Keith Vyvial

Writing time: 1 ½ hours

Dominant Culture:  Looking into a Funhouse Mirror

            One of the main facets of understanding multiculturalism is gaining knowledge of the American Dominant Culture.  It is actually a very difficult entity to describe.  The dominant culture can be defined as the accepted cultural norm.  What this means, though, is harder to describe.  It can often be viewed as a blank slate, bland and neutral so as not to “stand out” as a whole.  However, when you look at all factors and dynamics of the dominant culture it is not so easy to describe; it is, in fact, very much like looking into a funhouse mirror and trying at length to focus in on the true image that is there.

The exciting fact about the dominant culture is that it is constantly changing.  It might fight to maintain a sense of neutrality, but it is constantly being changed and influenced by other cultures.  It seems to me that this is what the dominant culture needs in order to survive.  Changing and adapting to the other cultures is a great way to survive and stay vital in the eyes of the world and the views of those still hopeful for the American Dream.  It also helps the culture stay appealing and exciting to many of those who are already a part of the culture.  It is this changing culture that makes the constantly changing and blurring image in the funhouse mirror of culture.

            The Jewish Exodus of the Bible provides an example of the origins of a dominant culture.  The Jews of the story traveled as a mass group from Egypt to Canaan.  They displaced the Canaanites and established themselves as the central culture of the land.  Over time they did begin to intermarry with the Canaanites, just as people of the dominant culture often do as other cultures are increasingly introduced.  This Biblical immigrant story gives a different sense of validity to the Exodus story, almost as if it were a mythical story.

            The Puritans of William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation becomes an ultimate display of the American dominant culture.  Like the Jews of Exodus, the Puritans left their homeland en masse to escape discrimination in an effort to obtain a sense of religious freedom.  This group traveled from England to Holland before ultimately settling in a fresh, relatively untouched land of America.  Like the Jews displacing the Canaanites, these Puritans displaced the Native Americans and introduced themselves as the dominant culture of America; it is likely that, like the Jews in Canaan, the enormity of their size made it easier to establish themselves as the dominant culture.  The Pilgrims are the forefathers of American dominant culture; they are the original designers of the mirrors.  Whereas the Jews were ordered by God not to assimilate with the Canaanites, the Puritans chose to find a place where they would have an easier time developing their own beliefs and not assimilating.  The Pilgrims’ developing a culture from a savage, undeveloped land maintains the image of the neutral dominant culture.  Unlike the Jews, who were ordered by God to displace the Canaanites, the Pilgrims did not set out in a direct attempt to displace the Native Americans.  It seems as if it is the nature of a dominant culture to displace those not a part of it. When a dominant culture is being introduced and one culture is not part of the powerful dominant culture, there is no place for that other culture.

This idea of displacement stands in contrast with the average immigrant narrative where people come to America wishing to assimilate.  It is those immigrants who, rather than develop the dominant culture, try to better understand and join it.  It also stands in contrast with the minority narrative where the individuals tend to resist assimilation into the dominant culture in an attempt to maintain their own individuality.  Often, the narratives show that the dominant culture expresses a sense of exploitation or discrimination against the immigrant or minority.  It is possible that this comes about when the dominant culture sees the other culture as a threat to its existence.  The dangers feared by assimilating is that one will lose his or her original culture, and in turn, his or her individuality.

Jonathan Raban’s “Hunting Mr. Heartbreak” gives a very clear example of the differences between the dominant culture and the “others.”  Here, the dominant culture is represented by the “air people;” they are separated and detached from the others.  The idea of them being in the sky gives an image of them feeling a sense of superiority from the people below.  The “street people” represent the “others.”  They seem to be the undesirables whom the “air people” choose to keep invisible.  These “air people” look straight ahead rather than make eye contact; making eye contact is acknowledging their existence. 

Sometimes I feel that the dominant culture is judged unfairly.  In this sense, I think back to “American Horse” by Louise Erdrich.  In the story, the dominant culture, in the form of Vicki Koob comes to take Buddy away from his mother.  It is very easy to view the dominant culture here as cruel to the minority family.  I do not think it is so easy.  Miss Koob describes the living conditions of the household, including an alcoholic mother.  We often hear about children being taken out of bad households for the betterment of that child; we often applaud this work on the child’s behalf.  This happens to be a minority group, so it becomes easy to view them as victims.  I am not saying that they are not victims.  What I am saying is that I feel I do not have enough of the story to judge.  I want to find out more facts; I want to find out the story before the story in order to pass judgment.

This dominant culture is viewed differently by different groups.  Minorities view it as a group of predominately educated whites.  What is humorous is that many people are a part of the dominant culture but are resistant to acknowledging it.  It is very difficult to want to belong to a group that is viewed in a very culturally bland and very discriminatory manner.  However, those people are the ones who can change the image of the dominant culture and the image of America.  Without even noticing it, other cultural influences continuously are introduced and influence the American dominant culture.

The story of the American Dominant Culture is the story of the immigrants and minorities; it is the story of a country which prides itself on its diversity.  It can be viewed as the story of each of us.  The dominant culture can easily be demonized when it seems as if it discriminates as a means of attacking when it feels a threat to its existence.  Like many people, those within the dominant culture are possibly afraid of change.  But, the fact is that culture is constantly changing, especially on a region to region basis.  The cultures blur and join like the blurred mirror inside a funhouse.  But, if you look long enough and focus, the image you see looking back from the mirror is yourself.