Now that we are going to switch to the online mode, I will begin to evaluate your comments and leave feedback to the better ones. I will also give extra credit if I find one (or more) outstanding comments.
Reminder: I try to do my best NOT to evaluate based on your opinion, whether it aligns with mine or not. I try my best to be always impartial and to judge the QUALITY of your arguments. Thus, make sure that your premises are correct, that you read carefully the input.
For instance, for this post, I noticed that some misinterpreted the text: the author describes Americans as practical and matter-of-fact, un-emotional about their environment; while the recent immigrants are more sentimental about the place where they live. Read it over and you will notice the premise of her argument.
Anyway. Here is the best comment from that assignment (with my compliments and extra credit).
COMMENT (I will not give feedback)
Be honest: do you see the fully comprehend this perspective, its premises (implicit and explicit) and, most of all, how they are perfectly aligned with the conclusion?
It's not easy to pull off something like this (ONLY BLEMISH, HE DIDN'T CAPITALIZE "I")
This definitely applies to most all ethnic enclaves wherever they might be. I doubt that western life hasn’t touched every corner of this earth so of course people stray off traditional practices to something newer and different in every way. It’s a virus everyone has or will succumb to as laziness and procrastination are tempting. Yet as we (anyone with any sort of ethnically background) age we discover that our roots and ancestors are much more rich in what we lack, what we were seeking. The feeling of regret and longing for what was or could be is something i can relate too, not being in the moment but in some fantasy of the future or simple memory of easy going times. I enjoyed that there wasn’t any sensory descriptives because i formed my own without even knowing it.
Eric's description helps and I understand and agree with his perspective. I find myself conflicted with this type of thinking but at the same time due to personal experiences with my culture as an Asian-American, me and my family have found that sticking to our roots and ancestors are far more important than conforming to current societies. When he mentioned that as we age we look to discover our "roots" more I find myself more interested in more culture the further my life goes. I like American culture as is, but I always tend to go back to areas where Asian people are or where they tend to congregate. It always felt like going back home and I'm vicariously going back to an Asian neighborhood through my parents image.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that my original comment was a bit bias in that I am a third generation American (unfortunately) so the idea of culture and regionalism is something I never truly thought of, at least not beyond the scope of my Americanism. At the end of the day, that is what I identify as, an American. I was born here, both my parents were born here, and my grandparents were all born here. I do say that, as far as my nationality goes, that I'm Italian, but do I identify and see myself in other Italians or with Italy itself? No, not really. I suppose the reasoning for this is that the "American culture" isn't one that is held in high regard by most people. Our history, especially the grounds in which America was founded which causes quite the controversy every year that this specific day passes and we celebrate with a day off from school and work, doesn't reflect America in the greatest light. I definitely agree with Eric in that most corners of the world have been touched in some way by western life. Whether that be a good thing or a bad thing depends on who you ask, but as much as I think it vital that everyone learns about their history, I also think it's important to forge new connections and create your own.
ReplyDeleteEric did a great job of explaining his viewpoint on becoming "westernized" and whether we can truly stay true to our "roots". I do agree that as we grow older, we wish to discover our family history and roots a lot more because it's familiar to us and how we relate to the world around us. As a child, I always wanted to fit in and follow the latest trend, sort of shying away from my ethnic background and I think that's partially due to being one of the only Guyanese/Indian student, I sort of felt a little different. So adapting to what everyone else was doing was easier and made me feel more comfortable. Now as time passes on, I find people who I can relate to and have the same experiences as me. I no longer shy away from my culture and background, I'm proud of it. It's part of who I am.
ReplyDeleteAs others stated, Eric thoroughly explained the idea of becoming westernized and as Lucas said “Staying true to our roots”. I believe that we all want to know where we come from based on our family history so as we mature, we tend to want more information on that and how it affects us around out environment. Yes i like the American culture and will always be apart of it but I also stray away from my own culture (being that im mexican). I don’t know alot about my culture (History wise) and im beginning to try and understand it all. I believe i don’t know much because I was born here and im Accustomed to the American Culture more
ReplyDeleteEric’s post truly supported my understanding of the text provided by Amy Bernardi. Eric was able to express his understanding of the text, in a way that allowed me to appreciate his perspective. After reading Eric’s blog, I thought about my culture, and the traditions I try to keep in my life. Is what Eric said about straying off traditional practices true? That “It’s a virus everyone has or will succumb to as laziness and procrastination are tempting”? These are the questions I asked myself, and unfortunately, I would agree with him completely. I am an American, who practices Turkish and Muslim traditions. However, I would say, my family and I have adapted to the more Americanized traditions, because we’ve found it easier to modify our traditions. It feels as though our longing for a better, simpler future, diffused our strong, profound background. Great blog! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe post by Eric comes to me as refreshing because I feel it puts something into perspective that most of us generational Americans seem to over look. One thing that stood out to me the most and helped with my understanding was "Yet as we age we discover that our roots and ancestors are much more rich in what we lack, what we were seeking." Growing up in the 21st century I feel as if I am an "old soul" and I connect most with my roots and ancestors more then another 22 year old that is in the same class as me. After reading Eric's post it put me into a thought process. I began to question what I know, have I conformed to western modifications that allowed me to fit in better in America or do I still have my ancestral roots influencing my decisions and my life? To be honest I do not believe I completely comprehend what Eric wrote, it's a place my mind has not traveled in thought yet. But I do respect what he wrote and, for what I do understand, I find myself looking for the riches of my ancestral background because I always feel that what they have forgotten I have yet to learn. I wish I could know the riches of my roots but that is not accesible as easy as I wish it to be. Since life is how it is I must be an American and look toward my roots for help and become my own person Hopefully I will pass on what I learn to the people that come after me so, they to do not follow in the same footsteps as me.
ReplyDeleteEric's description spells out his point, and his personal point of view clearly. When I read his post, I could understand the message he wanted to convey. Wherever you go, you always have to remember your origins and ancestors. I have a friend who is American born Chinese. Because he was born and raised in the United States, he adapted to American culture and he felt like he was not really attached to Chinese culture. That thought is completely wrong because even though he was born and lived in the US, he still cannot forget his Chinese roots.
ReplyDeleteEric did a great job of conceptualizing the task at hand and making it understable. Towards the end I was lost but it probably was due to my sugar rush and overactive brain. This is true, American culture is very rich and influential. Traditionalism is important especially in these times. I think the younger generation is more influenced by American culture whereas the older generation is not. For example, my mother keeps traditions from her culture that I probably will forget to keep. I think that it is important for the older generation to educate the younger ones on culture. Growing up my mother kept certain traditions but she never shared them with me so I was spoiled in that sense. For example, my mother could “make a home” because that is what was taught to her growing up. However, I cannot do that and I am chronically lazy.
ReplyDeleteI think Eric is right about the fact that we all come from an ethnic background and he does align his statement with the conclusion because as time passes, we adopt more modern ways of living. Yet we also find appreciation and respect for old fashion ways by looking back on our ancestry.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I enjoyed reading Erics comment but specifically I liked how Eric compared western life to a virus seeing how it has spread throughout the world. I also liked the statement that our ancestors are much more rich in what we lack and seek. But I understand and agree with his perspective as a first generation Italian American living in a neighborhood filled with third generation Italian Americans I can see that as time passes we stray farther away from our roots in favor of modern lifestyles which seems natural at this point.
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