I would prefer the term ‘cultural mosaic’ or ‘salad bowl’ to describe our flourishing diversity over the term ‘melting pot’ any day. A term like ‘melting pot’ implies that every unique ore of metal gets melted down into a new species – indistinguishable from the rest. Such a term makes our culture seem bland in comparison to what it really is – a whirling, colorful mix of Asians, Blacks, Whites, etcetera. Such a term suggests other races that they are not good enough just being as they are. Such a term brings up the notion that other races should assimilate into just one mold.
There was one picture about assimilation, “The Great Fear of our Period”, that really intrigued me. It included Uncle Sam, two Native Americans, and what it seems to be a Pilgrim. The two Native Americans are in the process of eating Uncle Sam alive. After seeing this, the Pilgrim appears to eating the Native American that is choking on Uncle Sam and claims that the “problem” is now “solved”. This image goes to show the push towards cultural assimilation that society emphasizes among immigrants to want to become something that they are not in order to ‘fit in’.
One moment in my life where I remember trying to fit in was when I was a Kindergartener displaying my work for a Multicultural Fair my school was holding. I remember all my classmates were people from Europe or Asia and they had such nice artifacts and costumes with theirs. Being the only Bangladeshi in the room, I felt out of place. I now know that my own clothings and foods were a thing the children around me envied, but I couldn’t appreciate it at the time because I felt I needed to be the same as those around me. It’s important to be your own individual person, and when this individual aspect is stripped from you – so is a large portion of your identity.
