This weeks articles mainly focused on second-generation immigrants and how they are struggling to find their unique identity within the vast and diverse culture of New York City that can be overwhelming. In Butterfield’s article, she goes through many personal accounts of West Indian people, whose identity and cultural uniqueness has been suppressed, simply because they have dark skin color. Second-generation West Indians as described by Butterfield often find themselves labeled as “being black” in school by many of their peers, and even their teachers.
Many of the West Indians in Butterfield’s article do fall into the “third place” or rather third category which Maira describes in her article. The third place, is for second-generation immigrants those who are stuck within two separate categories. The first category being people like their parents, who have immigrated to the United States, and carry with them cultural and ethnic values of their home, which they wish to imbed in the minds of their children. The second category consists of the people who have assimilated well into American culture. The “third place” Maira describes is sort of a hybrid, a mix between American culture, and the cultural values of their homeland.
Despite their ethnic, and cultural differences, West Indians are still discriminated and ignored at times by American society. The account of the graduate student studying sociology brought up a very interesting point. She said that while New York is very diverse and unique, it is sometimes detrimental to people of various ethnic backgrounds. “We all have different backgrounds and identities, but which ones need to get backburned for the sake of the larger good?” This somewhat relates to World Systems theory in anthropology where, in order for the advancement of some, others need to be sacrificed. Does this system also apply to the way American culture works? Are there certain groups who have to sacrifice themselves for the greater good?
