Multicultural America

The readings were a reminder is far from the happy-go-lucky melting pot that we like to think it is. "Pithissippi Burning" wrote about the reality that even though many would agree that white males tend to be seen as in-charge, there are some that feel threatened by the growing evolution of the American demographics and landscape. Tobia points out some uncomfortable truths: "In the wrong hands. . .The Brigade is very dangerous. . . .In this world, affirmative action has run totally amok, with every position of power or authority occupied by an unqualified, low I.Q. minority, homosexual or lesbian," and "For a very few people, this is exactly how they see the world today. They will not view The Brigade as an ugly transparent piece of racial propaganda. Rather, they will open its pages and find a positive affirmation of what they already think, along with detailed directions on how to correct these ills the goriest way possible." While this is far from the mainstream view of race relations, I found that the article reminded me that some people actually do buy into this philosophy. Tobia points that with the election of the first mixed-race president, there are many questions that America must first some to terms with.

I found that "Why Multiculturalism is Wrong," made many points and questions that I really enjoyed reading. Diversity is something that we say we strive for in America, however I am not sure how that is actually done in practice. In terms of legitimising racism and inequality in America, I have seen some of the same ideas and practices in America. There are some racial associations that cannot be denied. Recently, I saw a comic that commented he saw black people in Nashville, that they did not usually do; for example, cleaning hotel rooms. He openly stated that this a "Hispanic job." While it was intended to be a joke, it was clearly based on an American truth. It could be argued that not all people feel as if having minorities doing this kind of work has satisfied some sort of moral obligation.

I do, however, that as Americans, we tend to be guilty of the idea of compulsory culture. I think that this attitude is a matter of convenience--we enjoy having things easily understood and organized. Grouping people based on their national origin or appearance in some ways makes us feel better and easier about those around us.

I enjoyed these readings because of my personal experiences. Often times multiculturalism is discussed in such feel-good terms and feelings that the reality of what it means for individuals can be lost. Growing up I have always had to deal with many of these issues. It wasn't until I was in first grade that I realized that I was somehow different from my peers. I had spend the first few years of my life blissfully unaware. As I started to take my TCAP that year, I read that I was not "black" or "white" but "other." This, for me, was rather traumatizing. What did "other" mean? Even then, the word held uncomfortable connotations. As I got older I realized some of the things that were robbed from me because of the pressure to assimilate. I would never speak the same language as my mother because of her fear that I would ostracized in school. I feel that our relationship was lacking because communication was often so difficult for us. I could never imagine trying to raise a child in second language. It wasn't long before I learned that "Where are you from?" did not mean, "Where are you from?" but rather a passive attempt to my racial background. "Where are you from?" "Me? I'm from Clarksville." "No, where are you from, from?" In high school, I learned to accept that we would never read an author who looked even remotely like me and that my books were filled with old white men, who were likely dead.

As a teacher, I try to be different. The required canon is filled authors who do not look anything like the children I teach. But I tried to incorporate positive examples of people from all parts of the world. Last year I have an assignment that allowed the children to pick any historical topic or person. I had so many young black males pick slavery, it broke my heart. I stressed to them that they needed to know that their histories included great people. The last thing I want is for my children to associate such an terrible time with their ancestors. While it is important for them to understand, I want them to realize that their past is not limited to three hundred years of being enslaved to European-Americans.