The Melting Pot; How Diverse is America?

American is known and celebrated for its diversity. Deemed the “melting pot,” immigrants have staked their lives to move to America in order to reap the benefits that come with the freedom afforded to citizens. While America is undoubtedly diverse, the diversity of other countries in respect to America is often overlooked. How diverse is America relative to other countries? Do we deserve the title “melting pot”?

First, it is important to define what exactly diversity means. Diversity is defined as, “the inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, sexual orientation, etc.:”(Dictionary.com) Americans tend to categorize ethnicity in terms of race: black, white, Asian, or Hispanic. In fact, diversity means much more than this. Upon the exploration of diversity in other countries, America is actually much less diverse than people assume it to be.

Diversity in America tends to be sensationalized. People have very strong opinions, whether positive or negative about diversity. Those who celebrate diversity are correct in doing so, as America is becoming more and more diverse every year. However, Americans should realize that we are not the only country who is diverse. America isn’t even a high ranking country in terms of the amount of diversity we have; it ranks somewhere in the middle.

This was shocking to me because Americans and Americans politics so often talk about diversity. According to Pew Research center, Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, Togo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the most diverse countries in the world while Argentina, the Comoros, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Rwanda and Uruguay rank as the world’s least diverse countries.

In Chad in north-central Africa, 8.6 million residents belong to more than 100 ethnic groups. In Togo, there are 37 tribal groups that speak one of 39 languages and share little in the way of a common culture or history. Uganda has by far the highest ethnic diversity rating, according to data collected by the Pew Research center, followed by Liberia. The world’s 20 most diverse countries are all African. There are many factors for this, although one is cited as the continent’s colonial legacy. European countries abuse of power when colonizing African countries led to intentional ethnic distinctions to help them secure power, most famously the Hutu-Tutsi division in Rwanda. These distinctions and rivalries have not gone away. European powers also carved Africa up into territories and possessions, along lines with little respect for the actual people who lived there. When Europeans left, the borders stayed. This is part of the African Union’s mandate which forces different groups into the same national boxes.

Diversity is positive, as it opens people up to new perspectives and ideas. However, it historically has caused conflict, and many people oppose it. This is important to note due to the conflict in African countries, who are so diverse. Africa has faced many civil wars and rebellions, and even genocide.

In America, diversity exists due to the masses of immigrants throughout the nation’s history. America is much more open to immigrants that the vast majority of countries, even though America still struggles with the topic of immigration. American has never been a completely homogenous country. It was morphed to seem that way due to rampant racism. Diversity, while growing, is not something new. Let’s stop sensationalizing it negatively, or viewing it as shocking.

So, what does all this mean? I believe that this data should encourage people in America to focus less on diversity as a phenomenon. Instead, diversity needs to be celebrated as a normal part of life. It is not a spectacular feat that we have diversity — though the diversity we do have is extremely positive and beneficial to our country. Additionally, those who are not open to diversity within our country should take a step back and realize that diversity within countries is normal, and America is not particularly diverse. Americans, while different, are actually all very similar and should treat each other as so. We should stand united and proud to be able to call this great country home. I can only hope that the rights and freedoms of minorities, immigrants, and the less fortunate continue to grow and be recognized until we are all equal.

Sources:

Textbook

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/05/16/a-revealing-map-of-the-worlds-most-and-least-ethnically-diverse-countries/?utm_term=.d0a7adc61a27

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/07/18/the-most-and-least-culturally-diverse-countries-in-the-world/

8 Responses to "The Melting Pot; How Diverse is America?"

Holden Powers says:

February 11, 2018 at 3:22 pm

Thank you so much for your post Langley. When thinking of America, we think of places like Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty which helped welcome millions of immigrants to the U.S. These immigrants were people who came to America for economic opportunity and freedom. The term “melting pot” describes these people who came from various places and live together in one place. Like you said, America has been a fairly diverse country for a while and we continue to be a very diverse nation. However, America was definitely not the most accepting of diversity in its beginnings.

When the first pilgrims came off of the Mayflower, they saw this new land as their land. They saw opportunities for them to grow and claim a country as their very own. We all have learned the story of Thanksgiving and how the Native Americans and the Pilgrims sat with each other for a meal. There might be some validity to this story, but there is more that happened which does not reflect accepting behavior.

Mary Ann Weston of the Chicago Tribune said: the “[p]ilgrims robbed Indians` graves, stole their food and generally regarded them as satanic heathens. It is cruelly ironic that the holiday most people associate with Indians was, for them, the beginning of the end. For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a day of mourning.”

