Recently I read an article about the case of a woman in Arizona who’s father killed her in what is being called an honor killing (a person kills their relative who they believe has brought shame to their family; killing this person cleanses them of the shame). The article states “The U.S. is supposed to be the melting pot, where immigrants assimilate into the larger culture, discarding much of their native selves” (Time magazine). This sentence made me a little made. Yes, America is a melting pot, but not so necessarily so that immigrants get rid themselves of the culture they emigrated from. People can leave a country for reasons besides disliking the culture. Hostile governments, unsafe environments, jobs, desire for a better/different life, and family can all force someone to move. America isn’t about changing who you are, its about accepting others and allowing cultures to interact and mesh if they want to. The article goes on to say “some communities…have stubbornly resisted that transformation,” (Time magazine), which they have the right to do. They cannot bring the parts of their culture that violates the laws of this country, but they don’t have to alter the parts that are legal within our borders. The melting pot is about letting generations and cultures and people mix and learn from each other and all have a safe place to go, not about forcing the world to mix their colors together, because if every culture was forced to mix and accept all the practices of what is here, America would become one huge, boring country full of people who are all exactly the same. Diversity is what makes America a good place, even if it does have faults.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2055445,00.html#ixzz1F1HtRKgt
