Analysis of American Identity - Assignment Example

Analysis of American Identity Divided memory: This term, in a socio political context, was first used by author Jeffery Herf in his book ‘Divided memory: the Nazi past in two Germanys’. This primarily refers to how the Holocaust victims and the Nazi atrocities were viewed by people of East and West Germany. Most civilized people on earth will no doubt see this as a shocking act of ethnic cleansing. But for certain reasons, the people (and the Governments) of East and West Germany had differing views on this unfortunate event. This difference is what Herf calls the divided memory. It should be noted that this division has continued into the modern context and was present even after the unification of the country. The term can also be used to describe difference in perceptions of other major events in world history like the Vietnam War and the ethnic cleansing in the erstwhile nation of Yugoslavia. One reason, according to Herf, was the difference in ideology that existed after partition soon after World War II. East Germans were forced into communism while West German was more democratic and capitalist in nature. Being openly antifascist and anti-capitalistic, Jews were seen as businessmen who exploited their workers. Even though they were not supportive of ethnic cleansing, their sympathies were diluted by the fact that many of the Jews were capitalists. Another factor that may have contributed to this was that the number of Jewish survivors in the East was extremely low when compared to those living in the West. The low numbers may have prevented the rest of the citizens from experiencing first hand from them, the facts of war. It should also be noted that free speech was not allowed in Communism. This probably could have prevented the surviving Jews to speak up openly against the atrocities committed on them and their families. Once the Nuremberg trials were over, publicity about the atrocities were not popularized by the East German government. Public memory being short, the events took a back seat in the country. The impression provided by the government was that the country had successfully purged itself of Nazism and hence it can be forgotten. There was also a feeling that the rest of the world was keen on restitution of Jews, but not German victims and survivors of war. On the other hand, the more open and capitalistic atmosphere in the West was more supportive and sympathetic towards Jewish survivors. This divided memory can also be placed in the context of the Vietnam War. Most citizens of the United States who remember history will agree that the war was a great mistake by the time it was over. Thousands of American lives were lost on what was a war of ideology rather than for freedom. The US paranoia of Communism had caused the country to send its troops to Vietnam, but the end result was that they had to be called back without achieving any concrete goal. There was collective pride about the role played by US troops in the war against communism. But the other side of the story is mostly forgotten by most Americans. The shocking testimony of John Kerry about some of the atrocities committed by US troops had given rise to divided memory in the Vietnam War. His statement starts as follows - “I would like to talk, representing all those veterans, and say that several months ago in Detroit, we had an investigation at which over 150 honorably discharged and many very highly decorated veterans testified to war crimes committed in Southeast Asia…..” (Kerry). What follows are specific instances of such acts, which is not given here in this paper. There have been (justifiably) strong protests especially by the group consisting of war veterans who called themselves Swift boat Veterans. According to them, Kerry’s statements are grossly exaggerated and misleading. But this indicates that some of what Kerry had said may be true. There are many who justify and are unrepentant about the ethnic cleaning in former Yugoslavia. What should be learnt here is that perceptions of past events can be divided even among citizens of a single society, depending on many factors like ideology, integrity, naivety, and personal outlook. American identity: The United States is primarily a land of immigrants from many parts of the world. The concept of a universal American identity have undergone many changes and evolved over the years. The immigrants who first set foot on American soil saw themselves as different from Native American Indians. Once the land began to get colonized, immigrants from different nationalities had their own identities until the American War of Independence. After independence people began to form a national identity as those belonging to a single nation. It took the vision of one man, Abraham Lincoln and the lives of many, for black Americans to become free from slavery. Even so, the black and native population was seen as inferior without having many of the rights enjoyed by their white countrymen. Later on after sacrifices and efforts made by many noted civil rights activists, segregation became a thing of the past. The most prominent figure in this second freedom movement was Martin Luther King Jr. who gave up his life in the cause of social and political equality. The idea of whiteness of the suburbs is also cited as a reason for divided identity. Over the years more and more immigrants and job seekers from various parts of the world began to make the United States their home. Notable among them were the Japanese who were subject to identity suspicion during the World War II. The internment of thousands of Japanese