Cultural Diversity And Subcultures In The United States - Essay Example

Day Month Year Cultural Diversity and Subcultures in the United s Introduction The United s, fromits humble beginnings, has been considered a melting pot of cultures from all around the world. Immigrants have been welcomed here for over 200 years. It seems that nearly every nation and every tribe is now residing within out borders. There are entire subcultures living within the boundaries of a dominant culture. Some would even contend that there is no longer a true ‘American’ identity; rather, the country has truly become a nation that has adopted all peoples to live in harmony within its borders as long as its values and rules are revered and followed. The world is a different place today, however, than it was when America was founded. In the 1600 and 1700s, the world was fractured and people fled religious and political persecution to start a new life. Cultures meshed and intertwined to form the United States by 1776. Today, however, we are a country over 300 million people. We do have a common language and bond that keeps us together. At the same time, other cultures around the world have also been strengthened and national identities wound even tighter. Regardless, people from other nations are still moving to America in search of a new beginning, and these same people continue to form the various subcultures that contribute to our rich cultural diversity. It is important to understand diversity and to understand how to be more accepting of all peoples. In the past, this might not have been so difficult, but we now lived in a fractured world that while being connected by technology is still sorely divided by traditions, customs, and language. When an immigrant first moves to a new a land, there is a period of acclimation and acculturation that must take place. Young people often suffer the most as they may develop a low self-esteem, have difficulty forming friendships, and simply desire to their native homeland. As such, this student thought it would be interesting to observe young people from different cultures in an effort to better understand how they are fitting in and what difficulties they are facing in their own subculture. Several recent research will be examined on this issue. Literature Review It is interesting to consider the process by which a subculture acclimates to life in the United States. Some may choose to hold fast to as many of their native values and traditions as possible while others may quickly forget who they used to be in exchange for adopting as American customs and value as quickly as possible. Still others strive for that balance between being proud of their own heritage and accepting that they need to adapt to their new way of life in America. Much research has been conducted on this topic, particularly, in terms of how adolescents acculturate to American culture. Perhaps the two most dominant cultures forming a subculture in the United States would be those from an Asian culture and those of the Hispanic heritage. Since 1965, for example, there has been a steady increase in the number of Korean Americans residing in the country. They are predominately located in California and New York, forming their own subculture in many areas of Los Angeles and New York City, in addition to other pockets around the country as well. Koreans have very strong bonds with their family, and they have a strong sense of Asian values. Research has shown that they largely maintain these customs when living in America. Korean parents often teach their children Korean language, history, morals and general customs. This is done in conjunction to their normal schooling, often in the form of ‘Saturday school’ (Kim 109). As such, Korean youth are torn between accepting the values and mores of their host culture, while maintaining their strong Asian heritage that their parents are working so hard to protect. An interesting component of this is that South Korean has adopted many western values of their own, such as materialism that has made it relatively easy for young people to adopt. Korean teenagers desire the latest fashions, want to fit in with their American friends, and often mention that they would not want to return to Asia. When compared to other Asian immigrants, Korean Americans tend to adjust much more quickly to American culture while still forming their own subculture. They have truly mastered the concept of blending two cultures into one. Korean teenagers express that they feel just as comfortable in American mainstream society as they do in their own Korean subculture. Such well-done assimilation has led to one of the most prosperous subcultures in America (Kim 110). The Latino subculture, by contrast, is by far the largest in the United States. The Hispanic population continues to increase with no end in sight. It is estimated that in some Western states Hispanics will soon actually be the dominant culture. Parra-Cordona states, “In recent years the cultural diversity of the United States has continued to blossom with ethnic minority groups no representing the fastest growing segment of [America’s] population” (158). Latinos have five cultural characteristics that are unshakable to them. One is the tremendous cultural value placed on the close and cooperative families. Another cultural component important to this subculture is the notion that all relationships are built on respect. They also place a strict importance on establishing meaningful interpersonal relationship, and they adhere to a communal culture, focusing more on the common good for all of their people, rather tham remaining focused on the individual (Parra-Cordona 159). Given the strong bonds present within the Latino community, they have a more difficult time assimilating into American culture. They rarely marry outside of their ethnic group and their relationships generally revolve around people in their own subculture. Because of their strong family structure and their general adherence to Latino cultural values, as opposed to American cultural values, language acculturation is often difficult to achieve as well. Whereas Asians will likely devote much of their time to learning English, Hispanics may not feel the need to do