Being Multiracial in America

The race question in the US census 

America is commonly called "the melting pot" because of the population being comprised of people from all different ethnic backgrounds. In American Studies today, we discussed how people identify with their ethnicities and how they refer to themselves. As a biracial American, I refer to myself as half Filipino and half Russian. Easy. The hard part is when it comes to standardized testing or other scenarios (usually involving filling out forms) that only allow you to fill in the bubble for one race. Ideally, I would fill in "white" and "Pacific Islander." But in reality I'm forced to choose one. I don't feel that I identify with one side more than the other, so I always find myself pausing and thinking--then struggling to catch up and fill out the rest of the form when this question arises.

I find this interesting because, if the US is supposedly a "melting pot," why are people sometimes forced to identify with only one of the many races they may be? If there is going to be a question about race on standardized tests, there should at least be the option to fill in 2 spots, like how it's done in the US census (seen above). In fact, more American teenagers today are starting to identify as "multiracial," as seen in this article from the New York Times.  I think this is a positive thing because our country is unique in the sense that everybody has a different background. Being able to identify based on race or ethnicity gives people a sense of cultural and family pride
How do you identify based on race/ethnicity, and why? Why (or why not) do you think these kinds of identification are important in the US? Please comment below!!

Violence on Black Friday

After reading a post on Sean's blog about "black Wednesday," about people valuing their sales over their families on Thanksgiving, I started thinking about the recent news of 2 people getting shot on Black Friday in front of a Walmart store. Click here for the news article. It all started when a pair of two people began fighting another shopper for a parking space. The other driver pulled a gun and shot the couple. Luckily, the injuries were not fatal.  

I was shocked that someone would become so aggressive over a few sales. I think this says a lot about American values and materialism. It is a good thing to want to save money, but how far are people willing to go to save a few dollars? Camping out in parking lots, or even shooting someone over a parking space? It's almost as if people are valuing store-bought items over human life. What do you think people's actions have to say about materialism and values? 

The Meaning of Success

When walking to school this morning, I noticed something I hadn't seen before. One of the houses on my walk was in the process of adding a white picket fence around the property. My first thought after seeing this was, "typical." It seemed like such a stereotypical suburban thing, almost like a status symbol of success. This got me thinking: how do we, as Americans, define the word "success?"

In my case, I have been hardwired since childhood to believe that I must be a doctor in order to be successful. And while it is a known fact now that I have no plans of being a doctor, I still sometimes feel like going to med school would be the "right" choice.  We can't all be doctors, though. Does that make everybody who is not in the medical field unsuccessful? Of course not.


While I was considering blogging about this topic, I searched "white picket fence" on npr.org. The first result that came up was called "A Reality Check for Americans Obsessed With 'More'". You can listen to the recording below or read the transcript HERE (also embedded below). Peter Sagal brings up a good point about success. He says:

 I myself have more material wealth than 99 percent of all the human beings who have ever lived and I work in public radio. A medieval emperor would look at my stocked refrigerator, my closets filled with clothes, my powerful machinery, and immediately start coming up with ideas for a new Web site, so he could live the dream.

 If success is defined as material wealth, then there is no need to worry according to Mr. Sagal. While money should be taken into account, I don't believe it should dictate which profession somebody chooses. Personally, I would define success as personal fulfillment. One is successful if they are completing the goals they have set for themselves. How would you define success, and how does your definition compare with how (you believe) the country defines it? Please comment below!!

"Good" Wars and "Bad" Wars

Something I found interesting during my American Studies class's "Perilous Times" presentations was an idea Mr. O'Connor brought up about wars classified as "good" by American standards. It seems like the wars Americans tend to classify as "bad" are the ones where more of the people do not agree with America's involvement. For example, the Vietnam war was very controversial. Many people were upset by the Universal Military Training and Service Act. People did not want to be drafted to this war (in which they did not believe the US should be involved), and as a result, many people illegally destroyed their draft cards. Most people know of the Vietnam War as the most controversial war in US history. I think the controversy unglorified the US and caused shame for many people.

On the other hand, the US won World War 2, which is classified as a "good war."  I think this war was less controversial since many Americans were in support of the war because of the attack on Pearl Harbor. I think America is seen as the reluctant hero in this war, which further glorifies the country.

What do you think classifies a war as "good" or "bad?" Please comment below.