Preview

Essay On Cultural Assimilation

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
468 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay On Cultural Assimilation
According to Healey’s (2013) textbook, “Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class”, cultural assimilation is best defined as a process that an individual in a minority group or a minority group undergoes when they begin to take in the culture of the dominant group (pg. 47). Their language and/or culture become similar to other groups, causing differences between groups to decrease (pg. 43). This process includes things like, having to adopt different values, changing the spelling of one’s name, and even changing one’s eating habits under certain circumstances (pg. 47). In the textbook, secondary structural assimilation is best defined as when an individual of a minority group, or a minority group integrates into the social structure of the dominant …show more content…
Although in Laredo, Tx it is seen that much of the population is similar, the English speaking skills are still needed for better potential outcomes in social class, education and the work place. The town is small, therefore the job offerings are not so big in the area. Although it seems like if you know Spanish in that town you are pretty much set. The reality is that the skills one has are still very important and determines the experiences, social mobility and secondary assimilations that are taken in. Only being fluent in Spanish- speaking in America definitely prevents one from full secondary assimilation. One may be able to join public institutions but the challenges of integrating and interacting with those of a different group are very hard. In the case of being undocumented, this also prevents one from secondary assimilation under the word place category the most. Getting paid under the table is not the same as getting paid in a written check. People live with the fear of being exposed by other workers (specifically of a different group) if they decide to tell them that they are undocumented. It definitely creates a huge wall for the potential opportunities that they could have if they were able to speak English and/or be documented. Lastly, the advancement of Laredo, Tx seems to be impacted by the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Through the years Native Americans have long endured from cultural and social assimilation. Native Americans have had to embrace a culture other than their own for many years. Native Americans have had to cope with a new culture known as “white culture”. There are numerous ways by which natives were obligated to learn the new culture. For instance, early colonist believed that through education could a native assimilate to their new culture thus leading to the foundation of boarding schools.…

    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people would agree that the Irish have been successful in assimilating into American culture and the Native American has been unsuccessful. There have been many boundaries that both groups have encountered but they are more of a hardship for the Native American. These include Racial and Cultural boundaries, Personal boundaries, Sociological boundaries, Political and Economic boundaries, and Geographical boundaries.…

    • 421 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The graphic novel American Born Chinese (2006), by Gene Luen Yang, is a very modern and influential piece of work that can be compared to the short indie film Two Lies (1990), directed and written by Pamela Tom, which had preceded the novel by 16 years. These two different forms of work, both utilizing their ability to teach the audience, are used as powerful venues for the topic of identity crisis among the Asian people in a majority European American world. In the film, we have Mei and her family who are all having some trouble adjusting to their lives in Southern California but more specifically we have Mei and her trouble to understand her mother 's cause and intent for having undergone double eye-lid surgery. In ABC, we have our protagonist, Jin, who is having trouble fitting into his new school in San Francisco since he is one of the very few Asian admitted to the school. Another time line in the novel is the story of the monkey king who does anything to get rid of the fact that he is a monkey in order to fit into society. The third is the story of Danny, a European American who has trouble and often becomes embarrassed with his hyperbolic Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee. This character is first introduced by saying "Harro Amellica!" while Jin 's father, carrying giant Chinese take out container says "I 'll put your luggage into your room, Chin-Kee" (48). All three of these time line show our characters having some sort of shame or embarrassment to the fact that their own image or background is different from those around them.…

    • 2458 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to Ting - Toomey and Chung (2012), the "cultural assimilation" stance is an attitude towards the adaptation process in which individuals demand that strangers conform to the host environment. While the "cultural pluralist" stance is one that encourages a diversity of values, emphasizing the importance of providing strangers with larger sets of norms to choose from in regards to their transition into a new culture. When it comes to the stance I personally subscribe to in consideration of immigrant issues, I think that it…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Native Americans had no other option than assimilation. Today, we have the right to choose. Back in the days you had rights only if you were part of the elite society, in this case, a white person. White people were so hungry power that they did whatever they had to as to gain all the land that belonged to the Native Americans. They took advantage of the inocense of the Native Americans and achieved their goals. Whites wanted total control over the Native Americans, they forced them to assimilation, tricked them and took everything away from them.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I would have to agree with the prevalence of its third assimilationist ideology or, “cultural pluralism, states that it is not necessary for immigrants to give up all aspects of their culture to assimilate into the dominant American society. Instead, they can be fully functioning members of mainstream society while retaining their ethnic heritage” (Fitzgerald, 2014, p. 141). This perspective calls attention to a good amount of cultural assimilation by restricting their native language or Spanish to their household which continues to play a role in my own life. It will even maintain that these people are considered to only verbalize in the English language at the workplace, school, and so on. By and large, there remains to be an immense expectation for immigrants to speak English in their residence at the United States of…