the same due to their sizeable population. Latino children often feel more comfortable communicating in Spanish and rarely even need English outside of school to survive (Afable 210). Japanese American youth were the final group examined for this literature review. They are the sixth larges Asian American group, numbering 800,000 strong. Much of the literature in existence about this group focuses on the cultural adjustment that has taken place. Unlike Koreans, the Japanese tend to have a stronger desire to remain ‘true to their heritage’ and seem to have a more difficult time fitting into the dominant culture. “For Japanese youth, ethnic identity is particularly important” (Yeh 483). Assimilating into American culture has been particularly difficult because they are trying to learn a new language, dealing with a new culture, relating to their friends, and experiencing a host of pressure both in school and at home. Dealing with all of these issues at the same time creates a desire to Japanese Americans to largely remain inside of their own subculture, where they feel more comfortable and accepted (Yeh 485). Studies are showing that Japanese American students experience more isolation, loneliness, nervousness, and anxiety when compared to other students. This is particularly troubling if they live in area with a small subculture that they can belong to and feel loved and respected. Japanese youth report that they feel more stressed, have a lower self-esteem, and do not feel that they are in control of their own destiny. They are also in the bottom 10% in the world in terms of being able to speak English. All of these factors combine to paint a picture of a subculture in the United States that has had difficulty assimilating. Methodology The diversity present in the United States is a beautiful thing. Sure, we still have pockets of racism and society that often makes it difficult on subcultures who refuse to assimilate, but for the most part, people are free to interact with others and live their life in peace. This is a unique aspect of America that has drawn people together for centuries. To further study this phenomenon, this student conducted an ethnography be observing and interacting with the Hispanic subculture in the community. Mexican Americans comprise a significant subculture in this area. Due to various social factors, they tend to reside in certain sections of town. To study them for this project, two different weekend afternoons were spent observing them and interviewing will participants. The groups were easy to discover as Mexican Americans tend to congregate in groups outside of their homes and in parks. As such, this student simply went to where they were. Each afternoon, four hours were spent immersed in the subculture. The first two hours were simply spent walking around the area and observing. While observing, this student was looking for chunks of information that could prove valuable for this project. What language was commonly spoken? What types of ethnic groups were present, or did other subcultures appear to not be welcome in the area? What type of food was being eaten and what type of behaviors were being exhibited? These, and a host of other observations, were written down during this initial two hours each afternoon. The second two hours each afternoon were spent talking to the people in the subculture. During this interactive stage of the field research process, the contact was made with groups of people as well as individuals or couples. This ethnographer first introduced himself and the specific project that was currently in the works. The people were then asked if they would mind taking part in a short conversation designed to learn more about their subculture and how well they felt they had assimilated into American culture. The researcher then proceeded with asking a series of open-ended questions designed to start a conversation. At no point during the research process were names asked for. Furthermore, if a name was mentioned, it was not recorded. The purpose of the interview/conversation process was simply to get some valuable comment from the people in the subculture, in their own setting, that could be combined with field observations to gain a picture of the process of acculturation. At the end of four hours each afternoon, the field experience ended. The combination of both observation and conversation with the members of the subculture provided a great deal of material from which to draw conclusions on and base assumptions off of. The ethnography, following this research process, also provided material off which to base future research and study on. Data Presentation Let us first begin with the two days of observation. It was amazing to witness the interaction present in this Hispanic subculture. This student observed countless extended families enjoying time in the park and in their yards. The adults would often be drinking with, who appeared to be, cousins and uncles while the children would be playing. Women were seen cooking tradition Mexican food and the language used was predominately Spanish. It was not often that this student even heard English being spoken. Interactions between members of this subculture appeared to carry the strong cultural values discussed in the literature review. They were observed to have strong family bonds, had a tremendous respect for people older than them, and maintained their own ethnic and cultural identity even while living amongst a dominant culture that did not always carry those same values. While there were well over 100 people in this particular subculture out on any given afternoon that the observation was taking place, fewer then a dozen appeared to be from another culture other than Latino. A great part of this experience was the communication and dialogue had with quite a few members of this group. This student began by approaching groups of people who could potentially answer a few questions. While numerous conversations took place each of the two afternoons, there is only space here to discuss a few of the more significant interviews. One of the first conversations on Saturday took place with an entire family. There were a husband and wife, their three teenage children and a scattering of aunts and