My American Experience

Zach Colton
Humanities

My American Experience

The “American Experience” is one that is not only defined by historical events that take place throughout one’s lifetime, but is an experience that can also be determined through one’s own personal journey and how it reflects back on the American ideals, customs, and political/social aspects of their life. Through my own short lifetime, I have witnessed many events that have shaped who I am and how I view myself in relation to being an “American.” Growing up in Danville has provided a mixed bag of exposure to what being an American means to me. My first memory of this is going to the Danville 4th of July Parade every year, starting when I was three. I remember holding the American Flag and feeling a sense of community. I was surrounded by my friends and family, and as I got older I felt a sense of patriotism. When September 11th occurred, I was in 4th grade. I remember walking downstairs that morning and watching MSNBC with my parents and viewing the images of the Twin Towers falling. I was confused and I didn’t understand what was going on at the time. It was a turning point in my life that made me realize that the world was not as perfect as I perceived it to be and that the ugly truth of “terrorism” existed and was evident in my life. The safety that I had felt at our “Hometown Parade” was gone. It hit close to home because a parent at our school (and friend of our family), perished in the Twin Towers that day. From then on, it seemed to me that everything in our world had changed, and related to September 11th. It always seems to go back to that ugly day; I question whether Osama Bin Laden’s goal was met by “rocking the free world” of the United States. Something else that has contributed to my “American Experience”, has taken place in my work place. I work for Ahart Aviation, which is located at the Livermore Airport. I have worked there for almost three years. Ahart caters to student pilots from all over the world, specifically Asia and India. Because of the impoverished countries that exist around us, many students come to the United States to get their Professional Pilot training and certification. They are able to do this at Ahart. My job requires working with students of other nationalities and it exposes me to the various cultures/customs that exist outside the United States. My exposure to these different cultures has brought about various feelings not only about being an American, but confusion about the stereotypes that they portray. For example, some of the student’s ways of communicating involve bobbing their heads back and forth when you are trying to talk to them. This comes across to me as disrespectful. However, after further investigation of why they do this, it helped me understand the diversity of different cultures and not to take it personally. It also makes me more confident in dealing with other cultures because I have a better understanding of the various communication traditions. Another important milestone that has contributed to my “American Experience” is the election of the first African-American President; Barack Obama. My family was very excited about his election and felt that it has been a turning point in our American history. However, I feel differently because of the way some of my peers reacted to this election. Growing up in Danville has been very conflicted for me. I’ve had parents who have raised me with the ideals that no matter what color, race or religion you are; we are all the same. On the other hand, I feel like I’ve grown up in this “white bred, right-wing, conservative Danville”; where I’ve been exposed to the following: Racism, prejudice and total ignorance when it comes to accepting people who are different than us; whether it be homosexual or of a different ethnic/religious background. My parents have tried to raise me one way, but some of the kids that I have come into contact with are being raised with the ideals of the 1960’s and of the Martin Luther King era. In my personal point of view, while some things have come a long way (I.e. election of the first African American President); some of the events that have occurred just in my short life-time have shown that even though time progresses; historical events and ignorance can still bring upon those old ideals of oppression, racism and religious mis-understanding. Even though time goes on, and our society tries to progress to the ideals that Martin Luther King dreamed of ,we are still stagnant in so many ways.