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2019 Midterm1
(assignment) |
LITR 4340
American Immigrant Literature Model Assignments |
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Jasmine Choate
The
Bully Mentality behind Dominant Cultures
In all
honesty, searching and reading through the Model Assignments was completely
overwhelming. I was finding so many interesting and different perspectives that
resembled ideas we discussed in class yet was unsure where to start. Once I came
across Jojo Hunter’s 2018 Research Report, I found some inspiration. Their
outlook and personal experience with two different major cultures made me want
to rethink how I would describe the term Dominant Culture. I initially would
have just referred to White Americans describing themselves as superior as a
major sign of the dominant culture here in the US. Using this research report
and Zach Thomas’s both midterm 1 and final essays, I feel more confident in my
understanding of the nature of cultural dominance and how immigrants and
minorities experience it.
Starting
with Jojo Hunter’s research report, Stuck
Somewhere In-Between, I found myself realizing that the idea I had of White
Americans being the only type of dominant culture was way off. I found myself
relating to Hunter as they spoke about being bi-racial and not truly fitting in
with either culture. “I have been rejected by both the dominant cultures that I
grew up in, and I have been dismissed as a ‘gringa’ or ‘coconut’ because I lack
all knowledge about being Hispanic. I have also been rejected by the dominant
culture for having darker skin… These things hurt me, because I never did
anything to deserve being called names, and I certainly had no hand in what my
skin color would be.” (Hunter, 2018) I never would have thought of my Hispanic
side as a dominant culture even though I experienced all the same rejections
that I have from my American half. I was too dark for America and too white for
Mexico. Both of these cultures refuse to accept what is unknown or considered
the “other” yet expect for their cultures to be the overruling one. I guess I’ve
been conditioned to only see White culture as dominant since here in America, it
is. Yet, while visiting family in Mexico, I was the outsider who was expected to
drop everything that made me American in order to assimilate to their culture.
This report opened my eyes to an experience where I was the minority being
forced into the concepts of a dominant culture multiple times, without even
realizing it.
In his
final exam essay, Invisible Majority,
Zach Thomas uses an incredibly vivid way to describe how immigrants, or the
“other”, feel coming into a place with a dominating culture. “They
arrive with color, vibrancy, family traditions, and above all, a sense of hope
for a better future. Though the painting is made with broad strokes, the colors
began to run less bold on arrival. These colors became so by bleeding into an
already thick coat of white paint upon the landscape. This white paint, while
intriguing and seemingly-absent, caused the dark colors to run less deep.”
(Thomas, 2016) I really liked this way of describing how the dominant culture
here in America has an end-all be-all sense of living to it. In order to be
accepted, you need to fit in. There is nothing more contrasting than light and
dark, as we discussed in class while talking about the color code often used to
make the dominant culture superior and ideal. Thinking about this in relation to
what Hunter mentioned about not being able to choose the color of their skin, it
is really unfortunate that cultural beliefs, celebrations, customs, etc. can
cause such a rift between humans who come into this world with no control over
what they will experience. Brown paint can’t help but be brown, just like white
paint can’t help but be white. However, when it boils down to it, they are both
paint. Why should one color make the other fade away to be less?
Another point that Zach Thomas makes in his Midterm 1 essay,
Part One: To Be or Not to Be, is how
much we as people can learn from each other. Which makes the entire concept of
having to assimilate to a dominant culture by leaving behind your customs and
traditions seem a tad irrational. Rejecting those immigrants or minorities who
do not wish to fully assimilate into the US dominant culture is a harsh bully
mentality that reaches out to control people who think, look, and act
differently. I believe in the idea of immigrants and minorities learning about
the American culture and what comes along with it. However, I don’t believe that
they should feel forced to leave behind who they are and what they believe in,
in order to have an appreciation for America as their home. “There is give and
take. American society can benefit from the shared cultural practices of other
countries while also giving benefits to the immigrant or minority. Less
retaliation would be an option for America’s future if society worked together
in understanding each different country’s way of life.” (Thomas, 2016) Houston
in particular is such a culturally diverse city that displays how much we can
learn and understand from each other’s background through shared experiences. If
the rest of America was like this, there would be a less forceful dominating
culture and more of a welcoming group of humans willing to learn about the
“others”, not control them.
Ultimately, through these model assignments, I realized that I had a
misconception of the term “dominant culture” by not really realizing what truly
drove the concept. I had not thought much about the bully mentality that is at
times shoved upon immigrants as they are expected to fully envelope themselves
in an entirely new culture. It is interesting to me to think about the fear of
different cultures or “others” that drives our dominant culture. This does not
just stem from Racism, as one might initially think. It is almost a sort of
egotistical power that comes from a high number of people who have pride in
their culture and want all the “others” around to accept and appreciate
everything about it. However, immigrants should be able to appreciate and
understand American culture, while still being fully proud of their native one.
