Culture is a diverse phenomenon in its sense. It generally entails the way of life of people. Therefore it focuses on all aspects of life that is; social, political and economical factors that surround people and influence them to be the way they are ( Eliot, 2010). Culture involves the practice of certain norms accepted by all members, thus culture seems to give individuals a sense of belonging. America being one the largest continent with a variety of nations, it consists of certain norms that guarantee one to be called an American. Culture varies in terms of languages, religion, foods, arts, sports among other factors. Like for instance there are a lot of spoken languages such as English, Spanish, Chinese and French. Notably, it’s always difficult for any individual to fit in an American culture. However, this may not be necessary to some extend as an individual has the power to decide to retain his/her culture at any circumstances. This is determined by how people view mainstream and non-mainstream culture. On a larger scale, their ideas or opinions are entirely altered by their personal unique experiences. Many authors for instance, Jhumpa Lahiri, Judith Ortiz, Brent Staples and Ann Marie Sayers have expressed their different opinions on culture. Their personal views either conquer or agree with the American culture.
The practice of retaining some cultural practices by native people may pose both negative and positive impacts to a marginalized group of individuals ( Postman, 2011). According to Jhumpa Lahiri who happened to experience both Indian and American life, she states each state posse its own social, cultural and ethnic practices ( Lahiri, 2008). Meanwhile, over time notably, these cultures have changed over time due to movement of people from one continent to another. Social values are evolving and diversifying in response to changes in customs, religious beliefs and introduction of new technologies by different states in the world. In her book “The Namesake”, Jhumpa Lahiri tries to promote the art of cultural hybridism in a person belonging to two different nations. She tries to bring out the borders of society and culture to implicate and accept people of diverse cultures. Lahiri said “It takes a fierce devotion to defend your artistic space and eternal vigilance over it because the needs of others will grow like vines in your little pot and claim it back for the jungle.
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Sticking to one culture disastrous as it hinders human development and in turn increases the levels of poverty among American countries. Judith Ortiz in her writings tries to expound on this. She speaks upon the stereotypes of Latinas. She herself being a Latino feels to have been harassed and judged wrongly at one point. She is being mistakenly to be a waitress. Latino people at that time seemed to prefer vivid color because of its reflection. This led to them being treated badly. However, Judith Ortiz being a learned individual, she is proud of her clothes, color and accent and encourages her fellow members and all people to impress this. She said, “Relationship does not preclude issues of morality.” Another author to have faced the same situation is Brent Staples. Staples at one point was stereotyped to be a criminal due to his physical appearance. Staples was a tall black man working as a journalist in entire field owned and managed by the whites. He was accused of falsely of being a burglar. He felt frustrated as the allegations were uncommon. This forced him to whistle most of the times late at the night when he approaches people to try and convince them that he was a cultured and civilized man. Staples note that, “Cancelled checks will be the future historians and cultural anthropologists that the Dead Sea scrolls and hieroglyphics are to us.”
In a larger context it’s better to assimilate the non mainstream values in the society. A variety of cultures exhibited by an individual seems to add value ( Fadiman, 1998). It gives people a sense of belonging as well boosting their levels of self-esteem which are necessary for the full development of any individuals. This context is well described by Ann Marie Slayers. Ann being a leader of the Ohlone people is forced to assimilate a new way of performing their rituals due to the introduction of the new law. She said, “Today people are shortsighted. When you make decision, think how this will affect the next seven generations. And we need our youth to start thinking this way.” It’s necessary to identify the indigenous people and try to assimilate their culture. Truth is needed everywhere in history according to Ann.
In reality, it’s possible to bring together different aspects of culture. Most recently this has been experienced in the education sector. For instance, in Latin America Spanish and Portuguese languages are dominant. Therefore indigenous cultures hold different views. However, respective governments like in Brazil and Ecuador have implemented the Intellectual Bilingual Education (IBE). This reform aims at the importance of native traditions and bringing them together in the system of education. NGOs have also assisted in the reviewing and writing histories as well as retaining them for future use. This Latin government is aiming to infuse together multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual societies.
In a free world, people do what they see to best to them, however some individuals may be denied freedom to try new learn the culture of other people. One may see this as a mere thing but in real sense it may harm the victim. Neurological studies show that bilingual people from their early stages of life exhibit high concentration levels and are better at multitasking than monolingual individuals. Conforming one within certain vicinity inhibits full human development due to the lack of exposure on the changes in the world around. People of this kind always express self esteem. Self esteem is a key driver to the achievement of objectives or set goals. Every individual is guided by certain principles in life which ensures he/she adapts well and apply the necessary measures in particular life situations to solve the impeding problems affecting them. Individuals with low self esteem will not believe in themselves or others to execute the required steps to make their lives better. Likewise, individuals conformed to one culture cannot accept individual differences that exists among human race (Coates, 2015). Cultures should be respected rather than assimilated. Remember, respect starts by us respecting us. We are all equal creatures before God and therefore thou shall you not judge. This is well illustrated by both Judith Ortiz and Staples. Failure to this may cause loneliness and frustration.
Its better and sound to have a sense of belonging as an individual. Each individual should belong to a given mainstream. I know of a friend of mine who relocated to South America. He was optimistic at first sight that he was going to learn and adapt new life there so easy and fast. But there, he struggled a lot to adapt in the culture due to the criticisms and harassment shown towards him by the native people. He was therefore forced to live by his recent way of live and with time fighting and trying to convince the native people that he should be treated equally and offered an opportunity to assimilate their culture. This matter is looked into by Jhumpa Lahiri being a native of two countries struggling to adapt in the American style; Judith Ortiz and Staples being stereotyped. All of the above authors call for the acceptance of a revolution in culture in America.
References
Eliot, T. S. (2010). Notes towards the Definition of Culture . Faber & Faber.
Fadiman, A. (1998). The spirit catches you and you fall down: A Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures . New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
Lahiri, J., New Hampshire Library Association & New Hampshire Library Association. (2008). Reads-To-Go: [bookclub kit for the namesake] . New Hampshire: Nhla Reads-To-Go.