Even though we think of America today as an accepting place which embraces diversity, we were definitely not founded on it. Even today, many Native Americans live on Native American reservations. We have given these people designated places to live instead of letting them live freely. If there is a group who deserves to be treated like “Americans,” it should be the Native Americans because they are definitely more “American” than the rest of us.

Source:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-11-23/news/8802190344_1_pilgrims-harvest-feast-indians
Thomas Cody says:

February 11, 2018 at 7:00 pm

Langley,
Thank you for a very interesting post! I would say that a large reason for America’s ‘melting-pot’ persona comes from the fact that it was such an early and large scale example of immigration and diversity in a country that still stand today. I completely agree that diversity in America needs to spend less time being marveled at and more as a force that brings our country together in celebration. Especially with so much of our diversity comes from the slave trade when so many people coming here against their will and with the constant harsh treatment of immigrants coming to America over the years, the fact that Americans are still not as open and willing to embrace our country’s diversity is ridiculous. As we are such a large scale example of a successful diverse nation, we need to show that world that diversity is something that can be a great trait for a country, rather than something to be feared.
Cassandra Martin says:

February 11, 2018 at 9:53 pm

Langley,

I found your post to be extremely thought-provoking and unique in nature. From the current political atmosphere surrounding diversity and immigration, one would assume that the United States is allowing an extraordinary amount of immigration, or promoting uncontrollable diversity. However, as you point out, the United States is far from being considered a leader in diversity.

I would like to examine this issue in the context of Japan. Japan faces the issue of having a declining population and work force. One in every four people in Japan is over the age of sixty-five. Elderly people are now being forced to work longer just to stay above the poverty line. To accommodate workers, Japanese countries have even been forced to develop new technologies just to keep these people working. There are simply not enough people working to support the elderly population. Therefore, some people have proposed that Japan allow more immigrants into the country to fill more jobs. However, Japan is known as a predominantly homogenous culture, and a sudden change may cause in a clash of cultures, as you mentioned before. While some societies may be resistant to interacting with other cultures, if done effectively, it can have tremendous economic impacts.

I agree that if the United States didn’t stigmatize diversity and immigration as much as it does, our society could become even more enriched. Diversity promotes a better society through collaboration, and in some cases may help to stabilize economies.

(https://www.ageinplacetech.com/files/aip/Graying%20Japan%20Tries%20to%20Embrace%20the%20Golden%20Years%20-%20WSJ_0.pdf).
Brett Tivnan says:

February 11, 2018 at 10:26 pm

Hi Langley,
I thought your post was clear and stated a strong argument against the commonly-accepted belief that the United States is the most diverse country in the world. However, I do question how the Pew Research Center defines the diversity of American citizens in our present society. While I am in no way disputing how diverse the various nations of Africa are in relation to the multitudes of tribes and cultures within relatively small proximity, it seems ignorant to simply rule out the diversity of the United States as being divided solely by race. My issue is not with the argument that the United States is not the most diverse nation in the world, but more how the Pew Research Center seems to define “diversity”.
Though it may not be how Pew defines it, every single region in the United States is in some way unique to all others. If we were to boil it down to just accents and vernacular and how it differs between regions, as Erkan Goren described it, practically every state would have three distinct cultures. If I were to take it from my own personal experience, my home state of Massachusetts is subject to a strange form of tribalism based on where a person lives within the state. For example, I come from an area known as the South Shore, just south of Boston, where the population consists of mostly 3rd and 4th generation Irish and Chinese Americans. In addition, the area is quintessential suburbia with mostly upper middle-class families. However, going 10 miles north of Boston, the area contains a very different demographic, namely Italian Americans with a far greater range of economic disparity. Whereas the South Shore was historically more agrarian, the North Shore’s economy was always based around fishing and industry. These differences are apparent in the architecture and roadwork, but also more subtly in the culture and people that live there. Though the Pew Research Center would never consider the North and South Shores as being different cultures, the people living there would greatly disagree, as they don’t define themselves by their race, but more where you come from.
James Weakley says:

February 12, 2018 at 5:29 pm

Langley,
Thanks for posting on a very current issue that has been gaining a lot of spotlight recently, in light of President Trump controversial view on diversity and immigration. I would like to start by stating that I completely agree with how important diversity is to the United States. A country built by immigrants, should celebrate its diversity, not harbor xenophobic attitudes.

While not the immigrant country we once were, I find it a little rash to question the melting pot nickname given to the United States. On the surface the current US population is not the most diverse country in the world and probably isn’t even in the top 10. But where the United States may lack in physical and cultural diversity, is made up for in diversity of thought and expression.

