Immigration, Diversity, and the "Melting Pot"

Galarza, Ernesto (2011). Barrio Boy. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.

Pages 244-256

Once Ernesto and his family arrive in Sacramento, he tells of the location of his new home and mentions that although he lives in the lower part of town, there is no upper part of town because "no one could see the difference because the whole city was built on level land.  We were not lower topographically, but in other ways that distinguished between Them, the uppers, and Us, the lowers." While I could get caught up in the implications of that statement, I will turn instead to the more thorough look into who lived in the same part of town as Ernesto. He seems surprised to discover that his neighbors are not only Mexican.  There are people from Japan, China, India, Portugal, Italy, Poland, and Korea.  The author also mentions that while "the foreigners made up the majority of the population of that quarter of Sacramento, the Americans had by no means given it up to [them]." What struck me was that he and those in his quarter of town were not "Americans" they were foreigners. This is still a sticky subject in the present era.  The United States prides itself on being the "melting pot" of cultures, but there are still people who consider certain populations not to be American.  There are many ways I could go from here but what I want to say now is that it is mind boggling that there is still a fear, in general, to embrace the many cultures that thrive in this country.  One of the traits that makes the United States so unique is that we have these differing backgrounds. When it comes down to it, there is a difference between patriotism and jingoism.  It is okay to be proud of your ethnicity and nationality.  It is possible to embrace your heritage and fully participate and identify with being American.  

The other idea that grabbed my attention was Ernesto's struggle with the differences between his villages in Mexico and the city of Sacramento in the United States.  He is constantly comparing and contrasting the private and public spaces, seemingly confused by the "American" way of life.  This reminded me of when I studied abroad in Italy.  I am aware that my 4 months in Rome are not the same as permanently relocating to another country, but I did feel like I understood some of Ernesto's thoughts.  The culture shock, the initial consuming of life in some place completely new, is jarring.  Although you can follow and understand the differences, it still feels strange.  Ernesto comments on the lack of mercados and plazas and the louder interactions that took place between Americans, and I can remember feeling out of place myself those first few weeks in Rome.  Mannerisms were different.  The living spaces were different.  The shops and stores were different.  I spoke Italian well after a handful of semesters of classes, but the dialect was different. I think it is easy to forget how odd something "normal" can appear to different people.  Everyone is brought up differently and everyone has different personal experiences.  

In thinking of Ernesto and all he had endured in his short life at this point, I am again in awe of this child.  He is observant, smart, and adaptable.  If more people experienced immersing themselves in another culture, not just taking a vacation or visiting, as a world society, we could perhaps become more tolerant, more open-minded, and more understanding of each other.  There is no one superior culture, there are just many diverse thriving cultures.