Discrimination: Race and United States Essay Example

generations of immigrants belonging to different cultures, races, religions, and ethnicities, which were born here, consider themselves as Americans. There is a strong tendency of intermarriages and blending among people of different backgrounds.

Also, in opposition to Reed, Schlesinger views Europe as "the unique source of the liberating ideas of democracy, civil liberties and human rights. He disagrees with people who represent Europe as a source of all evil in this world. He points out that those people forget that those cultures they belong to are not perfect, as well. Cultures consist of people who have many flaws and deficiencies and commit many crimes. However, it does not mean that those cultures are bad. People have to analyze and correct their mistakes in order to not repeat them in the future.

As we see, Reed and Schlesinger share the same vision of American culture as multicultural society where all cultures are mixed up, and they both voice concern about the future of this country. “In a world savagely rent by ethnic and racial antagonisms, the U. S. must continue as an example of how a highly differentiated society holds itself together. ” (145 I agree with that just because a culture is different it doesn’t make them bad people. "We have always been a multiethnic country" there are all shapes, sizes, colors and different ethnicities in the world and everyone should be treated the exact same way.

He disagrees with people who represent Europe as a source of all evil in this world. He points out that those people forget that those cultures they belong to are not perfect, as well. Cultures

consist of people who have many flaws and deficiencies and commit many crimes. However, it does not mean that those cultures are bad. People have to analyze and correct their mistakes in order to not repeat them in the future. I find it quite upsetting how a country like the United States can harbor such discrimination towards immigrants, the people who built up the country in the beginning.

Almost every individual living in the United States of America, except descendants of Native Americans, have a lineage which traces back to immigrants. It is a sad thought to think that the United States, a country dearly loved by its residents, is filled with prejudice hypocrites who stray from diversity. America is known as a melting pot of different cultures and every citizen should embrace and appreciate that reputation. “No one talked about the concept of cultural diversity as a mosaic or as a tapestry of multi-colored threads that when woven together created a vibrantly rich and textured fabric.

“Real Americans” were white. “(147) Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston gives her audience an eye opening account of how The United States, a country which prides itself on its diversity, is filled with prejudice and discrimination wherever immigrants are concerned. Jeanne is a beast, she didn’t let anyone stop her from achieving her goals “Not even when I was told I should not continue with journalism major at San Jose State because I was ‘Oriental’ and a female. There were no jobs in the field. So I changed my major to social welfare.

And when I was told again by the head of Juvenile Probation Services that

they could not hire me as a probation officer because the community was not ‘ready’ for ‘Orientals,’ I did not protest”. Dealing with the same discrimination in my life I can fully relate to Jeanne, there really is nothing you can do but chalk it up and move on with life. I have been discriminated against because of the color of my skin my whole life. Sometimes people just hate me for no reason. Growing up I wasn’t picked or didn’t get the rewards I deserved all because of my skin tone.

Its not my fault that I put in the work to be the best that I can be and those who didn’t got the reward just because they were white. It is so hard to please the world why I stay to myself. One incident I recall specifically was back in middle school. I used to get picked on because of the clothes or shoes I wore. I wasn’t the richest kid or the smartest in the class room, but I was happy with everything I had. These white kids came out of the bushes one day while I was running around the track and jumped me for absolutely no reason at all; obviously it was because of my skin tone.

No one saw these kids trying to beat me up, but as soon as I retaliated to get them off of me the teacher saw me of course and I got called to the office instead of them. The white kids told the teacher that I was picking on them and they were defending themselves, when it was the other

way around and I was the one that got suspended from school.. This world is so cruel and unjust it is crazy. Serrano was right, “Being born, especially being born a person of color, is a political act in itself”. Even growing up, now as an adult the discrimination gets worse. I don’t receive the proper recognition at work.

People that have been there a shorter time than me are getting promoted when I have been there longer and work twice as hard. But you know what, I have God on my side and he will deal with all the people that have done me wrong come judgment day. I just wish that everyone would be treated equally and we didn’t have to worry about being treated different because of the color of our skin. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of white people that treat me equal, everyone doesn’t discriminate. I have a lot of white friends, I hold no grudges over the people that treat me wrong, and I simply move on and pray for them.

In "American Dreamer," Bharati Mukherjee tells her story of coming to the United States and becoming a citizen. Mukerjee left Calcutta in 1961 to study at the University of Iowa. She was to return back to her family but instead Mukerjee fell in love and married. She moved to Canada, where her husband was from. After fourteen years, she and her new family moved back to the United States because of the race-related harassments faced in Canada. Once in the United States, Mukherjee became a citizen. Unlike a lot of immigrants, she didn't

get her citizenship for political or religious reasons.

Instead, Mukherjee was just a voluntary citizen of the United States. Mukerjee calls herself an American rather than an Asian-American. “We must realize there is no need to “wanna-be-ethnic”-because, in fact, we all are. “ Mukherjee goes on to explain how America has transformed her and how she is transforming America especially by voting, exercising her rights, and fighting the discrimination. She adds to the multiculturalism that is so vital in the success of the United States. She chose to categorize herself as an American instead of Asian-American. Mukherjee saw no reason to categorize yourself.

Everyone has different cultures and backgrounds. She was a naturalized U. S. citizen, which means that, unlike native-born citizens, she had to prove to the U. S. government that she wanted citizenship. What she didn't have to disclose was that she desired "America," which to her was the stage for the drama of self-transformation. In “Chicana” Martha Serrano writes of resisting assimilation; some of the other readings in this chapter, however, assume that assimilation is good. “All Chicanos agree that being Chicano/a is more than being an American of Mexican descent; it is a way of thinking.

It means being politically and culturally aware. It means knowing who you are and where you came from. It means being proud of your ethnic background and history. Most important of all, it means resisting assimilation into American mainstream society. ” (152) the biggest thing in life is to always be yourself and not care what anyone thinks about you. Feels good when you can make your family proud with sticking to

the different traditions and lifestyles you might have. Martha was herself at all times, not caring about anything. She accepted her heritage and all the lifestyles that came with it.

“I don’t want to be called Hispanic because I don’t want people to tell me who I am and where I come from” (151) Tocqueville, magistrate and political observer, held a number of positions in the French government. His observations of and writings on the workings of democracy in the United States, based on an extended visit to America, comprise the well-known work Democracy in America. Written between 1835 and 1839, this work is considered a landmark study of American institutions and is often quoted to this day. It is valuable in studying both historical and contemporary aspects of American cultures.

“The circumstances that accompanied their birth and contributed to their development affect the whole term of their being” (121) Tocquueville compares the growth of nations to a child because they are similar. Just like an infant, one learns from observing their surroundings. Racial discrimination has affected the world in many ways. Historically in the United States there have always been racial issues between the African Americans and white Americans. Most African Americans were sidelined in all areas of economic, political and social growth.

Whites were seen to be more superior, which led to segregation of housing, schools, restaurants, hotels, and transportation. Equally concerning, are the instances of religious discrimination that still occur in this country. Even though we have made important advances in race relations, we still face serious racial and religious discrimination in the United States. Knowing and being yourself

is key in life, there is no better feeling than being yourself and coming to the sense that you are going to be judged no matter what you do in life wether it be good or bad.