Connections in Reading and Writing: English 1010 at SUU and Success Academy [Fall 2009]

Leader sec 02-1:

Our country has come a long way into accepting everyone as they are. Blacks are not slaves anymore, and immigrants under certain requirements, are allowed the right to become a citizen of the U.S. America is known as a melting pot of different cultures…that’s what makes this country a unique place. We are accepting different sub cultures such as Native Americans and Spanish, but that does not mean that we have to be what they are. We don’t have to become Catholic just because another is Catholic. Every person is allowed the freedom of having their own traditions and how they want to live their life. We all have our own preferences of what we believe in and traditions we practice, but we all come together in the fact that we are American, and we are free.
-ashleyheelis

Leader sec 10-1:

In the movie Alice’s restaurant we can find a perfect example of what happens when we ignore subcultures. Hippies derived from tiring to escape the mainstream. With that we found history repeated itself by isolating the subculture and saw example of police brutality along with public isolation. Subculture has made up the mainstream. I say this because everyone from the beginning of America came from somewhere and they had to exist in that diversity and still create things like the Declaration of Independence, which stated that all men should be created equal. If mainstream does not recognize subculture then we will find us in a government of communism. Freedom of speech won’t matter because it will derive from the diversity that comes from all cultures. V for Vendetta, Serenity, and Dances with Wolves, are all fine examples of the need to respect peoples of all cultures or we will see murder and violence. Jesus Christ even states that to go to heaven one must love his fellow man. If we do not sustain the types of integration to allow the forces of subcultures to be unrecognized, we would be just like the Nazi’s. Who wants that much hate when we could have so much peace? Sure integration slows government but that doesn’t mean we should not make them people do their jobs and make things easier by forgetting others. That’s what learning is all about. We just get better.
-mowntainmancodey

Leader sec 14-1:

America is a beautiful example of a country that is defined by its unity in spite of diversity; here there are so many different cultures and backgrounds and yet we’re all considered Americans. There was once a time where anyone here who was different, who was unlike the norm, was persecuted beyond belief. An example is when Africans were shipped here as slaves – since they didn’t look like the white man, they apparently weren’t equal to him. Another example is as recently as the 1800s, members of the LDS church were run out of Missouri because the governor had put out an Extermination Order for them. But since that time we have become wiser – just because an African American man has darker skin than a white man doesn’t mean in any way that he is less significant and just because someone is LDS doesn’t mean that he or she deserves to be killed. Simply because we have different backgrounds or beliefs doesn’t mean that we can’t be one unified country – by having different backgrounds and beliefs we can enrich our country’s culture. We can make it a place where anyone can come no matter what religion or ethnicity they are can feel as if they can keep their traditions, their culture, and remain accepted and safe here.
-aliciatirre

Leader sec 02-2:

I think that integration is very important in the pop culture that we live in today, but i also believe that it is important for the emmigrant to keep their traditions alive. Foreigners shouldn’t just try to fit in because that is what the society tells them to do. They should try and stand out! It is good to be different from everyone else, especially if you are in a different country. I agree with those that support integration saying that we need to fit in. There are other ways that we can fit in that don’t make us change our traditions and culture. People that come to the U.S.A. must learn english. That feat alone sets them apart from everyone else. As they learn the language they will learn more about the culture. Then that person can choose to become part of their new culture, or can be a part of both at the same time. I know how it feels to be a foreigner and it is very hard, but i learned to adapt to the culture and also keep my american culture and traditions as well.
-taylor8

Leader sec SA, am-1:

I don’t think that the sub cultures and other non main stream cultures are slowing down the integration of the cultures. America is a free country and you can be a part of what ever culture you want to. That’s one of the points of coming to America is for free agency. You can be a part of what ever culture you want in America. But it is probably easier to fade in with the main stream than to be a part of one of the other cultures. This country is where all of the cultures come and just by all of them being in the same place brings them together. All of the cultures here one way or another have been integrated together with another culture. The integration is not slowing down.
-jacobcarter

Leader sec 14-2:

I’m going to take the opposing point of view just to mix it up. I do believe that smaller subcultures that hold onto to traditions and beliefs (that are not in mainstream society) do hinder their integration into what we call an American society. Regardless of what we say about how wonderful it is to be different, everyone who is different is usually not trying to stand out, and will assimilate themselves into what is socially acceptable in their region of locale, eventually forgetting their differences throughout generations.

This is why subcultures do not survive in mainstream American society. We don’t appreciate anyone for their differences anymore, and as Americans continue to grow towards the de-sensitized part of what we call normal, we will have failed to incorporate anybodies differences at all. We are growing up in that desensitized state of humanity today, and we are expected to not be different, but assimilated into a civil, and “normal” being.
-kayohbeewhy

Leader sec SA, am-2:

America is unique. Sub-cultures are a great example of America’s uniqueness. Say everyone was treated the same, had the same traditions, same beliefs, same holidays, etc., there wouldn’t be much uniqueness, besides say the color of skins. To be honest, I believe that there really is not a “mainstream”, but a majority. Everyone has different traditions, it’s just most in America have similar, which seems like we should exclude the sub-cultural traditions. Of course there are differences between what is “civilized” and what is not, but to say that sub-cultural traditions do not meet the requirements of “civil” is wrong. I’m sure it is hard being part of a subculture, but we, as Americans, should learn to accept other’s different beliefs.
-magician

Leader sec SA, pm-1:

I do not believe that sub-cultures in America hinder the ideal of integration. The idea of integration is to have people of different ethnic, religious, and other cultural backgrounds live and work together in harmony. If integration was hard for people of different backgrounds from “the norm,” then it means either the majority or the minority group is not making an effort to accept the other customs and work together peacefully.
-tonyaenyart

Leader sec 10-2:

America is one of the most plastic countries in the world. I’m not sure that i know what the “true” meaning of “integration” is, but I like to think that the ideal is what we have. Just a bit of everything, making a very diverse place to live.
One reason the US is such a meeting place is because of its ability to make dreams come true, to make it happen for you own your family without being told how or when to act. That has a value which attracts oodles of people from all over the world who are dreamers and creators but haven’t been able to put their dreams into practice. Just as soon as they can they’re here working their very best. Not only does this allow us to be more educated about the cultures of others but it enriches our communities with people who are fulfilling their dreams, who live high standards ( not always the case).
I believe that there are negatives to having many people of diverse backgrounds but I think that the good out ways the bad.
I can’t think of a better place a place where it is our country, where inspired people choose to live. God Bless America!
-cameronchamberlain

Leader sec SA, pm-2:

I don’t believe subcultures hinder the “American Way” because first of all America is what it is because of sub cultures if it weren’t for Immigration most of us wouldn’t be here today. America is one big mix of cultures just look all around you. If we didn’t have different beliefs or values then we’d all be the same and that wouldn’t work. Also sub cultures show us how we can be different or better we can all learn from each other and become a better people.
- westonishamon