2c. Dominant culture: What glimpses did you gain? Why won’t students recognize or discuss? What are the costs and benefits of identifying the USA’s dominant culture as another ethnic group rather than a norm?

Christine Moon 

The Dominant Culture and the Evolving Future

The Dominant Culture stands for what immigrants (and minorities) inspire to assimilate to. In some cases, they can be looked at as the “norm” or the “standard,” because of those who strive to be accepted and acknowledged just like members of this assimilated culture. Perhaps at one point, America functioned as the nation of immigrants, but slowly, the Dominant Culture has been forced to re-evaluate and re-adjust as immigration in the United States increases; the culture and tradition that are brought by immigrants are also beginning to have its effects on the existing Dominant Culture. The cultures that are beginning to blend need to be prepared for the evolving future.

For people who are a part of the assimilated culture, or those who are “unmarked,” there may be a sense of entitlement as their predominance may be at risk. Often, immigrants and minorities can be distinguished by their “marked” status because of their skin color, hair color, or by the foreign language they speak; the Dominant Culture is usually identified as white and clean. It may be too soon to predict the evolving factors, but it is not too soon to know that the blending of the evolving future is inevitable. America stands for freedom and opportunity, and these notions have been exercised for hundreds of years. Though there are glimpses of equality and the fight for it has come a long way, the equality for immigrants may be an entirely different journey.

Resistance is present in all cultures and does not exclude the Dominant Culture. Because they do not need to succumb to the pressures of assimilating, it may be easier for them to reject others. It appears this resistance and rejection existed long before most people may be familiar with. As the Puritans began their own settlement, it was expected that the Native Americans assimilate to them, and they did not adopt parts of the Native American culture until much later. However, without the presence of the Dominant Culture, there would be no culture for immigrants to assimilate to. The Dominant Culture needs to exist as a balancing point, where immigrants and minorities can experience the rebirth, new life, and the “American Dream” they had hoped for. Without the standards of social acceptance, education, and financial stability set by the Dominant Culture, there would be no mobility and positive movement in the New World for the immigrants. Where would the will to succeed come from? Would there even be a “dream” without these American standards?

Anzia Yezierska’s “Soap and Water” explains the pressures of social approval and acceptance. Dean Whiteside, the “well-groomed lady,” judges a graduating student by her physical appearance. By withholding her college diploma, Dean Whiteside made a startling point: that “soap and water are cheap” and that “anyone can be clean.” The stresses of conforming has left the student shaken, fearing that she would be “condemned…[and] unfit to be a teacher.” Such pressures do exist for immigrants that are presented by the Dominant Culture. In “Soap and Water,” Dean Whiteside and those she accepts can be identified as the Dominant Culture, as the student and those who are under the same scrutiny are struggling to assimilate. The student described her first moments in college as a “solid wall of the well-fed, well-dressed world—the frigid whitewashed wall of cleanliness.” Dean Whiteside is under scrutiny by her own culture as well. She, too, must follow her peers as she does not stray from her what is “normal” to her; anything that strays from that will allow herself to be in question of her social and collegiate status. Could this be an attempt to maintain a social contract?

In “Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto” by Abraham Cahan, Gitl was unsure about assimilating to the American culture at first. However, it was because she was in a different country with new traditions, trends, and expectations. Jake had already steadily assimilated—clean shaven and “dressed like a young nobleman”—and seeing his wife again made him cringe, as “his heart…sank at the sight of his wife’s un-couth and un-American appearance.” Jake changed his appearance and his name to conform to society. In order to blend in and appear to be “unmarked,” he assumed the role of a native New Yorker. It would be reasonable to assume that he was embarrassed at times at Gitl’s “marked” appearance. Though she tried to please him by not wearing her wig and replacing it with a kerchief, she was uneasy about going out “in her own hair.” As traditional roots versus assimilated culture marches on, it is important to take into consideration how Gitl did eventually conform to society. She blended in, becoming “unmarked” as she began to show her hair and dress like the other women. These actions are just the beginning stages of an immigrant choosing to assimilate.

America is the home of diversity. Whether one is considered “marked” or “unmarked,” the evolving future of the nation is moving forward. The Dominant Culture will continue to exist, but without accepting the idea of blending their own culture (while expecting others to blend into theirs), one can wonder if it would be possible for them to be pushed aside eventually. Rather than surviving as a divided nation as we currently stand, it is only a matter of time before America begins to feel the strong aspects of the increase of immigration in the United States. As the future awaits us, the Dominant Culture needs to take note the changes that have already occurred—the different foods, clothing, and international products that are now available in the United States. Perhaps these are the first steps to moving forward into our evolving future.