In Our Opinion
Say someone walks up to you, and asks you where you’re from and you say, “America, the United States.” How would you answer them if they then asked, “Describe being an American. What does that mean?”
How would you answer?
We hear a lot about “American values,” the “American way,” and other attributes. In times of national stress, these are often invoked as a rallying point.
But what are they? After all, we are a nation unlike any other in history. We are a mixture, a blend, a “melting pot” of different cultures and ethnicities. We are not homogenous, despite what some might prefer and hope to eventually have.
One answer to that question might be Americans have pride in their country. It’s true, most of us do — including those who would criticize and admonish Uncle Sam for misadventures, improper actions and contradictory policies that aren’t always designed for the good of all involved.
But citizens of other nations are just as proud of their country as we are of ours, so that can’t be the defining attribute for what it means to be an American.
Let’s get back to that melting pot. Perhaps that’s it — a land of immigrants, those that don’t fit in their country, are fleeing persecution or simply looking to make a new start in life, a better opportunity for their family and future.
We are a blend. We mix together and integrate into society, making our country stronger as a whole.
We may still have attachments to our original country, our family origin, but we shed most of that to become a part of something larger. We bemoan those who don’t mix in, who elect to stay together in residential clumps.
It’s a criticism leveled lately at people from Muslim and Hispanic countries who band together in neighborhoods and seek to keep the traditions and, in some cases, laws of their homeland.
But that has happened throughout our history with a variety of nationalities during large, immigration waves. Germans, Irish, Italians (ever heard of “Little Italy?”), Poles, Russians, you name it. It can’t be a definition of what it means to be an American.
We’re quick to lend a helping hand during times of crisis, that’s the definition of being American. And we are a generous people, stepping up in many ways to assist those in distress.
Look at the recent hurricanes, and then again at other natural disasters in the past. Even small, personnel tragedies can bring out the charity and empathy in even the stingiest, most cynical of us. When we need a hand, we don’t care about the color, gender, sexual orientation, education, religious or political persuasion of that hand.
We take the hand, and extend ours.
But other countries citizens do the same. Some of us have witnessed the generosity, the compassion and desire to help others in need in foreign countries where those wishing to help in many cases don’t have much more than those needing the assistance.
Helping others less fortunate than us is part of being American. But if we’re so good at it in times of stress, how come we can’t be even more when things aren’t bad?
How come it takes a disaster of some sort for us to extend a hand to others? We are a rich country — even among many of our low-income citizens when compared to other nations.
If we’re so generous in time of need, how come we can’t provide for those less fortunate than us when times are good? How come we can’t find a way to guarantee affordable, quality health care for all, eliminate poverty and ensure everyone can make a good, livable wage, or can afford and achieve a quality education?
We should be able to do this, as Americans, because that “can do” spirit IS the quality that defines us, along with all the rest of the above qualities. The reason we can is because most of us believe that the overall good is the umbrella of unity that we live under.
Our differences balanced with our similarities are what make us who we are. Our riches are wasted and useless if they don’t achieve something good for all.
What does it mean to be an American? Look at your money.
E Pluribus Unum — out of many, one.
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