A Taste of America’s Melting Pot
Good morning, everyone. Thank you for inviting me here today – I am honored to be given the opportunity to speak to all of you about my home country. My name is Laura Kumataka, and I am the Coordinator of International Relations in Shiogama City. I am here through the JET programme (the Japan Exchange and Teach Programme) through which I was placed here in Miyagi-ken. I arrived here last August, and, to my utter shock, have already lived here for over half a year now.
How time flies.
Just to give a little background about myself: I am, as I’m sure you are all aware, from the United States of America.
I was born and raised in the state of California, although I have moved back and forth between northern and southern
California. I was born in Los Angeles, the City of Angels, and after a year was moved to Northern California, to a small town called Mill Valley. Normally, however, I just tell people I’m from San Francisco, as very few people, even within the state of
California, have heard of Mill Valley. I’m sure you may have heard of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge – Mill Valley is a town right beyond the otherside of the bridge, in the county of Marin. I spent my entire youth in Mill Valley, except for the two years I moved with my family to Tokyo, Japan because of my father’s work. For me Mill Valley is sometimes hard to describe; it is a unique town, made up of almost an entirely Caucasian population, a large number of people of which are former hippies – leftovers from the radical sixties generation in America. They were the ones living experimental lives in San Francisco, protesting against the Vietnam War, and who had long hair and wore bell bottoms (the pants that really flare out on the bottom).
Though most of the former hippies have settled down with respectable jobs, Mill Valley still has a very liberal outlook when compared to other areas in California. It is the kind of town where organic foods thrive, where a large portion of the people are vegetarians, drive electric cars, and where Buddhism is quite popular, despite the low Asian population. In general, however, the people there are extremely kind, and I feel very fortunate to have been brought up there. That it isn’t to say Mill Valley didn’t have its drawbacks – it was such a small town that growing up there there was nothing to do, until people started receiving their drivers license at the age of 16, whereupon we all starte d heading to the big city of San Francisco. It was also difficult for my brother and I at times to be one of the few Asian Americans living there – I remember coming home crying to my mom after school one day, asking her why I didn’t also have blond hair and blue eyes. Nonetheless, though I was born in
Los Angeles, I will always think of my home as Mill Valley and the Bay Area, which is the term used to describe San Francisco and its surrounding cities. My family and I moved to Japan right after I finished third grade in elementary school – my first bit of culture shock was my surprise at having to jump right into the middle of 3 rd grade again, since school started in April unlike the schools in the United States, which start in September. School was completely different in Japan then it had been in the United States. What really stood out to me was how strongly the class was tied together. In the US, our interactions with our classmates were all on a voluntary basis, and many of us chose to just stick with our group of friends. I was surprised that everyone in Japan ate lunch together as a class. I was also surprised by the gakkyu- that there was actually a time alloted for talking about class related issues and to delegate chores. In the US, we would just head straight home after schools without cleaning it, so I was shocked when I found out the kids were responsible for cleaning up the schools everyday. Though I probably didn’t enjoy it back then, it makes more sense that a school would do so now, since it adds a sense of responsibility for the school to the children – perhaps if the US did that, instances of graffitti in the playground and such would decrease. I lived with my family in Japan for two years, and it was it was during that time when I learned the fundamentals of Japanese; till then
I only had rudimentary exposure to the Japanese language through words that would filter down from generations of watered down Japanese culture. I am a 4 th generation Japanese American, and, like many of my generation, have almost completely

lost connection with our Japanese side except by our physical appearance. I never realized how distant I was from being truly
Japanese until my experience in living in Japan – in the United States, people often refer to me as the “Japanese girl”, so coming to Japan after having been born and raised in the United State was also quite a shock. After two years, my family and I returned to Mill Valley, where I finished up middle school and high school. For college, like so many other teenagers, I felt the need to get away from both home and Mill Valley, so I chose to live in Los Angeles which was neither too close that my parents would expect me to come home every weekend, nor was it too far that I couldn’t still run home like a spoiled child to mommy when something went wrong. I attended the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Earlier on I mentioned that my home would always be the Bay Area; I mention this only because of the strong rivalry between Northern and Southern
California (which are respectively referred to as Norcal and Socal). The differences are relatively small, but the atmosphere of the two regions are definitely different. Whereas “Norcal” is known as more laid-back and down-to-earth, “Socal” is known as a more exciting area as one of the US’s fashion capitals (along with New York) and the center of the entertainment world. I am, of course biased towards the area I was raised in, but I do love both areas. I’ll go a step further with my bias to state my unsupported belief that California is one of the top, if not best state, to live in in the United States. We enjoy not only the diversity between Northern and Southern California, but as California is both a coastal city and touches the Mexican border, it has a very diverse population. The weather in California may perhaps not be as consistently warm as Hawaii, but year along the weather in the major cities is usually just right – never getting too hot nor too cold. My brother is into surfing, and goes practically every day no matter what season of the year. On the otherhand, should we desire to expose ourselves to the cold winter climate, we can always do so by driving a couple hours to the east up the Rocky Mountain Range, where we can enjoy winter sports all the way up to June and July. And what other state can claim to have a celebrity such as Arnold
Schwarzenneggar as Governor? (Although, to be honest I don’t really know if that’s something to be proud of…) But enough with my California propaganda. In 2004, I graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations. After graduation, I stayed in Los Angeles for a year, worked in an accounting firm, really hated the work, and worked my way into the JET programme, which leads me to my present occupation and enables me to talk to all of you today.
But enough about myself. I’d like to begin by talking a bit about the United States. I first would like to emphasize the size of the United States. It is a comparatively large country - the state of California is a bit larger than Japan itself, and the state of Alaska itself is 4 times the size of Japan. From Hawaii to New York are 4 different time zones, so jet lag occurs even when traveling within the US. When it is 12 pm in Hawaii, it is 4 in the afternoon in New York. I mention how large a country the United States is because I want emphasize that I am talking from a very limited perspective, and while I am taking this opportunity to tell you about the United States as I know it, my views and perspective may be considered different or even wrong by citizens living in other areas of the United States. Perhaps think of it as an Okinawan making generalizations about all of Japan, having only lived in Okinawa.
You probably all know the basics about the United States – that it has 50 states, relatively newly established country, and is a nation of meat lovers. Instead, I’d like to try to cover areas that stand out in my mind about the United States One is with regards to politics. Often, people associate a nation’s figurehead with the mindset of the country. I have often been asked, and many times mocked, by our country’s ideology (mostly by my British friends)– that we are a selfish nation, oblivious to other countries, and abuse our power too much. While that may be true to a certain extent, such actions don’t necessarily reflect the people of the nation. President Bush, our current president, is a good example. He is widely unpopular and heavily criticized by many areas of the United States for his actions – such as his decision to withdraw from the Kyoto

environmental talks or by his decision to enter Iraq. It is true he is our elected figurehead, but, as was the case in the 2000 elections, it is possible for a President to win even without carrying the majority of the popular vote. Perhaps because I come from a very liberal state, and within that state a very liberal town, I find it frustrating when people assume that just because I am American, I am a full blown supporter of all of President Bush’s actions.
While on that note, I’m sure many of you have heard of the Democratic and Republican party. In the United States, the country is rather strongly divided by the two parties. From the outside, it might seem as though the government is indecisive and constantly beset by internal battles, which, I have to admit, is very true. However, though those battles may slow down the government from running efficiently, the two party politics system is in fact extremely important to most
Americans. It is what ensures that laws and issues are properly debated before going into action, and it ensures that no single group is able to dominate the actions of the government. The Republican party is generally considered a bit more conservative, and is more closely aligned with business. One of the important arguments to the Republicans is that the states, not the central government, should be taking charge of the politics. The Democratic party is more liberal, and is often known as a minority party – not because it is in the minority, but because it represents the interests of the minorites more than the
Republican party does. The Democratic party believes more in leaving power within the central government; that it is the government’s responsibility to look after the needs of the people. Of course, the two parties can’t represent the interests of the entire nation. There are often what are called “third parties” – the Independent Party, Libertarian Party, Green Party, and so forth. However, a third party has never played a large role in the elections, as the majority of the voters vote for either the
Democrats or the Republicans, even if their interests are aligned more strongly with the smaller parties.
Something else that stand out in my mind about the United States is our fascination with the media. There is an amazing amount of attention on celebrities, whether they be actors and actresses, sports stars, or even just the very wealthy.
Perhaps it stems from our relatively short history; unlike other countries that have royalty and old family ties, the United States lacks such figures. Though celebrities tend to be popular amongst the public worldwide, what suprises me about the United
States is the extent to which their power reaches. Not only are celebrities popular because of their entertainment value, but also because they often serve as role models and leaders in the community. It is common for Hollywood stars to talk about their political views during their acceptance speeches, or for them to become figureheads to many charity organizations. I remember I went to a political rally prior to the 2000 election, and not only did politicians show up to support the candidate, but many celebrities showed up as well. Given that most celebrities’ occupation has nothing to do with the cause they are supporting, the amount of influence they have over the American public is amazing. California’s governor, Arnold
Schwarzenneggar, is a good example. With no previous experience in politics, he was able to win the popular vote in the
California elections and become governor of the state. Another example of a celebrity in politics includes Ronald Reagan, who was an actor in Hollywood before becoming the President of the United States.
One question that has been raised to me a number of times is about gun control. A couple of weeks ago I visited a first grade class in elementary school. I was shocked when the first question the kids asked me was about guns, as well as saddened that it was the first thing they identified with the United States. Within the United States, gun control is a very controversial issue. People urge for stricter gun control for an obvious reason: safety. Having guns that can be purchased puts an immediate threat on the lives of citizens. On the otherhand, there are various reasons people argue guns should be allowed. Some argue that the guns are only for recreational use – hunting and clay shooting have long been sports enjoyed in the United States, and are still quite popular. You may have heard in the news of Vice President Cheney shooting someone by accident the other day while out hunting. Whether it’s the safest sport is questionable, but it is certainly a sport that is enjoyed

by many people. It’s also argued that guns are required for safety. The most frequent argument is called the “grandma” argument – what’s to protect an 80 year old grandma from getting mugged (robbed) while walking down the street besides a small handgun in her purse to use in case of emergencies? For those that live in the countryside, there are sometimes large animals (such as bears, cougars, and coyotes) that become a threat to people or their livestock. Without a gun, it’s much more difficult to chase such predators away. Another reason people believe guns should be legal is because it is a right specifically protected in our Bill of Rights, known as the “right to bear arms”. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are held very dear in the United States, and its wording is taken very seriously. Some argue that the Bill of Rights is out-of-date – the right to carry guns was an amendment made shortly after America had fought a war against Great Britain, and the need to carry guns is no longer present. It will be interesting to see how the debate carries out in the future. But because at the present moment US does have the right to own guns doesn’t mean that every citizen in the United States possesses a gun. It is true that in some of the neighborhoods with high crime rates have metal detectors that are used in schools, but by no means does every school have one. Carrying a gun near a school or without a license is also a very serious offense, and the punishment against such actions can be quite severe. The types of guns one can purchase are also restricted, so it’s not as though an average citizen can just walk out of a store with a machine gun on any given day. In short, though the United States is a more dangerous country than
Japan is, I’d like to believe it isn’t as threatening of a country as some believe.
One other misconception I find people have about the United States is about the appearance of the people. In high school, I spent a summer living in the Dominican Republic. Despite the fact that I told everyone a number of times that I was an American citizen, my nickname became “China”, which means “Chinese girl” in Spanish. They couldn’t understand how I could be a US citizen when I didn’t have blond hair and blue eyes. I sometimes come across such misunderstandings when I visit elementary schools here. In movies and TV shows that come to Japan there are certainly a large number of people that fit what people think of as an American mold – perhaps not necessarily blond, but has an Anglo-Saxon look, Anglo-Saxon being the popular term used to describe people with previous European ancestry. However, though Caucasian people (the politically correct term for White people) may be the majority within the United States, there are definitely a wide array of ethnicities represented in the general population. In Hawaii, where many citizens are of Asian ancestry, the majority of the Americans are Asian in appereance. The US hosts a wide range of people, and trying to generalize the US’s people into a certain mold is impossible.
Which leads me to my main topic: the diversity in the United States. How many of you have heard the analogy of the United States being a melting pot? The United States is sometimes referred to as a melting pot because of the wide range of people who have immigrated from across the world to the United States, who now all co-exist within a single country. The
United States’ identity as a country comes from no single point of origin, rather, by the culture and traditions of many countries melted together. Though many are aware of the size and ethnic population within the United States, I often find that people underestimate the the extent and consequences of its diversity. On the otherhand, I find when talking to fellow Americans that we are often amazed by the homogeneity in Japanese culture. While I don’t think one way is better than the other, to me it is the greatest difference between the United States and Japan, more so than language or physical appearance, and the main reason I chose this to speak about this topic today. It is also an important topic to me because I feel that I am the very product of the United State’s melting pot culture.
I think the country’s historical legacy is the largest contributing factor to the diversity seen in the United States today.
When the first English settlers arrived in what would be Virginia in 1607, they opened the door to what has become a long standing movement of people immigrating into North America. It is a country that was founded by and for an immigrant

population, and continues till this day to be a port for various countries around the world. On the bottom of the Statue of
Liberty in New York is this inscription:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. which I think fits the history and personality of the country quite well.
Though it’s difficult to categorize the differences of such a diverse population, there are three areas from which diversity in the
United States is particularly pronounced: regionally, by religion, and by ethnic and cultural differences.
Regional differences, while very prominent in some areas, are probably the least pronounced of the three. In many cases differences may be fueled more on stereotypes rather than actual differences. For example, despite the rootin’ tootin’ cowboy image that Texas might have, in reality there are virtually no people still walking around with spurred boots and lassos.
However, so long as you keep in mind that these are mostly generalizations, there are some definite differences between regions in the United States.
To the far west is Hawaii, which geographically and demographically is completely different from the rest of the
United States. It has the largest Asian population, and thus it’s music, food, dancing, and even language is a fusion between
American and the original island culture. Although the dominant language in Hawaii is English, many still use the native
Hawaiian tongue. To most Americans, going to Hawaii can be as much of a foreign experience as going to another foreign country. The atmosphere of Hawaii is also quite different; maybe because Hawaiians have such an easy climate to live in, the island personality is very laid back and relaxed, and it is often said that Hawaiians ignore the standard time and go by their own, much slower, clock.
That laid back stereotype is also perpetuated in the West Coast, particularely California. Californians are often called “beach bums”, because of hot spots like Venice Beach, Malibu, and Santa Monica. While there are many surfers and beachcombers amongst the population, I don’t think it necessarily represents California as a whole. The term “valley girl” is also used to describe Californians, particularly girls in Southern California. A Valley girl is typically a rich Caucasian girl who drives expensive cars, wears expensive clothes, and talks a certain way. “Like you know, whatever” – you may have heard such an accent in movies. On the whole, however, while such people definitely do live within California, I think they count as a very small portion of the population. California and Texas are often described as countries of their own within the continental
United States, which I think is a far description. They both contain large immigrant populations, as well as a wide range of demographics – both extremely wealthy and the less fortunate. As such, California is fairly difficult to generalize, but overall, combined with the rest of the western coast, I find that there is a more laid back, liberal atmosphere on the coast. Perhaps because the west coast was one of the last regions to be inhabited by the European immigrants it retains the fewest similarities to the “older”, more traditional side of the United States.
On the opposite end of the country is New England, in the NorthEast corner of the United States. Because it is the home of the original colonies, the Northeast is probably more similar to Great Britain in culture than any other region in the
United States, thus the regions name of New England. There is more emphasis on status and personal connections in New
Englands than other areas of the country. Also. since New England has long been an industrial center for parts of the United
States, there is the image of New Englanders being very hard-working, although maybe a bit aloof.
Apart from the western and eastern coasts, there is also what is known as “Middle America”, although the term is normally not used in a very complimentary manner. There is the image of Middle America being a little less advanced from its

coastal counterparts – where as there are large metropolitan cities on both east and west coasts, Middle America is a wide, huge sprawing mass of lands, and thus leads to a very different type of atmosphere from the rest of the country. Sometimes you might hear the term “redneck”, which refers to Americans who are usually racist, hold guns, and are generally very country folk, although this is another one of those overstretched stereotypes. Because Middle America’s economy is generally sustained around its agriculture, a large portion of the population work on farms or ranches. The stereotype that the people living there being racist probably comes from their source of living – a great difficulty in the United States are the competing prices of foods in other countries, as well as the high portion of immigrants who are willing to take lower pay than the average worker
(sometimes called average joe). Because of their frustration with immigrants taking their jobs, many of the residents living in
Middle America are quite vocal about immigration restrictions.
Just south of middle is what is known as America’s Deep South or the Bible Belt, which encompasses most of the southwestern states of the United States. Should you visit the Deep South, you’ll probably hear a heavy southern drawl, which
I think is one of the most distinctive accents in the United States. The Bible Belt is most well known for its high portion of
Evangelical Prostestant Christianity, and, as its name suggests, is one of the more religious regions of the United States. You may have heard the term WASP, which is an old phrase that was used to describe a typical American. It stands for
White-Anglo Saxon Protestant, and is oftened used in conjunction with the Bible Belt. A very high number of citizens living in the southern region are regular church goers, and the church community often becomes a major part of peoples’ lives.
Which leads to another aspect of diversity in the United States – its religious diversity. While many of the original settlers came to the United States because of the promise of monetary gain, a large portion also came in order to flee religious persecution – for the freedom to pursue religion of one’s own choosing. Religious freedom has become a fundamental right in the United States, and is something that is strongly protected by both the people and the government. In fact, the very first amendment made to the Constitution protected an individual’s right to freedom of religion.