Americans, many of them second generation citizens was a black period in American history with regard to civil rights. It is ironical that the 442 Infantry Regiment, also called the Nisei became one of the most decorated combat units during the War. The identity delineation became less pronounced after that and Japanese Americans have become part of the American identity. This is also the case with people from South America and Europe, most of them now being accepted as proven American citizens. The influx of immigrants from countries in Asia, other than Japan created new identities even though many of them chose to become US citizens. Over time they too began to be accepted as a part of the country. From being referred to as Orientals and yellow people, they are now seen as Asian Americans. But unfortunately, a Muslim identity is beginning to be separated from the mainstream due to the actions of a few misguided and ruthless terrorist groups. This state of affairs still remains unchanged today. Native Americans are also subject to identity issues due to the creation of the reservations through the Indians Appropriations Act in 1851. The taking over of Alcatraz in 1969 was a form of protest against loss of identity by the race. In that sense the natives want to keep their identity and culture alive while being part of the United States. Classification on the basis of identity has many dimensions. They include nationality, class, color, race, religion, gender, and socio-political beliefs. Identity based on nationality and race has already been discussed in the above section. As society evolved over the years in the country, many new types of identity began to evolve. The generation of citizens born after the War began to be referred to as baby boomers. As society began to get more liberal, new identities based on preference of partner of the same gender evolved. It also gave rise to the gay and lesbian movement in the United States and Europe. Women, seen as distinct and inferior in the past also began to assert their identity as equals which ultimately led to new rights which included the revolutionary women’s suffrage. Even though feminine identity and biological determinism is still an issue, the gap is getting closer towards a national identity. The hippie culture, rock music and jazz culture, automobile culture, TV/radio culture are other instances of diversity in identity. One reason why a common outlook still remains to be fully established is the concept of identity politics. This form of politics refers to activism in order to achieve some common goals of marginalized sections of the community. The Black rights movement, the Alcatraz takeover, the gay and lesbian movement, and women’s suffrage are examples of identity politics. It shows that there is more to be done for a common American identity to be established fully. Until that time such identity politics need to take place in order to bring about equality and commonality in the society. But whatever may be said, the United States is a great country which has welcomed people from all parts of the world and is forging towards a national identity which can best be described in the following words. “Since the United States was founded in the 18th century, Americans have defined themselves not by their racial, religious, and ethnic identity but by their common values and belief in individual freedom” (Friedman). Educating people about the positive and negative sides of American history (like the present course) will help in achieving this identity in a big way. The cold war: The word ‘war’ is misleading in a sense to those not familiar with cold war. It was in fact a war of ideologies between the only two superpowers at that time. The capitalistic United States and Communist USSR (erstwhile) often crossed political and ideological swords against each other. Both the countries also provided financial and military assistance to countries that followed their respective ideologies. It was in Vietnam that US had actually sent its troops to fight the communist dominated North. This policy was based on George Kennan’s policy of containment through patience and vigilance. According to him, the US should do this by supporting and encouraging the free economies of the world. Kissinger and Wilsonian idealism: Both Kissinger and Woodrow Wilson believed that the US should not take an isolationist stand as was the practice earlier. The country should take active interest in spreading the message of capitalism and freedom. But Wilsonian idealism, as the name suggests, was too idealistic rather than practical. Kissinger has stated that the policy followed during the Cold War days was not based on realities of international politics. This was his primary criticism of Wilson’s ideals. The world had changed a lot since the days of Woodrow Wilson and pure idealism should pave the way for pragmatism. There should be no war, but a balance of power based on mutual agreement and restraint. The third world: Alfred Sauvy, a French economist coined the term third world. In reality, it comprised of those countries whose ideologies were neither capitalistic nor communist. The concept grew in prominence when such countries began to form coalitions amongst themselves. The US (and USSR) had active involvement in the third world. The best example is military action in Vietnam. Other tactics used were economic assistance, conferring most favored nation (MFN) status, trying to take control of supply of oil in the Middle East etc. The country also provided economic assistance to those countries that preferred capitalism to communism. The primary reason