uncles present in the park. Upon talking to the father, it was discovered that there family has been America for several generations, but they still maintain a strong Hispanic identity. Every member of the family speaks English, but Spanish is the language spoken in the home. He stated that his three sons spoke English the best, with near fluency, but that most of their friends were Mexican so they tended to converse in Spanish as well. The question was posed as to whether their family socializes with people of another culture on a regular basis. He actually thought about this, and his response was quite insightful. He said “You know, come to think of it we don’t. Hispanics have a strong relationship with one another, particularly their family. I never really thought about the fact that we do not socialize outside of our own family and friends, but I suppose it is true. We are comfortable here. All of our friends are here. Don’t get me wrong, we love America and this is our home, our identity is Mexican and that is the way it will stay I guess”. The sons were listening to this and seemed to agree. They were a wonderful family who genuinely seemed happy. This student next approached a group of male teenagers. They appeared to be about 15 or 16 years old. After introductions were made, they agreed to answer a few questions. We focused our conversation on their friendships and language. They said they grew up in America and know no other home. All of them said their parents and aunts and uncles really did not speak English, nor did they push the kids to. These teenagers, however, spoke great English. The logical question was to ask what they spoke to each other. Each of them, in near unison, said Spanish. When asked if they had friends from another culture, they each agreed that only in school did they associate with ‘white kids’. Usually they tended to ‘hang out with other kids that were just like them’. Finally, an interesting conversation to note was between an inter-racial couple that was observed on the first day and saw again on the second afternoon. These two were dating, the male being Hispanic and the female Caucasian. It is important to note that this is the only inter-racial couple that was observed during this ethnography. They mentioned that they had been dating for two years now and that both families accept it. The woman mentioned that she feels accepted into her boyfriend’s subculture although she admits that she does not always understand what is happening around her. She notes subtle differences between his culture and hers, but she actually enjoys the Hispanic culture. She even mentioned, “I wished whites would have a deeper respect and bond for their family. I love the way [boyfriend’s name] and his family is always having events or parties for nearly any occasion. In our family, that only happens on Thanksgiving. It is a great environment”. Analysis The Hispanic subculture is unique. There are parts to it that are different that American mainstream culture, but that is the beauty of it. This culture seems able to adjust and adapt to any environment because of their strong cultural bonds and traditions that keep them together. Through the data was collected, it is evident this particular subculture is proud of who they are. From the observations that took place, they appeared happy to be here, yet equally committed to sticking together and helping one another in a time of need. As was mentioned, this subculture is unique because of its size. The group is so large that they can remain almost separated from the dominant culture, feeling that they are living in their own Hispanic community. The interviews and conversations that took place indicate a strong willingness to be a part of the American mainstream culture, yet that desire is not so strong as to cause them to leave their own subculture. From teenagers to adults, they tended to rely more strongly on the Spanish language, rather than English. This indicates that a shift may be occurring not only here, but in other areas around the country. There may come a day when English is not the only language spoken everywhere, but rather we become a two-language country, similar to may places in Europe. It is important to analyze the way this group has acculturated. It certainly appears that have to the extent that they are functioning members of society. They do not necessarily associate out of their subculture, except at work or school, but there does not appear to be a need to. Their group has everything they need and the family ties are so strong that they exist separate from the dominant culture. Summary It is quite interesting to study and analyze subcultures. If we were a country of only one tradition and set of values, it would surely not be an interesting place to live. We live in culturally rich society and it is important to explore this phenomenon within the overall American culture. People often use such phrases as “American culture” or “Western culture”, as if such large or common cultures exist in the United States today. It is more important to acknowledge the diversity that is here – such as Greek American, Italian American, Mexican Americans, and a host of others. Each has contributed to who we are as a nation. Many of these groups do adjust quickly to mainstream America, but many still retain a lot of the cultural customer and native language. Whatever the case, each subculture has a special place in America and deserves to accepted and respected. That was the intent and goal of this ethnography. Works Cited Afable, Aimee. “Acculturation and the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Latino Youth in the United States”. Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health, 38:4 (2006): 208-219. Kim, Eunjung. “The Korean American Family: Adolescents versus parent acculturation to American Culture”. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 15.3 (2008): 108-116. Parra-Cardona, Jose. “Shared Ancestry, evolving stories: Similar and Contrasting Life Experiences Described by Foreign Born and U.S. Born Latino Parents”. Family Process, 47.2 (2008): 175-172. Yeh, Christine. “The Cultural Adjustment and Mental Health of Japanese Immigrant Youth”. Adolescence, 38(151): 482-500. Read More