As with anything, mistakes made through misinterpretation happen. But to most, the journey of exploration of cultures and people tends to be more rewarding than dangerous because it allows for expansion and adaption. Afterall, Darwin once said evolution is based on adaptation and selection. Why not adapt to the changes in society and become a stronger, smarter person from it?
Earlier it was mentioned that it might be harder for a person to identify with a cultural or racial inheritance if he or she is a member of the majority. For someone to look at the cultures of others that cannot blend in and be seen as American or British, helps the ones that can, understand perhaps their own roots and the struggles their ancestors had to endure, much the same as the recent immigrants endure now. Everything is based on assumption and first impression. So when one is forced to breakdown these guesses and observations and see something for what it really is, it helps one look deeper into him or her self.
This is why people need to see and experience new things not just by saying hello, but by hearing and reading the stories of those who lived. The stories, like Flinstones chewable vitamins, helps a person grow and flourish. Doesn't anyone want that? it's easy to let go of the past to move ahead towards the future, but people fail to realize the empitness it leaves behind. The emptiness one can say lingers for a lifetime, even generations.
Race and culture at times go hand in hand. Americans are often regarded as white whereas Africans are often regarded as black. White immigrants coming to America can mix into the American culture better than a non-white. In this ease of...
So to merge the sense of past home to present home creates conflict within the immigrant and the native. An example of this would be immigrant families moving to America. Their children are born and raised here and to some extent create identity from their idea of what Americans are and should be. Their parents although adapted to the new culture, still have their identity attached to their home land. When their children visit their parent's homeland in order to have that connection, they feel a sense of isolation and fear.
People regardless of race, age, and ethics react the same when it comes to experiencing things. The known is comfortable and the unknown is scary. When it comes to a culture one is familiar with, even if the person does not look like he or she belongs, it still feels safe and familiar. So it is up to the individual to decide whether or not to make the unknown, known and familiar. Although it is confusing and more complex to exist within two cultures, two identities, perhaps it is necessary for some to exist in this way to live a better life.
Lots of Americans have forgotten their roots and accepted their new identity, creating traditions and events to further cement this change. But in the wake of new immigration and the words of the children of these immigrants, people are gaining interest in wanting to know who they were and how their ancestors lived. The past is a beauty of wealth and information that enriches the black and white world modern Americans live in today.
