Week 3

Assimilation into American society has often been defined as becoming more “white”. Many ethnic groups were encouraged to leave behind their culture or religion to become American – ironically; they were often leaving their country in order to escape persecution for the culture. Americans have a time-honored tradition of disregarding cultures until a white figurehead can copy the style. Especially within music, the influence of African Americans in particular has been denied. A fantastic example is in Elvis Presley and the Beatles – both are considered pioneers and visionaries of rock music, when in reality, they were simply among the first white people to absorb the style of African Americans such as Chuck Berry. There certainly is an element of whitewashing in American culture. For example, Rhonda Lee was a meteorologist in Louisiana when she received a comment from a viewer telling her to “wear a wig” because with her short, naturally curly hair she looked like “a cancer patient”. Where there isn’t whitewashing, there is often a fetishization of other cultures, turning them into little more than consumable caricatures and token figures in the media. While American assimilation has become stronger – we are respecting other cultures and incorporating them into our own – our attitude towards the originators of the culture may be worse than ever.