yea I know right? not sure what's he trying to say.
In fact - I know more Spanish language or ASL than Korean language.
Here is what I am "trying" to say. And I am sure it will be misinterpreted into something I am not saying (i.e. racist or xenophobe).
Firstly, I am a Son of Liberty. What this means, is that in my family tree, my ancestors fought the American Revolution. They also fought in the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Desert Storm, Iraq and currently in Afghanistan. It essentially means, that my ancestors, at one time were British subjects in the Colonies.
It does not make my status any more important than any other American. However, it does mean something very important and significant. It means that my parents were not foreigners. It also means that my grandparents were not foreigners and so on.
I have never had to experience any significant "cultural" change. Neither did my parents, my grandparents, etc.
Now, in many American families, the situation is different. Of course, if your grandparents were from Norway, Ireland, China, etc., they are very proud of their heritage (I assume). You would be considered a 3rd generation American if your grandparent emigrated legally. You would be a bit more adapted to American culture than your grandparents were, and even your parents.
Suppose you were born in East Europe and you and your parents meet with a neighbor at a park. Suppose your dad jumps up from the picnic table and runs after a duck swimming in a pond, breaks its neck and yells "Ha! Dinner!"
Would this be acceptable in America? It is perfectly normal and acceptable in parts of Eastern Europe. If you are a child mainstreamed in American culture with American friends ... this event would more than likely embarrass you.
That's just an example (and a true story that happened to a friend of mine
).
I have NEVER had to experience cross cultural differences in my family - I have NEVER had to experience more than one language being spoken in my home (other than sign). Yet, many American families experience this.
Yet, immigrants will say ..... "but this is normal in Europe", or even "its the way we do things in China".
America is NOT Europe. It is NOT China. America has its own way of "doing things" and guess what, you live here now. The same rules that apply to me, also apply to you. I cannot jump up from a picnic table and chase a duck in a park and kill it. Sorry, that is simply not the way "we" do things here. No matter how great your duck killing urges may be, it simply is not done that way here. Sorry. You must first get a hunting license, make sure the duck is in season and only hunt in areas where it is permissible. A public park just isn't permissible ..... anyway, this is simply an example.
Another example ..... suppose it has been the "tradition" of a large company to hold "dinner on the grounds" for years and years on Saturday for their employees (another true example). This is a very "American" tradition, where employees will bring a covered dish from home and contribute to this. Green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, country fried steak etc. etc. Suppose this company just hired a bunch of "illegals" unknowingly (remember, this really happened) which, as chance would have it, were from Mexico. Suppose the "dinner on the grounds" festivities had to stop, not because the illegals didn't bring anything (which they didn't), but because instead of using portion spoons and tongs, they grabbed the food in dishes with their hands and put them on their plates. They then took the dishes, which didn't belong to them, home.
Imagine how pissed off people got. Would you eat green beans if the person in front of you reached in the pot with their bare hands (dirty from work) grabbed a handful and plopped it on his plate?
Now, imagine if management tried to correct this behavior and the offenders viewed this "correction" as Racist and insulting.
Well, apparently these "traditions" were very normal where these folks came from. They are not "normal" in America.
Many immigrants try to bring their customs and culture to America from their home countries. That's perfectly fine. It creates diversity.
Some things were meant to stay in their home countries.
When an immigrant comes to America, they must EMBRACE America. They must be a part of America. You cannot be a part of your home country and America. It simply does not work here.
This is just insight from someone who can identify exactly where your from in the country by the way you talk, your mannerisms, dress, general overall appearance. Some traits are far more distinctive than others. I can usually tell if your a 2nd or 3rd generation American as well.
These nuances do not matter really. An American is an American ... period.
