Is Multiculturalism Destroying Society?

As the U.S. economy is stuck in a rut, natural born Americans search for someone or something to blame for our problems. Unfortunately, the foreigners have caught the eyes of the Americans. Thus, some Americans claim multiculturalism is destroying our society as the foreigners undermine our American values.

How do we define culture? Culture binds the people together to form a society. Thus, culture becomes a glue as the people share the same language, religion, history, culture, and cuisine. Then they teach and pass down this culture onto their children. Subsequently, culture breathes life as people share the same experiences, identity, and fellowship.

Are the foreigners diluting and weakening our culture? In the old days, the U.S. government let foreigners move into our country. The foreigners moved into a neighborhood filled with people from their country or even from the same region in their country. Then the immigrants learned to speak English and sent their children to public schools. Their children learned English while they assimilated into the American culture. Many of these children became Americans and moved out from the immigrant neighborhoods in the pursuit of their dreams. Along their journeys, they forgot their language, history, and roots of their home countries and adopted everything American.

Now, things have changed. New immigrants entering the United States are not assimilating into society. They form tight knit communities that retain their language, customs, and culture. Some of these communities became large enough to influence elections in their districts. Then our government and institutions frown on our American culture and encourage these communities to retain their culture and identity, avoiding the assimilation into society. However, many factors could undermine our culture, but we notice the foreigners who choose not assimilate into society.

In the old days before cable and satellite tv, people had a limited number of tv and radio stations – usually five tv stations and 7 radio stations. With everyone watching the same programs and shows and listening to the same music, the people shared similar experiences. Moreover, they read the same books listed on the bestseller lists and watched the same movies while sitting in the cinemas. As people huddled around the water cooler during breaks at work, people discussed what they had seen, had listened, or had read the previous night. Our media bonded people together so we formed an identity, a shared experience.

Through technology, people currently have access to a numerous assortment of shows and media. Basic cable offers around 30 channels while satellite tv can provide hundreds of channels. Furthermore, satellite radio allows listeners to choose from a variety of music genres. Some people listen to radio talk shows that center on political or Christian themes. Presently, people do not watch the same shows and movies as they split themselves into small groups and cliques. Since they no longer share the same experiences, they isolate themselves at work and eat their lunches alone at their desks. Unfortunately, culture no longer brings, binds, and bonds people together.

We witness the same phenomenon with books, magazines, and newspapers. For instance, Amazon allows readers to select and buy roughly ten million books because Amazon lets artists and writers self-publish their works, immersing consumers with a large amount of music and books they can enjoy. Thus, everyone reads different books, listens to different music, and watches different movies and tv shows. With the internet, people have access to thousands of blogs, international newspapers, and websites. Thus, people no longer share the same experiences or think the same ideas. Thus, culture becomes fragmented, lost, and damaged.

Leaders in government, organizations, and schools helped chisel away at our culture. Children no longer pledge their allegiance to one flag, to one nation under God. Thus, the children never learn to appreciate their heritage, culture, and history. Moreover, many leaders view religion as an antiquated institution that an enlightened society must eliminate. However, religion becomes another force uniting and binding people together. Now, many Americans no longer attend church on Sunday, and they no longer feel proud to call themselves Americans.

Our leaders spread their disdain to the traditional family – another antiquated institution that must be broken up. Before the 1990s, everyone stressed the nuclear family – the husband, wife, and children. Now, leaders in our institutions encourage the new age relationships – lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender. Perhaps the leaders encourage these new age relationships because religions of the world stress the union between a man and a woman. However, this new sexuality comprises a small portion of the population with some estimates ranging, at best, up to 3.5% of the U.S. population. Nevertheless, sexuality issues dominate the news, media, and public policies. Of course, heterosexuals must keep their details of their relationships in the bedroom secret while the new, sexually free can scream in your face about their exploits.

Several factors are destroying our culture and heritage. Multiculturalism represents a small factor, but one that everyone easily notices. Everyone has driven through the unassimilated communities with the foreign language written on the signs and windows. Even if the United States banned foreigners from entering the country, we would still experience a fractured, fragmented society. Technology has evolved that allow consumers the freedom to choose a multitude of foods, music, books, tv shows, and movies. We belittle religion, encourage people to explore their sexuality, and frown down upon marriage. Thus, we no longer share the same media, experience, and heritage as our society has fractured into many cliques and small groups with diverging interests. We, Americans, have lost ourselves while our culture no longer binds us together.