Multiculturalism in America

3213 Words7 Pages

Multiculturalism in America

Ask any American how they feel about multiculturalism you are likely to get one of two responses: either a cringe or a smile. Those that cringe will say something along the line of “Multiculturalism is the wrong way to look at things. It separates us by saying that everyone is different instead of saying that we are the same and unifying us.” Those that smile will talk about how great multiculturalism is because they get to see aspects of all different cultures on television and on the radio and they are free to explore all the different things that various cultures have to offer. In actuality, one cannot help but wonder if either of these responses reflects the true meaning of multiculturalism? What do these responses and others like them say about America’s attitude towards multiculturalism?

Multiculturalism is one of those popular culture buzzwords that the American masses abuse and miss-use. It has been internalized as an integral part of today’s political correctness and American culture. Without the cultural diversity that brought about this term, America would lack one of its defining social characteristics, drastically altering what it means to be American. Multiculturalism is clearly a cornerstone of modern American identity, but it is frequently confused with diversity and wrongly associated with reverse racism. The average American believes that multiculturalism is a fancy word for racial diversity and that by integrating racially diverse imagery into pop culture America has morphed into a society of multiculturalists.

Unfortunately, the advertising industry and intellectual print journalism reflect these attitudes. Print advertisements often reinforce ethnic stereotyping, use pr...

... middle of paper ...

... and Clint C. Wilson II. “ Advertising and People of Color.” Dine 283-292

Hollinger, David A. Postethnic America. New York: Basic Books, 1995.

Jin-Ping, Wu. Fredrick Douglass and the Black Liberation Movement. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc. 2000

Kellner, Douglass. “Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture.” Dine 9-20

Schwartz, Peter. “The Racism of ‘Diveristy’”. Web February 18, 2015 http://www.anyrand.org/medaalink/diversityracism.shtml

Schwartz, Benjamin. “The Diversity Myth”. Atlantic Monthly May 1995: 57-67

Tatum, Beverly Daniel, Ph.D.. Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? And other conversations about race. New York: Basic Books, 1997.

“The Future of the Public Intellectual: A Forum”. The Nation. 12 February 2013. Web February 18, 2015

http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20010212&s=forum

Show More
Related

  • Analysis of Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    Analysis of Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum

    Read More

  • Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tatum’s book “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” (1997) analyses the development of racial identity and the influence of racism in American’s culture. She emphasizes the Black-White interactions by comparing the terminology in which racism perceived based on David Wellman’s definition of racism. Tatum also believes racism is not one person in particular but is a cultural situation in which ethnicity assigns some groups significantly privileged compared to others. She illustrates how engaging children in terms of interracial understanding will empower them to respond to racial stereotypes and systems of discrimination.

    Read More

  • Race, Ethnicity and Gender in Therapy

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tatum, B. (2003). Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: Revised Edition. New York: Basic Books.

    Read More

  • Multiracial Identity in Essays by Julia Alvarez and Danzy Senna

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    Despite what one might see on television and what conglomerates may want people to believe, the roots of multiculturalism and multiracialism are in shallow soil. Change does not come by commercial hype, but rather by an evolving process of change in thoughts, ideas and in the racial equation.

    Read More

  • Essay On The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream is defined as the improvement of one’s self while obtaining such things as love, wealth, status, and power as one reaches the top. The dream has had different distinctions throughout the years but keeps the bases of a desire of something greater. In the past century, the ideology has transformed into the idea of owning a big house with multiple cars and a bank full of money as the indication that you have “made it.” In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author navigates his readers into a life filled with gregarious parties and extravagant cars when a man named Nick meets the untouchable Gatsby. Unable to move away from past, Gatsby devotes his life to acquire wealth and status in order to reconcile with the love of his life. The characters in the novel attempt to define their happiness with materialistic objects but the author demonstrate the truth by illustrating the illusions of the American Dream.

    Read More

  • why we crave horror movies

    1371 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... would come day after day and vie for the best seats." The description Medieval Tortures provided of an execution by guillotine sounds very similar to how audiences watch horror movies. For both horror films and guillotine executions large crowds are attracted, people fight for the best seats, and individuals are killed. BLANK Though both horror films and guillotine executions are terrifying they offer us a necessary break from our daily lives.

    Read More

  • Survey of Public Opinion Regarding Immigrants and Immigration

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    I believe the results of this survey to be accurate as the survey was conducted in a fair and professional manner. However, I also discovered how easy it can be to manipulate the data and the opinions of participants to favor a single viewpoint. Surveys are an important method of gathering, summarizing and presenting large amounts of data. However, when relying on polls to form opinions or make decisions, people should consider the source, look for any conflicts of interest, contemplate other avenues of information and draw their own conclusions.