In addition to the large portion of Protestants in the southwestern region of the United States, there are a wide range of religions all over the United States. A number of the larger Christian churches were brought to America by European migrants, such as the Lutheran church to the north west. Some of the northeastern states, such as Massachusetts and Rhode
Island, as well as many states with high Latin American populations are known for having a large Catholic populations (as many of the settlers come from Ireland and other very Catholic countries). There have also been many new denominations
(branches of churches) that have been created in the United States, such as the Episcopalians and branches of the Presbytarian church. In Utah, a large portion of the population is known for being Morman, which is a church that was established in the
United States. Buddhism, Judaism, Muslim are also all prevalent in small pockets of the United States. In short, though
Protestantism is probably the largest religion in the United States, there is a huge quanitity of religions within the United States, and it would certainly take a long time to list them all. One particularly interesting religion is the Church of Scientology, which is a church that many Hollywood stars, such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta are members of. Though it has a relatively small membership, the Church of Scientology is one of the wealthiest churches in the United States, as it guarantees that your likelihood of entering heaven increases proportionally to the amount of money that is donated to the church. In any case, in any given city it wouldn’t be surprising to find a wide range number of churches, synagogues, temples, and other such religious facilities.
Though there is a wide range of religions within the country, the overall importance of religion is quite significant to many Americans. There has never been a President in the United States that has not been a member of a Church, and many important debates within the country revolve around peoples’ religious beliefs, such as arguments over abortion or arguments

over whether or not to teach Creationism (which is the belief that God created the world in seven days) instead of evolution in schools.
But what is the greatest contributing factor to the diversity in the United States is its ethnic and cultural diversity.
As Tokyo and New York are sister cities, I often hear people drawing comparisons between the two. They are both huge, densely populated, are economic centers of the country, have a vast underground subway network, and so forth. But the one huge difference that I see between the two is the demographics of the population. New York is home to a wide range of ethnicities from around the world – there are people from Africa, the Caribbeans, Asian countries, European nations, South and
Central Americans; in fact, roughly 38% of New York’s population is foreign born. Having such a diverse population affects the country in interesting ways. On the surface are the most obvious things, such as food and music. Walk through most large cities and you can find restaurants of just about every type of food. One of the most difficult questions I get when I visit elementary schools are about what the most popular foods are in America; of course there are the cliché hamburgers and hotdogs, but on a regular basis an average person’s diet is extremely varied – one day might be french croissants for breakfast, a burrito for lunch, italian pasta at night, followed by chow mein and steak the next day. Music is also a byproduct of America’s diversity – there is country music popularized by the south, salsa amd merengue from Latin American countries, and hip hop and jazz, whose origins are a fusion of both America and Africa.
However, having a diverse population also affects the US on deeper levels as well. Think about how many words in the Japanese language are in katakana, taken from the English language. It works the same in American culture – there aren’t as many Japanese words in America as there are the other way around, but as American language takes words from many different ethnicities as a whole, there are a large number of words that are borrowed from other cultures. In California, where there is a high percentage of Mexicans, Hola is almost as common of a greeting as Hello.
Another is holidays – although only the holidays that pertain to the United States’ history and American citizens are national holidays, there seems to always be some sort of holiday being celebrated in the US, despite where it’s from. On Saint
Patrick’s day, everyone wear’s green to school or work (those who don’t are brutally pinched all day), and after work, many head to the bars in true Irish fashion. Cinco de Mayo (the Fifth of May) is another huge holiday, and pinatas, spanish music, and food are consumed in large portions that day, not only by Mexicans, but by all sorts of people. Another example is the Mardi
Gras held in New Orleans – though it has become a well known American event, it’s originally celebrated by those who celebrate
Carnival in other South American countries. In the holiday season, though Christmas is the most widely celebrated holiday there are many other religions/ethnicities that celebrate the holiday season, and the traditional “Merry Christmas!” that is thrown out to everyone during December has slowly become replaced by the more politically correct “Seasons Greetings!” or
“Happy Holidays”. In schools, children not only learn about the birth of Jesus, but also about the origin of Hannukah, the
Jewish holiday, or about the meaning of Kwanzaa, an African American holiday that takes place a week after Christmas. In
February, you often see red envelopes and pictures of that year’s zodiac animal all over the place, as Lunar New Years is not only celebrated by the Chinese and Vietnamese living in the United States, but by many.
That isn’t to say, however, that the United States is a very openminded country whose people embrace every ethnicity and that everyone gets along perfectly. Yes, integration exists to a certain degree like in the cases I previously mentioned, but a large portion of the population remains in small communities that are closely associated with their ethnic background. To use California as an example again, while Los Angeles has the largest immigrant populations of any other city in the United States, there are clear boundaries between the different races. Many of the affluent Caucasian Los Angeles dwellers live in upper class areas such as Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and Bel Aire, whereas other areas of the city such as

Compton and Inglewood are primarily African American neighborhoods, as well as pockets that are primarily Hispanic and others that are primarily Asian American. There are many small communities known as Little Ethiopia, Korea Town, Little
Tokyo, and so forth.
I had my first taste of it when I was left to college. One reason I had chosen to go to college in Los Angeles was because I wanted to broaden my perspectives and see and get to know a number of other cultures. As I mentioned, Marin, where I had been raised, was primarily a white suburban county, and I had little exposure to other sides of American culture.
