Saw this meme shared on FB today. Superficially, it’s accurate, if a tad simplistic.
Memes are often that way.
I seem to recall a time when genetic happenstance was routinely relinquished in favor of a new, transformative self-image — being an unhyphenated American. People let go of their past in order to embrace a future which they, as individuals, could create for themselves in a free country where reinventing yourself was a central tenet of what it meant to “be an American”.
It’s all well and good to acknowledge one’s ancestral heritage, but when circumstances over which we had no control become more important to us than potentialities we might be able to influence (which is what being an American used to be all about), our focus is shifted backwards, and we become defined by our genetics rather than our aspirations. Is this supposed to be a good thing? I remain unconvinced.
Besides… it can get too damn complicated. Should I consider myself an English/German/Irish/Scottish/Native American… or simply an American, since this is the country and culture into which I was born?
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