Assimilating to the Us
Embracing Something New
We all feel the need to be accepted somewhere. We all want to feel loved. We want to know that people want to spend time with us; we want to be accepted. Sometimes we will do anything to reach that. Some people will change everything about themselves just to fit in. This trying to fit in can be seen in every school, in every city, in every state, in every country, all around the world. No one wants to feel lonely and left out. No one wants to be rejected. But, what happens when trying to fit in means letting go of things you love and things you are familiar with? This is what happens for many immigrants who come to the United States and decide to assimilate. They have to try to fit in, and in doing so they tend to lose some of their own culture. But is this a good thing? Should they try and fit into this new culture? The simple answer is yes. Immigrants should assimilate and become a part of the United States economically, culturally, and civically.
While expecting immigrants to assimilate may seem harsh, one must understand what assimilation is before jumping to any conclusions. “… “assimilation” implies a forced conformity. They feel that it would require them to give up what makes them special, and they dread being reduced to what they see as the lowest common denominator of what it means to be American.”(Jacoby 571). But is that really what assimilating means? What does assimilation actually mean for immigrants? “Assimilation is a term referring to another part of the adaptation process initially proposed by Jean Piaget. Through assimilation, we take in new information or experiences and incorporate them into our existing ideas.” (Ehrenhalt 9). It means coming to a new culture, understanding how to function there, keeping some old idea, and adding and modifying others. It is about respecting the new place you moved to and understanding how it works. Changing everything about one’s self is not what assimilation is. It is not about
We all feel the need to be accepted somewhere. We all want to feel loved. We want to know that people want to spend time with us; we want to be accepted. Sometimes we will do anything to reach that. Some people will change everything about themselves just to fit in. This trying to fit in can be seen in every school, in every city, in every state, in every country, all around the world. No one wants to feel lonely and left out. No one wants to be rejected. But, what happens when trying to fit in means letting go of things you love and things you are familiar with? This is what happens for many immigrants who come to the United States and decide to assimilate. They have to try to fit in, and in doing so they tend to lose some of their own culture. But is this a good thing? Should they try and fit into this new culture? The simple answer is yes. Immigrants should assimilate and become a part of the United States economically, culturally, and civically.
While expecting immigrants to assimilate may seem harsh, one must understand what assimilation is before jumping to any conclusions. “… “assimilation” implies a forced conformity. They feel that it would require them to give up what makes them special, and they dread being reduced to what they see as the lowest common denominator of what it means to be American.”(Jacoby 571). But is that really what assimilating means? What does assimilation actually mean for immigrants? “Assimilation is a term referring to another part of the adaptation process initially proposed by Jean Piaget. Through assimilation, we take in new information or experiences and incorporate them into our existing ideas.” (Ehrenhalt 9). It means coming to a new culture, understanding how to function there, keeping some old idea, and adding and modifying others. It is about respecting the new place you moved to and understanding how it works. Changing everything about one’s self is not what assimilation is. It is not about
Cited: Ayoola, Ayo. Personal Interview. 10 Oct. 2012. Crusius, Timothy W., and Carolyn E. Channell. The Aims of Argument. 6thth ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print. Huntington, Samuel. “One Nation, Out of Many: Why “Americanization” of Newcomers Is Still Important.” Crusius and Channell. pg. 573-576. Jacoby, Tamar. “The New Immigrants and the Issue Of Assimilation.” Crusius and Channell. pg. 567-572 Ehrenhalt, Alan. "Becoming U.S." DBA Governing Magazine 2008: 9+. Academic Onefile. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. Hayworth, J.D. "Immigrants Need to Embrace U.S. Culture." Arizona Central 29 Jan. 2006. Academic Onefile. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. Portes, Alejandro, and Min Zhou. "Should Immigrants Assimilate?" Public Internet 116 1994: 18+. Academic Onefile. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.