The “Melting Pot” vs.

the “Salad Bowl”

People who “want to live in more diverse communities”

More ConservativeRepublicans: 32%

Republicans: 35%Independents: 57%Democrats: 58%More Liberal Dems: 65%

College Grads: 62%HS Grads: 46%

Data: Pew Research Center (2009)

White: 50%Black: 59%Hispanic: 46%

Attend Wkly Serv: 44%Seldom Attnd. Serv: 55%

Under 65: 53%Over 65: 41%

People who want to live with “many immigrants”

More Conserv. Repub: 14%Republicans: 16%Independents: 24%Democrats: 32%More Liberal Dems: 44%

City: 33%Suburb: 26%Rural: 12%

Data: Pew Research Center (2009)

White: 20%Black: 29%Hispanic: 40%

Midwest: 15%South: 23%East: 27%West: 33%

18-29: 36%Over 65: 12%

People who prefer to live in a community “made up mainly of people of their same racial ancestry”

Republicans: 32%Democrats: 15%

18-29: 15%30-49: 17%50-64: 22%65+ : 33%

Data: Pew Research Center (2009)

White: 23%

Black: 9%

Hispanic: 21%

Midwest: 26%

South: 20%

East: 17%

West: 17%

MULTICULTURALISM:

Cultural groups maintain much of their distinctness

A society in which there is one culture composed of overlapping sub-cultures

Cultural differences are not discouraged

PROBLEMS WITH MULTICULTURALISM

By “embracing” differences we can “encourage” overemphasizing them-- this invariably leads to a fracturing of the social fabric

It slows the assimilation process and leads new migrants and cultural groups into isolation

BENEFITS OF MULTICULTURALISM

Leads to more dynamic societal transformation

Empowers people/groups who have historically been marginalized

WHY IS CONTINUED “MULTICULTURALIS

M” INEVITABLE?

FIVE REASONS

1. THE U.S. IS THE WORLD’S MOST “MULTICULTURAL”

NATION

United States is a “Creole land”

We are currently the most diverse country in the worldancestry & culture

SOC 119 – Fall 20091. I identify myself as:

• White-European – 68.2%• Black-African American – 11%• Asian-Indian Asia – 8.1%• Native American-American Indian –

0.3 %• Hispanic – 6.6%• Middle Eastern – 1.0%• Ethno racially Mixed – 4.8%

2. GLOBALISM IS UPON US

We will always have to interact with “foreign” peoples & cultures

We cannot “afford” to be xenophobic

Here’s what happens every 24/7, 365 around the globe

Rap music in 30 languages

3. NON-EUROPEAN IMMIGRATION IS RISING

2050: White - 52.8%2050: P of C - 47.2%

* Based on 2005 U.S. Census projections

SOC 119 – Fall 20099. How familiar are you with a

language (besides English) that is native to one or some of your

ancestors?

• I am fluent – 13.5%• I am somewhat familiar – 20.0%• I cannot speak but understand – 8.0%• I cannot speak or understand, but others

in my home speak a language besides English – 5.0%

• I speak only English – 53.5%

SOC 119 – Fall 2009 12. If I entered a small grocery store and

the clerk spoke none of the languages that I speak, I would:

• Feel very uncomfortable – 9.7%• Feel somewhat uncomfortable, but I would find it

interesting. – 23.1%• Feel comfortable but I probably would not try to

communicate with the person, aside from paying for my groceries. – 48.4%

• Feel intrigued and probably try to communicate in some way with the person (e.g., ask them how to say “hello” in their language). – 18.8%

4. ASSIMILATION WILL NEVER FULLY OCCUR:

Assimilation: the process by which a person adopts the culture of another group and abandons his/her own

* In the U.S., this is called "Anglo conformity“ (i.e., people adopt what is seen as “white culture”)

SOC 119 – Fall 2009 20. What percentage of the people who attend

your “place of worship” (e.g., church, synagogue, mosque) are of your race?

• Over 90% - 48.0%• Between 80-90% - 17.0%• Between 30-70% - 5.7%• Less than 30% - 5.5%• I don’t attend a place of worship – 23.8%

SOC 119 – Fall 2009 11. Have you ever “shared

saliva” with someone of different race?

• Yes – 35.8%• No – 47.5%• Yes…and I’ve shared considerably

more than just saliva. – 16.7%

SOC 119 – Fall 2009 6. How often have you gotten high or drunk

with someone of a different race? (The emphasis is on “with” here and not someone who happened to be standing next to you at

some party and offered you a beer.)

• I never get high or drunk – 12.7%• I never have…yet – 6.0%• Once or twice in my life – 26.9%• I regularly get high/drunk with people of

different races – 38.8%• Too often to count – 15.6%

SOC 119 – Fall 2009 4. How often have you shared a meal in the home of someone of a different race.

• Never – 9.3%• 1-3 times – 33.4%• 4-8 times – 14.9%• On numerous occasions – 42.4%

These are roughly the same rates as 90-130 years ago when European

immigration peaked.

OBSTACLES TO ASSIMILATION:

Dominant groups often demand assimilation and integration in theory only

Migrating groups struggle to let go of their ties to their homelands

– Psychological– Sociological

SOC 119 – Fall 2009 7. If I fell in love with someone of ANY

OTHER different race than my own, my parents or guardians would be cool with

it.

• Strongly Agree – 25.6%• Agree – 31.6%• Neutral – 22.0%• Disagree – 13.7%• Strongly Disagree – 7.1%

SOC 119 – Fall 2009 19. I would like to live in a neighborhood that was comprised of the following racial mixture:

Nearly 100% white – 13.8%Nearly 100% people of color – 1.1%75% white & 25% people of color – 40.7%50% white & 50% people of color – 37.6%25% white and 75% people of color – 6.8%

5. AMALGAMATION WILL ALWAYS BE IN PROCESS

Amalgamation occurs when two or more groups combine to form a totally new group. In the U.S. this is the "melting pot" idea.

vs. Integration

SOC 119 – Fall 2009 2. If I had the opportunity of eating food that was familiar to me or eating food of another

cultural that I’ve never tried before, I would eat the unfamiliar food.

• Strongly Agree – 15.3%• Agree – 31.7%• Neutral – 22.0%• Disagree – 25.0%• Strongly Disagree – 6.0%

SOC 119 – Fall 2009 3. I am open to marriage (or lifetime

commitment) with someone from another racial ancestry group.

• Strongly Agree – 35.9%• Agree – 36.8%• Neutral – 16.5%• Disagree – 8.6%• Strongly Disagree – 2.2%

OBSTACLE TO AMALGAMATION :

Amalgamation eventually gets derailed

* Groups in power they generally end up demanding assimilation