Interculturalism And The American Dream

“No one stays in McFarland unless they have to. There ain’t nothing American dream about this place.” – Thomas Valles, McFarland High School Cross Country Team Member (Ciaridi & Caro, 2015). The idea of an “American Dream” varies by person, based on their interests, age, residence, status in life, economic status, and much more. The “American Dream” of someone with a high paying job in New York City most likely will be much different than that of someone unemployed and living in a suburban city with a blue collar job. It can be concluded that Jim White: teacher, eventual cross-country coach, and main protagonist in the 2015 film McFarland, USA’s American Dream was much different from those of his students. White, ironically a white-collar white male, moves his family from a middle class town in Idaho to a poverty-stricken farm town in California known as McFarland in the film. His idea of the American Dream is then changed through his …show more content…
White is not the only individual that encounters intercultural issues through life’s challenges in situations such as his, each of us face these issues within daily life. It is no lie, we are all unique, and factors such as race, religion, socioeconomic status, and background that make us so give society as much diversity as it has. Issues within interculturalism are everywhere, and in order to be a positive and productive society, it is key to understand issues such as those that Mr. White and we in daily life face to increase and improve intercultural communication. Understanding and embracing intercultural factors are important to better interpret and communicate with others, both from our own cultures and those from others, both on a personal level and in general. Additionally, understanding and embracing these factors can help us make the best of situations that may be difficult, unfamiliar, or uncomfortable to overcome obstacles, just as Mr. White did in McFarland, USA, a fantastic example of interculturalism at