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Although America treats the nationalistic diversity as something of great value, in all honesty, America could care less. People go out of their way, to encase themselves into groups of others that closely resemble themselves. We have circles inside of circles, making it so that a particular action in one community can result in completely different reactions in the community that neighbors the first.The choices that we make to feel comfortable may lead to something on the other side of the spectrum, in the case of diversity. David Brooks, author of “People Like Us,” believes that it is of human nature to be drawn closer to people that share many similarities with us, making us a “relatively homogenous nation.” I must agree with Brooks, in the sense that thought America claim to be a nation of diversity, people do tend to stick with the people to whom they feel comfortable with, the people they they can call one of their own. It is of human nature to have …show more content…
Or in other words, to be drawn towards people that have numerous similarities with us. People of the same culture would obviously befriend each other much easier than if two people of different cultures were to meet. This is simply for those similar backgrounds, and plenty of topics that they can connect on. It is also evident that America is not truly diverse because of the division through social classes. Though on the surface, America is the land of diversity, she's really the land of people who tend to be enclosed in a tight circle that consist mirror images of the person. If you are still not convinced, take a look around your community. Had America been truly diverse, she would have communities that are non distinguishable because she has such a perfect blend of people in each complex that you wouldn't be able to tell them apart. Do you see any similarities from your city, and the city next
The ability for people to look at a situation from a different perspective is vital in today’s globalized society. Diversity is the most important core attribute we share that gives us a new perspective to assess situations differently through our diverse backgrounds and upbringings. Unlike Patrick J. Buchanan’s argument in his essay titled “Deconstructing America,” diversity is not a burden, but rather a necessity in America’s culture. Conversely, Fredrickson 's essay titled, “Models of American Ethnic Relations: A Historical Perspective,” illustrated a more precise version of American history that disproves Buchanan’s ethnocentric ideologies. Buchanan speaks of diversity as a narrow, one-way street. The imprecise interpretations of history
Gary Gerstle argues America followed a path both civic and racial nationalism throughout the 20th century in his book American Crucible: Race and Nation in the Twentieth Century, and that America is a melting pot of different cultures due to the accumulation of immigrants in the twentieth century. He uses Theodore Roosevelt as a support base for his arguments. Civic nationalism is the idealized understanding of America as an ethnic and cultural melting pot based on civil rights, and on the values of equality and liberty no matter the race and ethnicity of one another. Civic nationalism claims a nation can still grow stronger and better based solely on civil rights and citizenship.
The essay by technology reporter for the New York Times, Jenna Wortham, titled, “It’s Not about You, Facebook. It’s about Us” discusses the idea that Facebook has helped shape emotions and now leaves its users emotionless. Although Wortham brings in several sources she does not support these sources with statistics and her personal feelings stand in the way of getting her main points across. In addition, she has a weak conclusion that leaves readers trying to grasp the actual message that Wortham is attempting to convey. Wortham fails to effectively support her thesis that society feels that it can not live without facebook.
Every individual in society and in a community is unique in their own ways, and their diversity shows up in many ways. Some of these ways include: religion, race, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, and so on. Everyone’s backgrounds are different, and this is what creates diversity in people. Even though everyone might not be the same, only by uniting everyone can we create the big picture. It’s like a puzzle—even though people are different, we can come together to create a big picture that couldn’t be created by puzzle pieces of the same shape. To me, diversity symbolizes the unique backgrounds that we come from. Every individual in their communities and in their society are influenced by their background—and this can come from various reasons. If someone comes from a different socioeconomic background, or lifestyle, their thought processes and their view of life might be much more different than mine. Their reaction to a certain situation can be much more different than mine, and it is important for me to see all these viewpoints in order to be a more informed member of my community. Everyone is diverse in their expression, style, and
Daniel, Roger is a highly respected author and professor who has majored in the study of immigration in history and more specifically the progressive ear. He’s written remarkable works over the history of immigration in America, in his book Not like Us he opens a lenses about the hostile and violent conditions immigrants faced in the 1890’s through the 1924’s. Emphasizing that during the progressive area many immigrants felt as they were living in a regressing period of their life. While diversity of ethnicity and race gradually grew during this time it also sparked as a trigger for whites creating the flare up of nativism. Daniel’s underlines the different types of racial and ethnical discrimination that was given to individual immigrant
Living in a city like Houston, diversity is present in every corner. From different races and beliefs to different sexual orientation. However, having grown up in Miami, diversity was not present in most situations. Most of the people in my community were mostly Cuban or from Central and South America. All my friends knew how to speak Spanish and shared similar cultures.
This essay will discuss the intrinsic relationship between diversity conceptualization and social integration presenting a response against David Brooks’ essay entitled “People Like Us.” In order to do this I will discuss four crucial elements: the influences of different definitions of diversity in cultural unification, Brook’s ideas about social groups working together and social groups coexisting together, the importance of diversity, and the influence of diversity in social changes. I will examine why some people have the perception that our American society ignore or see as unworthy diversity. Thus, I will dispute Brook’s view stating that our society disregards diversity, and Americans just pretend that it is important to them.