My friends often refer to me as ‘white-washed’ or a ‘banana’, referring to me as an Asian American who has adopted the mainstream American culture more so than their hereditary culture (yellow on the outside and white on the inside). However, to my surprise, when I arrived at UCLA I found that even within a high level educational institution, there was a tendency of different ethnicities to stick close to one another. There were Jewish Student Associations, Chinese Student Unions, etc, and while the school wasn’t completely divided into ethnic communities, I was surprised to see that a large part of it was. Though I hadn’t intended to, I found myself hanging around mostly Asian Americans after my first year of college – not necessarily because I wanted to surround myself with other Asian Americans, but because that just seemed to be the natural flow of things.
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed and disillusioned, but I don’t mean to make it sound like surrounding myself by a certain portion of the population was a negative experience. Instead, I found comfort in associating for the first time with people who understood my family values, knew what it was like to have a strict Asian parent, enjoyed similar types of foods, and so forth.
It also gave me an opportunity to examine myself and ask myself questions that I’m sure most Americans have at some point asked themselves. I wanted to know where I fit in, how much my Japanese ancestry defined me, and how much I wanted to assimilate into the mainstream American culture. But it’s an issue that everyone approaches, and resolves differently. Some do their best to preserve their cultural identity, as their culture has been what has defined their lives and thinking till then.
Others try to assimilate, and do their best to adjust to the differences in American culture. Eitherway, it seems like one loses out – those who retain their culture remain outsiders in the community, while those who assimilate often seem like their turning back on their roots. And what is to be done when one’s culture comes in conflict with society? Hmongs are a good example- they are Asians that have moved to America because they don’t have a country of their own. Their way of life, however, is very different from that of most Americans. Because they are a dwindling population, they often have many children, though they can’t afford it, and end up requiring a lot of governmental aid. They do not believe in western healthcare, which becomes a concern of many healthcare workers when they perceive the children aren’t being properly taken care of. In such a situation, should the sick child be left in the hands of the parents who believe that the ailment is spiritual, or should the child be taken away in order to receive western medicines? Defining the borders between ones cultural identity and being
American is very difficult, and is understandable why people choose to live in small communities where there is an understanding amongst one another.
However, though the diverse population is one of the aspects of the United States that really defines the nation, there are a fair number of problems that accompany hosting so many different nationalities.
The first, and probably the most obvious of those problems is racism. I’m sure you are all aware of the slavery and prejudice held against the African American population. It’s unfortunate that a country that was so eager to create a free and equal nation automatically devalued a large portion of it’s citizens from the very beginning. Because political representation was decided upon by the population of the state, at the founding of the nation a law was created that established that all African
American slaves only counted as 3/5 th of a person. Though such injustices have been corrected in the law, the shadow of racism still continues till today. It’s amazing to think that less than 50 years ago, within the liftime of many living today,

African Americans were forced to go to separate schools, use separate drinking fountains and bathrooms, and have to sit in designated seats in the back of the bus. Luckily, things have continued to change, and equality is far more widespread than it had been, but racism can still be felt in some areas of the United States.
Although less publicized, racism is still a problem for many other ethnicities in the United States. Often the immigrant population is faced with racism. In the past, much of that racism has been targeted towards Asian Americans, who came to the United States in order to improve the standards of their lives, and often were willing to work harder and for less money. Laws were passed restricting Chinese from entering the United States, and much racism was targeted against the
Asian population. Today, much of that racism has been transferred from Asians to the growing Latin American population.
Most of the Latin Americans who come to the United States come with little technical knowledge, and are thus willing to assume the lowest paying jobs in society. Because of this, there is sometimes a lot of animosity directed at the Latin American population for “taking American jobs”. Another minority that has probably had the most racism targeted towards them in recent years is the Middle Eastern population. After the Septemeber 11 attack on the World Trade Center, many people have become both afraid and angry at many of the Middle Easterns living in the United States. It is partially because of the clothing and lifestyle; because most Muslims adhere to a strict code of conduct and dresscode, their differences are more readily apparent and make them seem more alien to the rest of the population. Though their conduct and dress is out of respect for their religion, there are some who mistakenly take it as a form of support for the terrorist acts identified with some Middle
Eastern nations. At present, a large debate within the United States is how to both define and deal with the racism. Because a large number of terrorist attacks have been linked with Middle Eastern countries, Middle Easterns living in the United States are often the first to become suspects and get questioned. In airports, people of Middle Eastern decent have complained that they are excessively searched. It is terrible how the actions of a very small number of people can affect the outlook of an entire ethnicity in the United States.
