Terica Post 5: it's not because your black, It's because your an american

We’ve had long discussions in class about assimilation and pluralism; The salad bowl vs. the melting pot. However, we never really discussed the marginal people. The marginal people think of themselves as part of a larger society. This idea made me think about how we see ourselves. We have been breaking ourselves into categories. Yet, no one has mentioned the one think we have in common, we are all American. We share the same American culture that we don’t tend to notice because we see it everywhere.

                I took a trip to Japan about a year ago and I was nervous about how people would view me. I considered the fact they may have negative feelings towards black people. They might base my character off the things they saw on American TV. However, I realized they didn’t dislike me because I was black but because I was American. They saw me as an American with American values, which would make it difficult to understand the Japanese culture (Of course, the Japanese think that of all foreigners but that’s not important.)  The Japanese may like some people more than others, but they do not base this on race but rather on the country you’re from.

                I did not realize how many things I did daily that was a part of the American culture. For example holding the door for other people, saying bless you when someone sneezes, or putting your groceries on the conveyer belt in supermarkets. In fact, I don’t think anyone notices how much we take from each other and make it into an overall American thing. For example, the hamburger is from Germany but has turn into an American symbol. Sushi (originally from China) is a Japanese tradition that Americans have adopted. We have the California roll, the Philadelphia roll, the Hawaiian roll, and other types of sushi and sashimi that originated here. Even Chinese food eaten in Chinese restaurants is not actual food from china but Chinese recipes twisted to suit Americans. Even coffee didn’t originate here but in Ethiopia and the word came Italy.

                America is a mixture of so many cultures into one. We separate ourselves into smaller groups but when it all comes down to it we’re all American. I remember a Norwegian girl telling me she thought it was funny how all the Americans said “I’m 20% this and 40% that”. Her general response to that was “good for you” it didn’t matter because they were all American. I just wonder why we can’t see it that way. I think the marginal people have it right.