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ethnocentrism is the act of viewing someone’s culture below yours or from the perspective of only your own views. When considering issues of immigration, it is looked at as a major problem. People who come to live permanently in a foreign country, also known as an immigrant, are sometimes treated with hatred and not given the basic respects that every human being deserves. Prejudices, discrimination and hate crimes are things that immigrants face every day, no matter what country they came from. The unjust treatment of a person is on the rise in our society, especially to individuals who are different from ourselves. Demographics and family upbringings also affect our views on immigration, being an immigrant and judging immigrants bring up…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Throughout United States history, minority groups have always faced oppression, poverty, and prejudice. A main example, that has endured such hardships the most, is the Native American. Their land and basic way of life has been almost entirely stripped away from them since the first arrival of American colonies. They were forced off their own land by the government and forced to assimilate to a new culture that was far different from what they had known for centuries.…

    • 1329 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cultural appropriation is often described as when somebody takes something of significance from a culture that is not their own without showing respect for what they have taken. While some people do this on purpose for personal gain, that being profit or just popularity, many may not even know what cultural appropriation is. Miley Cyrus has shown evidence that she either does not know about or does not care about cultural appropriation at her 2013 Video Music Awards performance on live television where she used black women’s bodies as sexual props, performed a song that she explicitly wanted to feel black, and degraded a vast population of black women in the process.…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Multiculturalism

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Canada’s multiculturalism, democratic system of government and healthcare system are my top three choices that make me proud to be Canadian. From all the countries in the west, Canada is the only country to rank in the top 20 most diverse and multicultural countries (Morin). Not to mention, Toronto which is a city located in Canada is the most ethnically diverse and multicultural city in the entire planet (Rouse). I am proud to have multiculturalism in Canada since it promotes diversity and demonstrates how people from all cultures can live together in peace and harmony. Multiculturalism is a marvelous way to meet new people and discover various traditions and cultures. Additionally, it brings new foods to savor, interesting cultural activities…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Between 1887 and 1933, the U.S. government was assimilating the Natives of our country into mainstream society. At that time, it was considered a mission and was acceptable compared to today’s standards of racism and prejudice. It was effort by the United States to force the natives from being “savages” and “uncivilized” to being able to function in society. They were required to become the average American or as much as possible. The primary tool use for assimilation was the boarding schools where children would be taken from their homes and kept away from their families for very long amounts of time. They were forced to convert to Christianity, wear the “American” attire, learn English, and live as an independent American would. They came…

    • 339 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Assimilation is when an Immigrant adjusts to the new culture and ways of life in the country they immigrated to. Immigrants typically assimilate into America’s culture for one reason: to fit in. But what are the repercussions of assimilation? Are there benefits of it as well? I believe that with assimilation, there are benefits, but the one who loses most from assimilation is the Immigrant who is the one assimilating.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the contemporary society of the U.S., ethnic Mexicans are perceived as illegal immigrants who are dangerous, uneducated, and solely wishing to take the jobs of U.S. born. Their immigration was a result of recruitment from Native entrepreneur employers seeking cheap labor, often times through illegal means; and despite their prominent role in the economic sphere of the U.S. society, they continue to be disregarded and deemed inferior by U.S. born. This is demonstrated by their inferior wages simply due to their ethnicity, and through their automatic assumption that all ethnic Mexicans entering the states are illegal immigrants. Contrarily, South Americans originally began immigrating during the brain drain era, which included migration of…

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cultural identity is a huge part of who we are. Not only does it define our interests, it also dictates why and who we interact with. It affects so many things in our life that it can be hard to find anything at all that isn’t affected by it. For me personally, the biggest parts of my cultural identity are the food I eat, the people I spend my time with, and the music I listen to.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Do people still care about their culture and involve themselves into it like as much as they used to? Or do they leave it aside like a rejected toy and forget about it? Today, the cultures and traditions of our people still play a big role in our society. Cultures and traditions are still important because they hold many history, defines our individuality, and it’s something for you and others to discover and enjoy.…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays