While reading Taco USA, by Gustavo Arellano, I came across a passage that got me thinking a lot about one of the huge problems I see with the assimilation of cultures in America. He wrote that he “spoke only Spanish when [he] entered kindergarten; was the child of two Mexican immigrants, one of whom came into this country in the trunk of a Chevy; and who now favors English and Chuck Taylors All-Stars.” (5) This quote made me think about how America often seems to take the “mexican” out of Mexicans, as they do with other cultures. Arellano is debunking a statement by Tom Tancredo where he stated that he didn’t think Mexicans ever assimilated. Arellano is saying that they do, if they grow up in America, then they are obviously going to immerse themselves in American culture. However, what I don’t understand is why they have to prove how “American” they are. America is a combination of a bunch of different people. It was a country founded by immigrants, therefore there is nobody that is “American.” In my mind there is no right way to be a part of this country. That being said, there is no one particular cultural group that has claim on the country and measures the norm. So even if Arellano didn’t like to speak English and wear converse, his version of America would be just as valid as mine, even though we had very different upbringings. 

Reyes, Raul. “New Book ‘American Dirt’ Does a Poor Job of Displaying the Real Immigrant Experience.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 31 Jan. 2020, http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/01/31/book-american-dirt-poor-job-displaying-immigrant-experience-column/4588725002/.

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