is, and its ideas are vital to society because it allows those contemporary nationalist movements which include, racist actions; to become more familiar to members of society. Secondly, it has helped to shape and redefine the meaning of
Our daily lives are affected by race whether we are aware of it or not. How we live different aspects of our lives depend on the colour of our skin. From the types of jobs we have, the income we earn, where we live etc. In societies fundamentally structured by race, it is important that we do not abandon the notion of race, but instead pioneer a revolution in the way that races are understood. In this paper, I will examine how the dominant groups in society define race in terms of biology, which leads to the notion of white privilege, which is their advantaged position in society, at the expense of other racial groups.
Ethnic market has long been associated with American society in terms of its Social and Cultural Contribution. Especially Chinses, since they have long history in America and they have large number Ethnic Markets across the United States. Socially and culturally Chinese ethnic market has done a lot of things for its Society from intercultural relations to more culturally aware and it 's comfortability. Even though, Chinese ethnic market does make a better socially and culturally for its society, aside from immigrants, large number of American still have no interest in shopping at ethnic market. Which seems quite eccentric, since Ethnic market also offers very comfortable prices for its consumers and it ensure that foods are fresh and
One way to distinguish a person from the billions of other people in the world is by looking into their ethnicity. Ethnicity may be simplified as just a person’s origin, but arguments have been made that there is more to the world. Joane Nagel, author of “Constructing Ethnicity”, writes about what makes up the word ethnicity along with its uses in social and political spectrums. Nicholosa Mohr also writes about the different perspective of ethnicity and the way people embrace them in her writing “The English Lesson”. From reading both texts, it is possible to make the argument that Mohr’s text supports Nagel’s ideas on the fluidity and situational nature of ethnic identity in the United States. Mohr finds themes from different scenarios in the classroom that can perhaps correspond to many of Nagel’s ideas and theories about ethnicity.
Through the selected readings it becomes clear that race is not only a social construct but also a value that changes depending on the region in which one inhabits. Despite the lack of scientific support for race as a biological phenomenon, race still results in misfortune for many minorities. This present throughout everyday life in terms of job opportunities, education, and life experiences.
“When Race Becomes Even More Complex: Toward Understanding the Landscape of Multiracial Identity and Experiences”
The human species is made up of those who dared to immigrate to the rest of the world from Africa. Most of human ancestry dealt with migration by venturing into the unknown and eventually establishing a culture that begins to create social mores that the population begins to believe as fundamentally theirs and what their country represents. The majority always seems to have a mob rule in cultural etiquette. By comparing the concepts of ethnicity, nation and nationality I will cover the similarities and the differences that make up each of the given terms for a culture. In a culture, groups that may not think that they form a circle for their existence will be discussed in my review of “Focus on Globalization: The Gray and the Brown” (Kottak,
In Globalization The Essentials, Ritzer says that all racial and ethnic statuses are products of social definitions based on seemingly objective traits (Ritzer.p264). Markus and Moya make a similar proposition, that race and ethnicity are not things that people have or are, rather they are actions that people do. they go on to say that race and ethnicity are social, historical, and philosophical processes that have been "done" for years. This idea is interesting in suggesting that people who claim a race or ethnicity are "doing race and ethnicity to themselves. It also suggests that people who use these categories to indentify groups, or as a basis of discrimination, are "doing" race and ethnicity to others. Stereotypes and other notions based on race and ethnicity are simply more ways people do this to eachother (Markus.et.al.p140) While there have been many previous "scientific studies" that "prove" the differences between races (such as the questionable study of measuring skull sizes to determine the IQ of a race), We now know that these studies were not accurate and were simply means by which to justify racism. Current studies have proven that there are actually no biological markers that are unique to one race or ethnicity(Markus.et.al.p144.). Unfortunately, as Ritzer cites, if men define a situation as real, the consequences of these situations become real.(Ritzer.p265) We can see today, that the consequences of the imagined race and ethnicity have become very real.
Race and ethnicity are two terms that are constantly used in today’s society. Understanding these terms can help people to recognize that color of skin or color of hair does not define a person. These terms connect with history, social interaction, and the overall make up of a person. However America is constantly obsessed with labeling people by the way that they look or the way that they act. America seems to encourage the terms race and ethnicity and continue to divide people into categories. It is interesting to comprehend these terms because they are not going to disappear any time soon. Race and ethnicity are apart of America’s history and will be a part of the future.
Coping the culture that you did not grew up in is a very hard thing to adjust and if you cannot keep up with how things go you will be left out and I myself know that. Most Asians these days can easily cope with the American culture while changing into one’s own culture at home but back then I was really surprise to find out that some Asians think that by teaching their offspring the culture different from their own can make their child not to be an outcast, even the way they socialize to outside people.
Cultural Appropriation versus Multiculturalism In today's society, there are many different cultures that individuals identify with. Culture is very important to many people and is something that helps define who we are. When different cultures are respected and appreciated, it is a beautiful thing, it can bring individuals in society closer to one another. Ideally, this understanding of one another’s cultures can lead to multiculturalism.