I Am Not an Assumption
Travel has allowed cultures to develop and flourish outside of their origins, a critical step in achieving the diverse world in which we live. While some people choose to maintain their native culture after crossing borders, others decide to integrate foreign elements into their daily lives. Some even start completely anew. It is not uncommon to hear of people who receive backlash for ostensibly abandoning their heritage and turning their backs on their supposed “identity.” But identity is a choice, one that every person has the right to make. We are all of some ethnic group and people often assume that there is a designated culture assigned to it of which we must abide by or specific traits that we must possess. In …show more content…
Rather, the views of society have provoked it. People are constantly conjuring up profiles for anyone who fits the physical characteristics of a race, and then associating ethnicities and cultural particularities as they deem appropriate. Most times, these depictions are not accurate; the assumptions are aided by stereotypes which further strip the victims of every ounce of self-identity they are trying to preserve. Until we all learn to understand that the connections – and sometimes the lack thereof – between ethnicity, heritage, and culture are idiosyncratic, not necessarily shared within races, there will continue to be people who struggle to develop an identity they feel is representative of their values and not …show more content…
After being here for a semester, I feel that I have become even more distanced from my heritage. When I’m sitting on the bus or walking to class, I hear conversations in foreign languages, and while I cannot be certain which ones are specifically Korean, I know that they are Asian. It is a foreign element that I should resonate with, but do not. It’s just not me. About a month ago, I was walking to Walgreens on Central Campus when I made brief eye contact with a woman, who then hurriedly walked over to
Travel has allowed cultures to develop and flourish outside of their origins, a critical step in achieving the diverse world in which we live. While some people choose to maintain their native culture after crossing borders, others decide to integrate foreign elements into their daily lives. Some even start completely anew. It is not uncommon to hear of people who receive backlash for ostensibly abandoning their heritage and turning their backs on their supposed “identity.” But identity is a choice, one that every person has the right to make. We are all of some ethnic group and people often assume that there is a designated culture assigned to it of which we must abide by or specific traits that we must possess. In …show more content…
Rather, the views of society have provoked it. People are constantly conjuring up profiles for anyone who fits the physical characteristics of a race, and then associating ethnicities and cultural particularities as they deem appropriate. Most times, these depictions are not accurate; the assumptions are aided by stereotypes which further strip the victims of every ounce of self-identity they are trying to preserve. Until we all learn to understand that the connections – and sometimes the lack thereof – between ethnicity, heritage, and culture are idiosyncratic, not necessarily shared within races, there will continue to be people who struggle to develop an identity they feel is representative of their values and not …show more content…
After being here for a semester, I feel that I have become even more distanced from my heritage. When I’m sitting on the bus or walking to class, I hear conversations in foreign languages, and while I cannot be certain which ones are specifically Korean, I know that they are Asian. It is a foreign element that I should resonate with, but do not. It’s just not me. About a month ago, I was walking to Walgreens on Central Campus when I made brief eye contact with a woman, who then hurriedly walked over to