I definitely agree with Ashley, and several others who mentioned the idea of America as a “Salad Bowl” as opposed to a melting pot. Whereas the earliest immigrants to this country may have assimilated, forming a “melting pot” of one unified, “American” culture, that is no longer the case. People now develop a sense of being American while still retaining their native cultures. It is definitely true that assimilation is not an easy and quick thing, as Gerstle brought up in his article, and became more difficult with the coming of industrialization. In fact many immigrants in the early 20th century had to form close-knit communities in which their own cultures flourished as a means of survival!
Greg brought up the point that New York is one of the most culturally diverse places in the world, and I would have to agree. One of the ideas in Kasinitz’s article was that the face of immigration is changing because of this newfound diversity, especially in New York. Now, immigrants are living among other immigrants, instead of being faced with a sharp divide from a predominant white culture. Morrison said that the true “American” culture was only formed by the “presence of a racial other” to compare against…but the line is becoming less clear in certain parts of the country.
America is becoming more and more culturally diverse, and generally a place where people can openly express cultural individuality. I believe that this diversity and constant contact between numerous nationalities and beliefs is what is actually creating the unique “American” culture we are searching for.
