Monday, February 23, 2015

What is an American really?

The majority of people look at illegal immigration as something bad.  The negativity isn’t just reserved to those who are actually illegal immigrants however.  Some even go so far to generalize all Hispanic people as illegal immigrants, flagrant disrespecters of the law, and all class of criminals.  This discrimination has had its affect on many laws and general practices respecting people of Hispanic descent.  I’ve lived in Mexico and I’ve learned that many of the people there regard western United States as still part of Mexico since it was wrongfully ‘taken’ from them by the U.S. as part of the ‘booty of war’.  All these negative feelings are broiled into one big general dislike of each other’s culture and lawfulness. 

The root of this conflict is the idea that we are different.  Deep down in our culture’s psyche is the concept that we as people, nations, and ethnicities are different.  We may profess the phrase “we are all brothers and sisters” but rarely do we really believe that, or even less often, act accordingly. 


When I was in Mexico I met a man who made a comment to me when I mentioned that I was an American.  He said, “yes, and I’m American too!  Those in Guatamala are American, and those in Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador and Panama are American too!”  This really took me by surprise and I didn’t know what to say.  He continued by saying, “you see, we all live in America, not just those in the United States.”  I’ve given a lot of thought about what he said then and I’ve realized that the disregard for other cultures or peoples comes from a nation centric idea that we the people of the United States are the real Americans and everyone else in North and South America is not.  This Idea of Am'erica is absurd.  What is an American anyway?  Answer:  anyone seeking a better life, freedom, and prosperity.

3 comments:

  1. I like your post. Are you specifically wanting people to look at immigration differently or at the individuals as brothers and sisters? I really like the story you shared because it really is so important to respect others and their cultures.

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  2. This would be a difficult dogma to change, especially since being American is seen as a matter of citizenship and not as an inhabitant of a particular continent. If you remove the idea of an American, you remove the idea of an Italian, German, Canadian, Peruvian, etc. but I like the way you point out American (the citizens, not the continent) ethnocentrism. That may be the true dogma that needs to change.

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  3. I served my mission in Honduras and I experienced the same circumstance. I told people that I was American and they would sometimes become offended telling me that they were American too. So I guess my idea of what it means to be an American has changed. Like Jerrick mentioned we tend to be a bit ethnocentric as US citizens and we tend to judge those who don't seem to belong. It would be hard or rather impossible to change everyone's view on illegal immigration and how to properly resolve the issue. That is an interesting dogma that obviously is still trying to be worked out.

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