America: Melting Pot vs. Salad Bowl
America: Melting Pot vs. Salad Bowl
Multiculturalism is also known as ethnic diversity relating to communities containing multiple cultures. The term is used in two different broad ways, descriptively and normatively. By using the descriptive term, we usually refer to the simple fact of cultural diversity. This can be applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place and sometimes at the organizational level such as schools, neighborhoods or nations. The normative term is often referred to ideologies or politics that promote this diversity or its institutionalization. The United States have been a magnet for people all over the globe, searching for a better life and bringing their own culture and traditions to a new vast country. No other place in this world has such a diverse population, a unique nation of immigrants. This unique diversity can make excellent decisions but also constructs several challenges. America can be considered as both a melting pot and a salad bowl of people integrating. In a melting pot people come into society assimilated, adopt the standard of their new society and contributes something along the way. While in a salad bowl people tend to hold on to their own culture upon arrival and do not take on the characteristics of a new society. A melting pot integrates people to be the same, this system creates a tunnel vision contrary to a salad bowl which will promotes various knowledge and will therefore collectively make a better decision for society as a whole. The question is what makes for a better and healthier nation? William J. Bennett discusses several reasons why America being a melting pot is better than a salad bowl throughout his book, “America: The Last Best Hope.” By saying a nation should become one. It’s important not to pressure our differences, but rather focus on coming together as a melting pot with a set of core values. For a very long time immigrants were welcome with open arms to America with no restrictions to
Multiculturalism is also known as ethnic diversity relating to communities containing multiple cultures. The term is used in two different broad ways, descriptively and normatively. By using the descriptive term, we usually refer to the simple fact of cultural diversity. This can be applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place and sometimes at the organizational level such as schools, neighborhoods or nations. The normative term is often referred to ideologies or politics that promote this diversity or its institutionalization. The United States have been a magnet for people all over the globe, searching for a better life and bringing their own culture and traditions to a new vast country. No other place in this world has such a diverse population, a unique nation of immigrants. This unique diversity can make excellent decisions but also constructs several challenges. America can be considered as both a melting pot and a salad bowl of people integrating. In a melting pot people come into society assimilated, adopt the standard of their new society and contributes something along the way. While in a salad bowl people tend to hold on to their own culture upon arrival and do not take on the characteristics of a new society. A melting pot integrates people to be the same, this system creates a tunnel vision contrary to a salad bowl which will promotes various knowledge and will therefore collectively make a better decision for society as a whole. The question is what makes for a better and healthier nation? William J. Bennett discusses several reasons why America being a melting pot is better than a salad bowl throughout his book, “America: The Last Best Hope.” By saying a nation should become one. It’s important not to pressure our differences, but rather focus on coming together as a melting pot with a set of core values. For a very long time immigrants were welcome with open arms to America with no restrictions to