    Read More

  • The Multivisions of Multiculturalism

    3313 Words  | 7 Pages

    The questions suggested by the term "multiculturalism" range far and wide, embracing questions of inclusion: Who and what is to be taught?—questions of criteria: On what grounds, if any, can "we" make appraisals of "other cultures"?—questions of self-identity: When I say "we," who am I including in such august company?—questions of the meaning of multiculturalism: What is it? What is its purpose...

    Read More

  • Native American Alcoholism Essay

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    Takaki, Ronald. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1993. Print.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of The American Dream In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American dream has an inspiring connotation, often associated with the pursuit of happiness, to compel the average citizen to prosper. In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s infatuation for Daisy drives him towards wealth in order to respark his love. Due to Daisy’s rich background, the traditional idea of love becomes skewed because of the materialistic mindsets of people in the 1920s. In the novel the wealthy are further stratified into two social classes creating a barrier between the elite and the “dreamers”. Throughout the novel, the idea of the American dream as a fresh start fails. As Nick, the narrator, spends time in New York, he realizes the corruption pursuing goals. Characters such as Gatsby and Myrtle constantly strive toward an the American dream, which Nick realizes to be fruitless in the end.

    Read More

  • Multiculturalism Essay

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    The multiculturalism idea is about how to respond towards challenges that are associated with religious and cultural diversity. The term is used as a descriptive term that characterizes the diversity facts in the society. The proponent of multiculturalism rejects the melting point idea though the term has encompasses a variety of claims. The melting point idea is that members of the minority group maintain a distinct collection of practices and identities.in general multiculturalism means the practices and policies that respond and recognizes ethnic diversity (Roach et al, 2005 pg. 37). The first black president elected in us Barack Obama describes the different points of view regarding multicultural societies. Though each Atlantic side are

    Read More

  • Multiculturalism In Australia Essay

    768 Words  | 2 Pages

    Multiculturalism is the ethnic and cultural diversity that exists within a certain area. Different countries display various forms of multiculturalism. The most common form of multiculturalism is whereby a citizen of a certain country is born overseas, or of the parents of the individual is born overseas. English speaking countries have a lot of multiculturalism in them. Just like the United Kingdom, Australia has adopted multiculturalism as a national identity. My essay explores how Australia appreciates and accepts many different ethnicities and cultures.

    Read More

  • The American Nightmare

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are the founding rights by which the beautiful and awe-inspiring country that is the United States of America was founded upon. These rights sprouted hope and aspiration’s to reach the glorious and golden concept of the American Dream of equality, democracy, and material prosperity, but the gold is but a mere gilding obscuring the hidden and unobtainable natures of the American Dream. Jay Gatsby, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s American classic The Great Gatsby, is a self-made millionaire that ultimately pays the price of achieving the American Dream with his life, both physically and emotionally. The life that Gatsby experiences in his pursuit of material prosperity reflects both the lives of those in modern America who have reached or want to reach the American Dream.

    Read More

  • Google's Corporate Culture: The Culture Of Google

    1109 Words  | 3 Pages

    Google continues to grow and innovate. Google focuses on the user and all else will follow. Since the beginning, they have focused on providing the best user experience possible, and take great care to ensure that they will ultimately serve their customers(Google.com n.d.). In relation to market development and product development the core values “Its best to do one thing really, really well (Google.com n.d.),” fits in with these strategies. “You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer (Google.com n.d.),” describes Goggle’s innovation to mobile platforms. “The need for information crosses all borders (Google.com n.d.).” Google company has grown and has offices in more then 60 countries, maintaining more then 180 internet domains, and serve more then half of their results to people outside of the United States, and this relates to concentrated growth strategy. “Great just isn’t good enough(Google.com n.d.).” Google continues to strive to reach for better ways of doing things, through innovation and integration, continue to improve things in unexpected ways (Google.com n.d.).

    Read More

  • Poverty And Poverty Essay

    2129 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...sis, which could make all results invalid. With any research projects, limitations will be present. It is important to attempt to eliminate some of these causes in order to complete a thorough, accurate study. In future projects, this study could go about researching the issue in different ways. Perhaps using a larger sample size would be conducive for accurate results. A larger sample size helps reduce and even out any possible errors caused by those who do not answer truthfully. Also, keeping the surveys mainly anonymous would help to receive more truthful and accurate responses from participants. Participants may be fearful of judgments on open interviews or phone interviews, which could affect responses. In order to obtain as accurate results as possible, a future study would need to find ways to survey participants in a confidential way that feels comfortable.

    Read More

More about Multiculturalism in America

Open Document