Stirring the Nations Melting Pot and the American Mashup as a Popular Culture Reader

Stirring the Nations Melting Pot While introducing the essay in the book American Mashup A Popular Culture Reader, Aaron Michael Morales states, "You are not a real [insert race/ethnicity/gender/sexual orientation here.] (p.83)." My first reaction to this adage is it takes me to a meme on Facebook that I have seen many times. Where people challenge your identity if you do not fit what is considered the "norm" in that particular category. I've personally experienced being "called out" for not being a "real" black person because I prefer to use proper English dialect as opposed to slang terminology. While this statement was personally offensive to me, it at the same time brings to light my own heritages and what ingredients we add to the pot. Who is stirring this Melting Pot Called America? Without performing extensive independent research on African heritage and customs today's Black-Americans have just as much knowledge as what it means to be African as any other race who is not a native of Africa.

The culture passed down through generations of the Black-American family is inherently American with traditions derived from slavery. The question was asked in this essay, "Will they become more us or will we become more them (p.84) The answer in this context it is defiantly the former. Did Africans so long ago once enslaved and brought to American have the same concern? Although it is not easy to compare a person's heritage being forcibly taken away from them as opposed to having the free will to decide not to partake in your own nationalities traditions. The outcome becomes the same; the more "American" you become the less of your own heritage you embrace if you do not have a deeper understanding of the importance of maintaining those traditions you inherited from previous generations. Although my ancestors introduction to this country was not voluntary; and we still struggle for justice and equality in America today. I am proud to say Black-Americans are very much a part of creating the culture of "What it means to be American." When you reference important parts of American culture like dance, art, music, fashion, religion, and food to mention a few. Black-Americans have made major contributions to each of these cultural aspects of America.

With that being said this melting pot called America changes flavors depending on what ingredients you add. The more diversified the country becomes the more the flavor changes. This is the beauty of what it means to be American. American culture is a progressive one, unlike other countries the way we are viewed is constantly changing because we are changing. One culture cannot change what it means to be American they can only add to the pot of what other perceives as American. Just like popular culture we influence American as much as it influences us Americanization is something that anyone that lives here will become a victim of. America is such a unique country that no matter how much you hold on to your culture it will still rub off you. Maybe it's the way you talk, walk, dress, dance, sing or even think. My Black -American culture has had its share of ups and downs in American history, but that did not change the ingredients we added to American pot. So to answer the question who is Stirring the Nation's Melting Pot, the answer is, we all are.

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Work Cited

1. Morales, Aaron Michael., and Sean Alfano. "Stirring the Nation's Melting Pot." American Mashup: a Popular Culture Reader, Pearson, 2012, pp. 83-88.

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