In the United States, there are a vast majority of ethnicities and races, which is why we are oftentimes recognized as “the melting pot”. Because of this, it may seem difficult to keep ethnic groups completely separate because there are interactions between different races every single day, even though some might not even be aware of it. Some people, especially ones from older generations, see this as an abomination because they feel that races must be kept pure and also feel that assimilation diminishes the uniqueness of one’s ethnic identity. However, would it not make a person more unique to be part of multiple cultures? According to an article aptly titled “Black? White? Asian? More Young Americans Choose All of the Above” by Susan Saulny, it is revealed that “Multiracial and multiethnic Americans are one of the country’s fastest-growing demographic groups” (NYtimes.com). Because 1 in 7 new marriages are interracial, the number of mixed race people is just going to keep increasing. With the way this is going, there could be very few people in the United States who identify with strictly one ethnic group or race. In a way, everyone is going to be the same (mixed race) but in different combinations, which would still make us all individuals. When this happens, America will be more unified and will be less full of prejudice as it always has seemed to be towards certain races.
Diversity is part of the American lifestyle. America is a country built on capitalistic principles, where a countries’ economy is controlled by a small number of people. People who tend to have power in the society tend to separate themselves from the rest. Looking back at different time period of American history diversity has shaped up the lives we live as Americans, whether it is because of gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, socioeconomic background, and capabilities/ disabilities, there is always diversity in society. Although, diversity is increasingly being viewed positively, and as much as people are proud of their differences. There will always be a way for human beings to diversify themselves into groups in which share similar interests.
Nationalism is extreme loyalty and devotion to one particular nation, and many Americans are nationalistic about their country. But even though they are loyal to America, defining what it means to be a true American is tricky. Being American is one complex thing, but the concept of being American can not be fully grasped. What it means to be American may in fact be one of the biggest mysteries of all time. Indeed, discovering what it means to be a true American could possibly take an entire lifetime. One thing, however about all true Americans is certain: we are all alike in that each one of us is different from the Americans in important ways. We are diverse in our backgrounds, races, and religions. Nevertheless, we are exactly identical in the we feel toward our country, even though we express our pride in a million different ways.
It should not be a surprise that many people believe that a college degree is a necessity in today’s world. We are taught to believe this at a young age. The average citizen will not question this statement due to how competitive the job market has become, yet does graduating college guarantee more success down the road? Peter Brooks is a scholar at Princeton University and publisher of an essay that questions the value of college. He obviously agrees that college can help securing a job for the future, but questions the humanities about the education. He uses other published works, the pursuit of freedom, and draws on universal arguments that pull in the reader to assume the rest of his essay has valid reasons.
Immigration keeps America diverse; there is a lot of value in such diversity. It teaches citizens to respect and bond with one another regardless of differences. However, America has a dark history as it pertains to immigration. Our ancestors removed Native Americans when all they wanted was this: "Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself- and I will obey every law or submit to the penalty" as Chief Joseph stated in For the Record: An Indian's Perspective, (51-53). Even though there are many great things about being and becoming an American, there are a lot of difficulties for immigrants to face when arriving in the United States. For example you would hope that tension does not just arise randomly between people that have never met before. However, that is the case between the newly immigrated and native born Americans. This is because of ignorance and immigrants being labeled as "outsiders" trying to steal the so called native’s jobs. There are many obstacles taken for granted by non-immigrants. Some current Americans do not truly appreciate the struggles their ancestors had to endure so that they would not have to.
In “People Like Us”, the writer talks about tolerance and diversity in the United States. America has for a long time been cited as one of the most diverse countries. Upon investigation of that statement, one will find that it is a fact, for the country is filled with millions of individuals from different ethnic extractions, political affiliations, religion, socioeconomic status, personalities, interests, etc. However, according to “People Like Us”, instead of the population of the country uniting in its diversity and using that as a strength, individuals are trying really hard to distance themselves from others who are not like themselves, and to band themselves together with those who are like them. David
police officers, judges, attorneys, correctional officers) the importance of social and cultural awareness; (2) understanding the demographics of various minority and immigrant groups; and (3) improve data collection on racial and ethnic discrimination. Some people depict America as a melting pot because they believe various ethnic groups in America has blended together as one. The melting pot theory aims at creating a unique American way of life. On the other hand, some people portray America as a salad bowl because America is diversified with various cultures and ethnicity, which makes this society multicultural. Diversity and multiculturalism in America will also create racism and hatred towards minorities and immigrants; furthermore, it will also promote separatist or hate groups. A multicultural society will create opportunities to share ideas and perspectives with each other; therefore, allowing ethnic groups to understand and have mutual respect for each other. Although there are disadvantages in a multicultural society, the advantages still outweighs all the negative criticisms. Multiculturalism promotes peace and good communications among ethnic
The world as a whole is becoming more diverse. There is diversity in schools and in the workplace. People should understand that diversity is what makes the world go around. If all people had the same characteristics then the world would be a very boring place. Even though all human beings are the same in some ways, we are still culturally different. Cultural diversity lets us appreciate our differences. Different cultural groups have varying beliefs, customs, values, and a wide variety of characteristics that make them special. Cultural influences make people see the world differently and cultural diversity should be appreciated.