Opinion
Breaking the Melting Pot: Celebrating Cultural Diversity
By Peter Yang ’20
November 10, 2016
Tags opinion
I never thought I would be nervous until I found myself standing before a washroom mirror in the Fillius Events Barn last Friday. Before the mirror I saw myself wearing my Hanfu, the Chinese national costume; I ran my fingers through the embroidered collar and felt the silky texture of my long sleeves as well as sweat running down my cheek. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Thanks to the effort of several student organizations, I experienced one of the most eye-opening events on the Hill. The cultural festival attracted a much larger audience than I expected and provided a rare opportunity for international students to showcase their national costume. It was a refreshing experience to see my peers in a different light as they proudly displayed their costumes and physically brought an accurate representation of their cultures to campus. I was able to see just how unique each student is and how much I can learn from them. As I took numerous photos with people from all corners of the world, I couldn’t help but to exclaim just how extraordinary this opportunity was. People originally separated by great deserts and mountains, those who inhabited different continents came together, neither to scramble for resources nor fight over their differences, but to have a good time and humbly learn from what one another had to offer. That night, I found myself inside a bubble. A bubble in which the miniature of an ideally peaceful world existed, though only for three hours.
One aspect of this event that impressed me the most was the sheer number of costume models. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that so many international students packed their national dress when they prepared for a voyage that may take them across half the globe. I found that respectable because many of the national costumes are inconvenient to carry and require a lot of maintenance. As international students come to the U.S., they not only come as students eager to embrace American culture but also as carriers of their own culture. There is a certain sense of responsibility in the action of international students because they represent not just themselves but their people, their nation. And to proudly wear one’s national costume is certainly a noble thing to do because one plays the role of a bridge that links two people, something that makes cultural exchange and mutual understanding possible. Many of my international friends may not know the impact their actions have, but nonetheless they are instrument in making Hamilton a place where diversity, instead of assimilation, is the goal.
Before I came to the U.S., I had a sense of what to expect of the great “melting pot of culture.” I was told this nation was pieced together by waves after waves of immigration and diaspora, and that homogenization often starts the minute migrants set foot on American soil, fresh off the boat. My own experience travelling some of the major cities on both the east and west coast has to some extent reinforced this impression. I found there to be something sinister about assimilation: it acts like a blender. When many elements from different cultures become Americanized, they form a homogenous culture that does not possess any feature of those cultures involved in making it. It feels bland, tasteless, homogenous and is particularly prone to commercialization. I understand why Americanization is inevitable, because people must adapt by assimilating themselves quickly into a society within which so many differences exist between ethnic and racial groups. But I felt sad nonetheless for the loss of diversity and the fact that minority groups no longer take pride in their cultural heritage. In order to fit in with the main stream society, some minorities indeed choose to embrace homogenization and forfeit their own cultural practice until the only thing that marks them as minority is the color of their skin. Dealing with identity is a challenge for many immigrant children as they struggle with deciding whether they should continue their cultural practices.
Canada takes a different stance in terms of cultural diversity. Much multiculturalist policy has been set in place in Canada, and has been keen on stressing the importance of preserving diverse cultures. From that point on the Canadian society has been transforming itself into a more accepting environment. Over the years, Canada received a large population of traumatized refugees from all over the world and the Canadians were genuinely proud of this feat. I believe there is wisdom in multiculturalism, as it gives minority groups the respect they deserve and helps people find pride in their heritage. It also helps allevite nationalistic and racist impuleses, since gaining more understanding about others’ culture automaticaly dissolves stereotypes and prejudices. In the era we live in, it might be a good idea to break the melting pot and adopt a stance that will let us value people for who they are instead of who they should be. At times I would think, compared to the greater society of bigotry, of racial tension and of rampant xenophobia, here on the Hill we have a safe haven for those who believe in equality and respect because here we see beauty in those.