Michael Walzer discuss the meaning of the adjective “American” in this article, exploring whether this unclear adjective (since technically Mexicans and Canadians are “Americans” as well) relates to our level of national unity. After reading the passage, my personal opinion is that while culturally we may have diverse backgrounds, just as it is proposed in the passage, I believe that the idea of “hyphenated Americans,” that is, for example, Italian-American, Irish-American, or Jewish American, implies that both sides of the hyphen are equal. It is true that Americans today may group themselves into communities of similar ethnicities, like the large Chinese population in Flushing, or the large Jewish population of Hewlett, Long Island. As a nation, immigrants from all over have brought their own traditions and blended them to create what are American traditions. One example of this is the Africans who brought over their music, which eventually became the American style of Jazz. Many ethnic cuisines, such as Italian and Chinese, have become “Americanized.” For example, Spaghetti and Meatballs, a dish many might consider “Italian,” would actually never be seen in Italy — where spaghetti and meatballs would always be eaten separately. The many groups of people who have come to America have all contributed something to help sculpt what could be define as “American.”
Politically, we are a land of immigrants, and (as a majority) believe in concepts our Founding Fathers laid down, such as religious freedom, and freedom of speech. The article also discusses the idea that “from many, we are one;” from many cultures, we form one country. Walzer cites a quote later in his passage which sums up quite well this idea with an example from France: “One must refuse everything to the Jews as a nation, and give everything to the Jews as individuals….it would be repugnant to have…a nation within a nation.” Clermont-Tonnerre’s example illustrates perfectly, in my opinion, the ideal philosophy that would be American; it respects all ethnicities, but it does not collectively regard a certain group as worthy of something. In this way, American can be “from many, one” and not “from many, many.” In my opinion, in America today, because ethnic groups cluster together, other ethnic groups may view them with an unequal hyphen (“American” being the lesser side). I believe that racial tolerance is achieved only when people can view a certain group of people as individuals who are, for example, “Chinese-American,” rather then “a group of Chinese people living Flushing.” Ultimately, just as Walzer said at the end of his passage, part of being American is to accept that American does not signify a single identity, because the American identity is many identities blended together.