Diversity of thought is embedded in the history american politics, with civil rights protests and constitutional protections serving to protect physical, cultural, and political diversity. Currently the United States emcompasses over 50 registered political parties and countless interest groups, diversity is thriving in modern America. As long as american citizens are able to express their views freely without punishment, diversity will never disappear. Only when an fascist government takes away voice of the people, will diversity die. Luckily as american citizens the protection of our civil liberties are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, fostering an environment for diversity to thrive in the United States.
Marc Bosch Valentines says:

February 12, 2018 at 6:52 pm

Langley,

I found your blog post really interesting, insightful and complete. Despite the United States not being one of the most diverse countries according to the study you mentioned in the article, which takes into account many different ethnicities, including the different African ethnicities to compute the diversity of each country, I would say that among the developed economy, that is, the western world, America is one of the most diverse countries and one that has managed to integrate all of their nationalities to create a common country. It is really interesting how the country managed to merge so many nationalities and how it has integrated them into their society. Viewed from my perspective (I am from Barcelona), I find that the United States has managed to integrate much better all the cultures than most European countries. This is why as a European myself I admire American society.
Nevertheless, as you mentioned, there are still important issues about immigration that need to be tackled as the minorities are the ones that have higher birth rates and thus will eventually become a majority and by that time the whole country will have experienced another change in the society to integrate the new reality.
Therefore, the challenge for the government and the society as a whole is how well they implement this transition.
Michael De La Cruz says:

February 14, 2018 at 1:14 am

Hello, Langley. Thank you for your very thoughtful post.

While I, for the most part, agree with what you say, I think we should look back at the definition of diversity and reexamine the diversification of our country. In the statistics that you brought up, America was one of the least culturally diverse countries in the world. However, diversity includes a lot more things that just cultural or ethnic differences. Like you said, diversity is the inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, and sexual orientation.

When all these factors are considered, I believe America truly is one of the most diverse countries in the world. The image in your post shows too narrow of a view of diversity, and doesn’t account for all of these factors.

If we compare the United States to a country like Chad with this larger definition of diversity, then it can be seen that we are a lot more diverse than Chad. For better or worse, Chad does not have the large income inequality gap that we do. This means incomes aren’t as diverse. There aren’t too many people migrating to Chad, so there aren’t that many people with different origins. As we compare Chad to the other categories of diversity, it can be seen that they are not as diverse as the image let on.
Haley Overlander says:

February 14, 2018 at 1:58 pm

Langley,

I appreciate your post on this topic. I am currently in an American Indian literature class where we often discuss the topic of diversity within America as well as immigration, and therefore, I find this topic particularly intriguing. I find that your point regarding America’s ‘rampant racism’ is important to focus on. Even in America’s earliest stages of life, it did its very best to create a homogenous culture and exclude any race or culture, or discard of any race or culture, that could have stood in the way of that.

When we think of America today, yes, we can call it diverse, but on what grounds? After so many centuries of discriminating against other races and ethnicities, the white American majority now wants to stand proud of its very own diverse culture? That thought seems odd to me. However, when we discuss America as a ‘melting pot’ we have to take into consideration not what we as true born and bred Americans see it as, but how those who actually contribute to the term ‘melting pot’ feel about it.

Tasnim Ahmed from the Harvard Crimson tells us his side of what America and it’s melting pot, means to him, “To me, it stands as a synonym for white culture. As the child of immigrant parents and an immigrant myself, I’ve never been able to genuinely call myself an American. And can you blame me? Despite the movement towards a more diverse and integrated society, America still isn’t the melting pot it claims to be. Instead, it’s a compartmentalized storage unit, with Whites in the biggest compartment.” Here, we hear from an immigrant himself, someone that we would usually say helps to create this melting pot of a culture in America, but if those who immigrate here do not even feel that there is a mixed, shared American culture to be a part of, then how can we say that America is the inclusive, diverse melting pot of a society that it claims to be?

Though this takes on the perspective of only one human being in America versus the countless numbers of immigrants that live in America today, I still believe it is an interesting perspective to take into thought. I think that defining America as a melting pot could be argued on both sides endlessly, however, one thing that I am sure of is that there is a strong American culture that as an outsider coming in, could be difficult to feel welcome in.

Source:

Ahmed, Tasnim. “The Melting Pot That Never Was.” The Harvard Crimson, 5 Mar. 2014, http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/3/5/harvard-not-melting-pot/.

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