America is sometimes referred to as the ‘melting pot’, meaning that people from different cultural and racial backgrounds mix together to form a new society. In this regard, it is important to notice that this concept can be divided into two aspects. On the one hand, it signifies the blend of people belonging to various ethnic groups through marriages or other forms of intimate relationships. On the other hand, ‘melting pond’ represents the active exchange of traditions between different ethnicities and forming of a new culture that embraces all of the customs and practices with equal respect.
However, while America can be called a ‘melting pot’ from the former perspective, it is arguable that it deserves such a name in the latter sense. As such, the survey conducted by the Pew Research Center reveals that 52% of Americans claim that interracial marriages have neither a positive nor negative impact on society (Livingston & Brown, 2017). On the contrary, 39% of the respondents noted that such unions are generally good, whereas only 9% think the opposite (Livingston & Brown, 2017). Therefore, American citizens are generally open to forming interethnic families, which coincides with the ‘melting pot’ gist.
As for the cultural exchange that equally recognizes the traditions of each group, I believe that the U.S. has many elements to improve; for instance, there is substantial historical evidence of how many immigrants and minority groups were subjected to ‘acculturation’ or learning the ‘American way’, which implied subordination to the views of the dominant white group. Despite the fact that such practices are criticized now, and official institutions, including schools and colleges, seek to embrace multiculturalism, the situation is still not satisfactory, and there is significant institutional racism present. Nevertheless, I believe the country is on the right track and has already made significant progress in becoming a true ‘melting pot’.
Reference
Livingston, G. & Brown, A. (2017). 2. Public views on intermarriage. Pew Research Center. Web.