That isn’t to say racism still runs rampant and unchecked. Claims against racism are taken very seriously. Use of racial slurs lead to suspension and at times expulsion from schools, and immediate termination in the work place. Most applications have a disclaimer on the bottom, stating that their decision to employ someone is completely irrelevant to one’s ethnic background. I’m sure you have all heard about Americans love of suing one another – people take extra care to be racially sensitive, since lawsuits can come out of even the slightest offense. Also up for debate are programs created to rectify the injustices made in the past. One of the largest issue is affirmative action. I’m not sure if you all are familiar with affirmative action- it is also known as positive discrimination in British English. Affirmative action gives minorities a little added benefit – for example, if there are two candidates with roughly equal qualifications going for a job, one a black male and one a white male, the black male will probably be given an offered the employment under affirmative action. Some schools or workplaces have quotas, where a minority population is guaranteed a certain number of positions, even if their qualifications are a little lower than those they are competing against. Affirmative action was created so that the minorities that have been oppressed or haven’t received equal educational opportunities have a chance to compete on equal footing as those who were raised in more affluent areas with better school districts, opportunities, and so forth. However, affirmative action remains a very controversial issue – many argue that affirmative action is just reverse discrimination, and that hiring and so forth should be done strictly based on who is most qualified for the job. Many also argue about whether or not affirmative action is even effective to begin with, saying that in the long run it is countereffective as it gives the minorities a lower standard to work towards. Instead of always challenging themselves to do better, minorities will instead settle for easier ways to move ahead in life. As such, affirmative action has been forbidden in many states, and whether it should be continued will probably be

debated for quite awhile.
Another debated “fix racism from the past” program are Indian Casinos, which is a major issue in my homestate of
California. One of the most horrible chapters in American history is its treatment of the Native Americans when arriving to
North America. Though there is no way to make up for the errors that were made in the past, in California, although gambling is illegal, the government has given Native Americans the right to own casinos, as a sort of an appology for the past. Though
Indian Casinos (Indian being the less politically correct way of saying Native American) may not seem like a big deal, imagine if all the Ainu people in Japan were given exclusive ownership of all the pachinko parlors in Japan. Casinos make a huge amount of money, and many argue that those living in the present aren’t responsible for the nation’s actions in the past, and that it isn’t fair to give the Native Americans exclusive ownership. Both affirmative action and the Indian casinos bring up the question of how much we are indebted to mistakes made in the past, and where to draw the line from being insensitive and needing to let go of the past
Another problem that relates to diversity which I slightly touched upon earlier is immigration. Being a country founded by immigrants, it seems only natural to have what is called an “open door policy” – to accept people from all nations into the country. Realistically, that has proved to be more difficult than one might assume. A major issue in the United
States today is regarding who and how many people are to be allowed to immigrate to the United States each year.
On the one hand, it seems insane not to allow people to immigrate into the United States, since it is a country that was established by and for immigrants. There shouldn’t be quotas limiting the amount of numbers for certain ethnicities to enter the country, and, if there is a strong need for someone to enter the United States, whether it be for economic reasons, political freedom, or so forth, that person should have the right to seek a home in the United States.
On the other hand, there are a number of problems that accompany mass immigration. One problem is population size concerns. Though the US is a large country, immigrants tend to congregate in the large coastal and border cities, leading to overpopulation concerns. A direct consequence of the overpopulation leads to a number of environmental concerns, as well. Another, which I touched upon earlier, is job security. Because many of the immigrants come from relatively poor countries, they can work for wages lower than what the average American worker can afford. While wages, job security, and many of the work bonuses are negotiated for by labor unions, the labor unions themselves lose effectiveness if companies can easily find substitute workers. However, it’s a bit of a tricky question – while people are frustrated with immigrants taking their job, the US economy is at the same time very dependant on the immigrant workforce. As many
Americans are moving away from labor jobs, there is an increasing need of low wage laborers to fill the gaps left behind. How to balance the number of immigrants is a highly controversial issue, and often becomes a major debating point during presidential campaigns. Money also is a problem with a large immigrant population. Like I mentioned, since a large number of immigrants come here with very little money, they often are put on social welfare programs, which are government sponsored programs that allot a certain amount of money per month to a family that doesn’t make a certain amount of income.
Other money is spent on healthcare, shelter, and so forth, which mostly comes out of the taxpayers money. People argue that too much of their money is going towards supporting the immigrant population, and that they shouldn’t have to assume that burden. Finally, there is the concern of what the consequences of how immigration can effect the overall character of the
United States. Though the United States has no official language, the vast majority of the population (82%) speaks English.
