Assimilation

Being part of a minority can be quite difficult. Like Amy Tan, I am multicultural and am familiar with the difficulties of being a Chinese American in the United States. The decision to assimilate or not is hard, but often not even ones own choice. Societal pressure for assimilation and cultural pressure to maintain ones heritage battle each other; eventually one wins, and from what I have noticed and experienced, it is usually assimilation that triumphs.

There is a term for people in America who aren’t assimilated. These people, who are still more in touch with the cultures, traditions, and styles of their native country, are labeled FOBs—fresh off the boat. Even people of the same race often use this term negatively to describe their less assimilated counterparts. There is a social stigma that when in America, people who aren’t American should attempt to become “American” as much as possible by speaking English, adopting American customs, following pop culture etc.

I consider myself rather assimilated into American culture, just like many of my peers. If asked a question about our native cultures, chances are high that most of us cannot answer correctly. I am barely able to speak Chinese, can hardly read or write, and know nothing about Chinese culture or history. Perhaps most of this is because I was born in America, but my parents, too, are no longer as Chinese as they once were. They speak English at home and have adopted American traditions, like celebrating Thanksgiving and playing Candy Crush. In order for them to have succeeded in the United States, they had to assimilate and become “more American.”