again was to prevent or contain spread of respective ideologies. Great society program: The Great Society program of Johnson and the New Deal program of Roosevelt had far reaching consequences for the people of the United States. One of the basis on which Johnson’s program built upon FDR’s program was social security and social benefits. FDR had brought in the Social Security Act and Johnson improved on this by introducing Medicare, great reforms in education, civil rights, and ‘elimination of poverty’ programs. The living room war: The Vietnam War was one of the first conflicts to get extensive TV reporting and coverage. News and images of action was broadcast and watched by millions of Americans in their homes, and hence called living room war. As a result, it had a profound influence on viewers with diverse opinions created. The suffering and death seen on TV led many Americans about the futility of the conflict. Feeling of pride and patriotism were soon followed by strong public reaction and outcry to end the conflict. Even though highly graphic scenes were avoided and news was reported rather than shown, a few of them really shocked viewers. The brutal killing of a prisoner by Col Nguyen and the after effect of the napalm bomb are some of the few such instances. The Cold War and gender roles: The belief of people and the government (of USA) that the best way to contain and destroy communism was through strong family ties. The period was dominated by a return to traditional family roles and domesticity for women (Monhollon 32). The film Atomic Café has scenes where women are seen cooking and men donning their traditional role and also doing acts like listening to the radio news. The primary reason was to establish a family bond as a part of the policy to fight communism Whiteness of the suburbs: The Housing Act of 1934 seems to play a hand in creation of white suburbs even during the 1950s and sixties. Whites had preference in obtaining loans is suburban housing development schemes. This often resulted in a white migration outside the city while the poor and the colored people stayed on in overcrowded dwellings and slums in the cities. This contributed to resentment and can be considered to be a factor in weakening the concept of universal American identity. Importance of Martin Luther King: There could be several reasons for this situation. Firstly, King was a charismatic leader and a very good orator. His ‘I have a dream’ speech has become an immortal memorial for universal freedom. Moreover, he had been able to move the masses and influence policy making like no other leader of the time. He was also assassinated dramatically. Even the first public address of President Obama is reminiscent of King’s famous speech. It is similar to the fame Mr. Gandhi was accorded with regard to India’s freedom movement even though there were many other able leaders at that time. Occupation of Alcatraz Island: The Island was occupied more than once, the longest being a period of 19 months in 1969. Their primary reason was self determinism and the freedom to preserve their native culture. It was also a move to show the American people and the government about the many broken promises and treaties for benefits and rights. About 22 legislative proposals resulted from these occupations. Counterculture: The basic connotation of the term is to rebel against established norms of the society (Tamney 71). It can be against the society, parents, religion, consumerism, or any other that have been traditionally followed or evolved over the years. The involvement of hippies in a small district of Haight Ashbury in San Francisco was no different. The popularity of the place reached its peak during the famous Sumer of love in 1967 when thousands of hippies many of them drug addicts descended on the place and had a bash. The incident is now synonymous with counterculture. Pearl Harbor and 9/11: The events that unfolded in both the situations have brought up many arguments and counter arguments regarding similarities (Rosenberg 178). President Bush used the work ‘Axis of terror’ which is a direct reference to the Axis powers in World War II. Both were unexpected and to a large extent due to intelligence failure. Both incidents involved individual communities to be seen as internal threats. Memorials in both instances were mired in controversies. Since Pearl Harbor attack happened much before 9/11, the only possible way to link the present with the past happened in Norfolk, where President Bush addressed 25 witnesses of the Japanese attack. Great society and Vietnam War: The one single reason that the Great society program did not prove effective was the Vietnam War. The United States simply did not have the resources to finance both. Johnson, who had great visions of helping the poor and the needy was forced to abandon his dream in favor of a more pressing if unsuccessful event. Ultimately, Johnson had to bow to pressures from the Congress regarding financing his Great Society program. References Friedman MJ. “American Identity: Ideas not ethnicity”. America.gov. 08 September 2009 Kerry, John. Testifying before the House Foreign Relations Committee. Vietnam Veterans against the War Statement by John Kerry to the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations. 23.April. 1971. 8 September. 2009 Monhollon, Rusty L. This is America? Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.   Rosenberg, Emily S. A date which will live: Pearl Harbor in American memory. Duke University Press, 2003.   Tamney, Joseph B. The resilience of Christianity in the modern world. SUNY Press, 1992.   Read More