A lot of responsibility is laid onto the term American. There really is no clear definition on who an American is or what the culture of America encompasses. Just like the articles discuss, unless you were settled here from the beginning, and are from Native American descent, you are an immigrant/foreigner to this country. Now this “definition” is sometimes overlooked and some people may claim to be the “natives” of this country when their ancestors were actually intruders to those already living here. Many new immigrants to this country are looked down upon and treated with obvious bias. However, the way America was constructed was through the various immigrants that came from all around the world. If we want to stand upon those principles and not be hypocritical, then new immigrants should not be criticized but rather welcomed. They should be welcomed into the land of the free and nation of unity, which has been the case during the settling of the colonies. In today’s time, the United States has indeed become something similar to a salad bowl. To refer everyone located in a melting pot would be accurate to some degree. People learn from each other’s cultures, and backgrounds, and appreciate the diversity of the world in this way. Although this mix may seem pleasing at first, one may be quick to judge another’s way of life very easily. We might also assume that our way is the right way to live, and the only one. However, there are eccentric backgrounds all over the world that cannot/should not be judged for their own individualistic style of living. We can see that defining the word American can sometimes be problematic in itself.
It also becomes even more difficult for people who are second generation living in the United States, such as me. If I go back to Pakistan, I am considered an American and over here, I’m Pakistani, or just Muslim which is usually the first impression. It seems to me that many young people have an identity issue as they grow older. From these articles I get a sense that being American means to define that word for yourself, and make it part of your own life. This definition may contain your experiences from other cultures or maybe your life in America since you were born. Whatever it may be, it becomes a crucial part of one’s life to define oneself in American in this day and age.
