Cultural Similarities

The United States, once known as a homogeneous melting pot of culture and ethnic diversity, has now become more of a “tossed salad” with like parts sticking together. Over time, we have found ways to accommodate our diverse lifestyles without causing social tension or strain. David Brooks’ article “People Like Us” and “Family Ties and Entanglements of Caste” by Joseph Berger both illustrate how even today people are self sorting by race, religious beliefs and other factors. Whether it be for comfort and acceptance or maintaining tradition, cultural separatism has become an American way of living in this multiethnic country.

In the mind of David Brooks, the United States isn’t as diverse as advertised if you read the fine print. For decades now we have been sorting ourselves into familiarity and likeness. Everything is starting to look the same and separate groups have each developed their own unique “taste” in living environments. But people aren’t complaining, however, they are simply finding comfort and happiness with their own kind. Is this wrong? Often when thinking of the word “diversity” one would like to picture people of different ethnic, religious and professional background all living in the same environment in closed quarters. If you look at the United States as a whole there is a lot going on in regards to each of these levels. Although in Brooks’ opinion “race and ethnicity run deep in American society” it seems no one is ready to build a truly diverse community. It has gotten to the point on our country where retail companies have been able to conduct surveys by geographic area to determine what products will sell based on the sorted environments people have placed themselves in. We would all like to think we are contributing to this diverse and equal society we live in but instead we are further developing the social boundaries we create. These walls still exist and do not appear to be crumbling any time soon.

Even in our society today, people still maintain high standards for marriage and religious arrangements. In the article “Family Ties and Entanglements of Caste” Joseph Berger writes of Dr. Bodh Das and his journey to maintain his family’s status within the Hindu caste system in America. Dr. Das had discouraged his daughters from the more free marriage arrangements of the United States and had set up two marriages for his daughters back in India. However, the more Americanized they became, the further they strayed from their father’s will to remain within the caste. This story is an important illustration of how people still try to stick to their own kind rather than embrace the differences that exist within our country. Certain individuals only wed to those who are of the same religion, ethnicity, or social class even with all of the different possibilities available. This country offers so many new opportunities and experiences but the majority of the population sticks to the familiar and the accepted.

My take on the situation is that Brooks offers the strongest argument with the most valid points that make his thoughts seem more of a harsh reality. His use of statistics and real life examples provides a great web of support