Gordon discussed three theories of assimilation: “Anglo-conformity”, “melting pot”, and “cultural pluralism.” In New York City, Cultural pluralism is evident by the shops, restaurants, temples, churches, and mosques dot the streets. Most New Yorkers consider its diversity an admirable characteristic. Unfortunately, this celebration of diversity does not carry over to all facets of society. The professional world encourages its employees to relinquish many aspects of their personal culture in order to assume a more uniform and clean cut New York culture. Maybe it is not necessarily Anglo-conformity, but there is a subtle conformity evident by the sameness of dress and manner of New Yorkers rushing to work on the streets.
I would love to say that America is a melting-pot, but when I dream big about climbing the ranks of the professional world, I have felt something along the lines of Anglo-conformity. White Americans who have family roots in America for generations back are well-connected and often have leadership positions in the business, professional, political, and academic world. They make the decisions in their fields of who to trust and who to offer opportunities to. Many well-established white people look to provide opportunities to people who are like themselves, if not in race then at least in manner.
Therefore, being white in a job interview would probably be an advantage. Seeming white is apparently something that I have not mastered. Earlier this year I met a white boy with roots in America that spanned so many generations that he could not even count. As we were talking, I mentioned something about cooking. This was his reply: “Oh, I’m sure you are a really good cook. I know how you foreigners are. I love foreign food.” Just because I mention cooking does not mean I like to cook. I cannot cook. That was the first erroneous assumption. Secondly, I was called a foreigner in my own city and country. Turning this towards my point, people are quick to jump to conclusions as to who you are based on your appearance and their preconceptions. I was born and raised American just like he was. I was only taught English as a child so that I would not have trouble learning or speaking English. If a white person thinks I am foreign, as a second generation American with roots in Southern Europe, then what is my race? Sometimes, I strive to be more white because I’m paranoid that white people are treated more fairly. Is Anglo-Saxon conformity in the professional world an unspoken truth with a foundation in prejudice for anyone who is different?
I give a lot of credit to New York City. A hub of diversity, New York is mostly accepting to people of all cultures. Crevecoeur would have argued that the people of various cultures “desire to throw off inherited customs and beliefs to begin anew.” Cultural pluralism in everyday life disproves this myth. However, when it comes to the business world where you must depend on the people in charge and dodge all their biases and prejudices, adopting a manner of “whiteness” would probably secure a leg up.
Stephanie Azzopardi
Okay, this is terrific. You’ve stumbled across the theory of cultural capital which is a fancy sociological term for a set of manners, cultural tastes (e.g. golf, tennis), personal style preferences , etc. that can be converted into financial capital in situations like job interviews where the gatekeepers of corporate or professional success often subconsciously look to a range of visual or behavioral cues to decide whether someone will “belong.” This used to be far more entrenched than it is now, but unfortunately it’s still there, and helps to explain glass ceiling effects that constrain compensation and power in the business world for women and minorities. The old boys club is smaller than it used to be, and more dispersed, but still holds power.