Candice Chu

Prof. S. Salaita

English 3654

27 January 2009

The Fading of Racism in the United States

and the Ensuing Uncertainty of Racial Identity

In 21st Century America, it is easy to say that racism is wrong. Our history has proven it,

our leaders proclaim it, and our children know it by heart. Although there will always be the

dissenters, the bigots and the ignorant, there is no question that the majority of today’s society

believes that every American is equal and, as such, deserves the same rights. And when the

current generation of tolerant young adults becomes America’s next generation of parents, they

will raise their own children to be acceptant; to differentiate their peers not by their skin, or their

eyes, or their hair, but solely by their inner characteristics. If this pattern continues, then it may

be possible that racism will be virtually eradicated from the United States in a matter of decades.

However, racism might not be the only thing that is stamped out. If America is not careful, every

minority group’s passionate quest for acceptance may slip into a quiet crusade of assimilation, in

which all cultural and racial identity is lost.

Many Americans are so relieved to see the fading of racism that they prefer not to think

about race at all, adhering to the precept that everyone is equal, and therefore “everyone is the

same,” rather than taking the effort to say that everyone is different, yet still equal. This is where

the danger lies. When a society is passive and lazy about a certain issue, that issue fades into the

background of everyday life and ceases to have real value. With racial identity, this could mean

the end of hundreds of traditions and cultures that make America so diverse.

Many generations ago, there was a great influx of Europeans to the United States. Among

these immigrants were the Irish and the Italian. Both of these groups of immigrants were

subjected to much racism and prejudice, on behalf of their religion, appearance and culture,

respectively. Over the course of many years, however, both the Irish and the Italian assimilated

into American culture. They assimilated so well, in fact, that most people today would look at an

Irish-American or an Italian-American and identify them simply as “American,” “white,” or

“Caucasian.” However, the biggest problem yet is not that outsiders cannot identify the origins

of these people, but that these people often do not identify with it themselves.

When I was in elementary school, I was used to being asked about my ethnicity. With my

black hair and slanted eyes, I was clearly “foreign.” This never bothered me. I could tell that my

classmates were mostly curious about my background, and not rude or racist. It always puzzled

me, however, that when I asked my fair-haired friends about their origins, they looked at me

blankly and sometimes giggled, saying, “What do you mean? I’m white.” This clearly illustrates

the loss of value of many cultures in America—something that I fear for my own culture and

strongly believe should be prevented.

However, it is hard for society to raise an objection against this loss of culture when the

benefits of quiet assimilation are so obvious, and the benefits of cultural endurance more subtle.

When a group of people is so totally assimilated into a society—that is, a group of people adopts

the habits and customs of a society to the hilt—then they clearly become “equals.” There can be

effectively no debate over equality, because there is no longer a difference between the party that

joined the society, and that which originally made up the society. This makes it very simple for

people to go about their everyday lives. After all, human beings crave order and routine, and race

can be seen as just another marker that separates people from each other and disorganizes the

system of society. For many people, being confronted with the racial identity of others is simply

uncomfortable, because they cannot relate to it. These feelings, regardless of how subconscious

they may be, are reasons why so many people prefer to avoid the subject of race. Many other

Americans, however, are dedicated to the idea of keeping our separate cultures alive in one

nation. Authors of ethnic American literature write about this very relationship between their

homeland, or the customs of their homeland, and the “melting pot” that is the United States of

America. These authors, along with millions of parents, grandparents, children and teachers

throughout the country, realize the importance of keeping their culture (language, religion, attire,

cuisine and other customs) alive. It is not just a matter of losing a unique cultural or racial

identity (although that is reason enough); it is a matter of losing the personality of American

culture, which, in reality, is a blend of hundreds of different cultures.

A famous warning against such bland and impersonal societies can be found in George

Orwell’s chilling novel, 1984. In Orwell’s dystopian society, there is only one type of culture (as

in one way of life). The citizens of this society are made to believe that they are all equal because

they are all the same. Through a series of events, Winston, one of these citizens, suddenly

discovers the beauty of individuality. He realizes that having only one common culture—and not

being able to escape from it—is like being trapped in a cage, where no new information is ever

discovered, and no ideas are ever passed around. Although this is clearly an extreme example of

a culture-deprived civilization, the parallel still stands. The diversity of America is an asset; it is

an advantage because it gives rise to progress, innovation and reflection. America has struggled

so long to end racism, and now it must struggle to keep its various cultures alive.