However, with each year the number of Latin Americans within the United States grows, many whom speak only Spanish. As a result, on top of a lot of money being spent on language programs for those who aren’t fluent in English (known as English as a Second Language or ESL programs), there is a growing number of people who choose not to learn the English language. This

is a growing problem in many of the border states, in particular Texas, New Mexico, and California, where the percentage of
Spanish speaking citizens increases each year. At the current rate of growth, Spanish speaking citizens will become the majority in the population, and leads to serious questions about what kind of curriculum and language will be taught in those states. In years past, there have been several schools in African American communities that have pushed for curriculums that involve teaching ebonics, which refers to the style of speech used by many African Americans. The curriculum, I believe, was denied, and the schools were required to teach the traditional English curriculum. Is it best to supress the number of immigrants in order to keep some sort of national unity, or is it best to give people the freedom to choose what they want to learn and how to live their lives?
There are other economic problems that arise from having a mixed population in the United States as well. As I mentioned earlier, many ethnicities tend to live in small, secluded communities. Like everything else, there are exceptions, but while white families tend to live in middle class to upper middle class areas, ethnicities that have more recently immigrated to the United States often live in the low income areas of town. Latin Americn neighborhoods (often referred to as the “barrios”), China Towns, Little Italys and similar ethnicity oriented communities are usually in the bad neighborhoods, as most of the people who immigrate to the United States come with little money in hopes of making a better living in the United
States. Because many of the families make a lower income, the neighborhoods are often more run down than other neighborhoods in the America, and schools are often badly funded with poor teachers and few resources. It’s a self reinforcing cycle, because with bad school and low security, crime and drugs become more common. Many African American communities have similar problems – though most African Americans haven’t recently come to the United States, most of them have been limited with their economic opportunity. One of the ironies of the Civil War is that though African Americans won their freedom after the war, many remained working on the farms, leading almost the exact same lifestyles as before since they had no money to move elsewhere and were not taught any skills needed to start a different career. As a result, some of the lowest income communities are African American communities (sometimes referred to as the “projects” or “ghettoes”), where unfortunately out of need crimes and drugs become attractive options for the young. It is no coincidence that most gang members tend to be African Americans or Hispanics that live in low income areas. Sadly, while probably not politically correct to say, in the United States the “good neighborhoods” are identified by having a large white population, while the “bad neighborhoods” are identified by having large minority populations living within them.
Diversity is also a problem in politics. With a nation full of so many different people and opinions, it is practically impossible to try to represent them all, especially when peoples’ interest are in direct conflict with one another, such as the case with Jewish and Palistinians living in the United States regarding the US’s support of Israel. Though the United States is based on a democratic system, it is both important and extremely difficult to prevent a majority from oppressing, in other words limiting the opportunties, of a minority group’s interest. Though the majority of the country’s population is white, it will be interesting to see how the government’s policies may change because of the increasing number of Hispanic citizens living in the
United States. Another issue tied to the representation of interests are the elected representatives. Generally, when people think of politicians, they think of old white men, who generally make up most of the state and central governments’ politicians.
One reason is partially economic, as I mentioned before. In general, Caucasian people have more opportunities for career advancement than others. Not only are people able to attend better school districts and private schools, but a lot of politics, which I believe is similar in Japan, comes down to the network of people you know. It explains why so many politicians are former businessmen, who held key positions within their companies. Because of such a system, it makes it more difficult for minorities to enter into politics, and thus properly represent issues relating to their own race and cultural background. On a

positive note, there have been more minorities entering politics in recent year, a trend that will hopefully continue.
With all that said, and despite all the problems that arise from the diversity within the United States, I am very proud to be a United States citizen. I don’t want to give the impression that the United States is a very chaotic, conflict ridden country. While it has its share of problems to deal with, what country doesn’t? That the United States is a country that hosts so many different types of people is something I find very remarkable, and, given its diverse population from the very outset, I am surprised that it hasn’t collapsed under its own weight. True, there have been a number of problems in the past, and many that continue on to the present, but I am optimistic that as time passes the United States will be able to overcome many of the problems that the country faces today. Though many people remain in ethnic communities, there is a gradual integration of cultures, and whether we all like it or not, we, as American citizens have felt the effects of the diverse population in our daily lives, whether its by the music we listen to, the food we eat, or the people we interact with from day to day. I think integration between different ethnicities takes time, and the United States is yet a relatively young country that shows much promise in the future. Of course, it is unfortunate that we lose out in other areas – there is no strong sense of national identity or a long standing national culture, as most of what we have has been borrowed from other nations. However, I am glad to be part of the melting pot culture, and look forward to see what kind of cultural identity the United States molds for itself in the future.
Anyway, that about sums up my speech today. Thanks so much for listening to me, and I hope you have somewhat of better understanding of the United States.