Communication: Speech (pp.70-79)
1. Constructing, Negotiating, and Communicating Jewish Identity in America
1.1 Assimilation is a process of racial, national or any other minority blending into the dominant society group losing cultural identity at the same time. Sometimes assimilation can eliminate cultural boundaries. As there are many ethnical groups living in the United States, they provide many examples of assimilation, such as Mexican wife and American husband who lived next door to our home and Chinese people talking perfect English in the group of students in the University where I am studying.
1.2 An exchange of cultural features as a result of continuous cultural contact is called acculturation. Americans using the metric system in foreign countries, Chinese people eating Italian spaghetti, Congo groundnuts becoming peanuts, raising potatoes, tomatoes and tobacco by European people, Arabians singing national American songs are the examples of acculturation.
1.3 Jewish otherness is different from African American otherness because there are no any obvious differences in appearance. Despite of external similarity with white Americans, still, there are differences in culture and religion. Jewish perceive themselves as aliens due to stereotypes that were formed.
1.4 It was important for Jews to distinguish them from other minorities (Blacks). As a result, attention switched from anti-Semitism to Black people discrimination and minstrel shows played an important role in demeaning Black people. Thus, an eventual form of discrimination of Blacks had occurred.
1.5 Social construct is something that is a product of human social interaction. It is not necessary that social constructs coincide with natural facts. They exist only in human social world. The examples of social constructs are money, race, governments, language, nationality or gender.
In this context social construct is a certain hierarchy based on race accessory implied. Besides, one race is assumed to be better than another. Traditionally, in the United States white people were ranked higher than other races (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2010).
1.6 “Statement on Race” issued in the 1970s by the United Nations is a social construct that questions labeling of groups of people. This statement recognized harmful impact of racial issues and policies. The points of the document upheld that all people are free and equal, prejudice is harmful for personal growth, race-based conflicts are expensive for the nations and racism causes international conflicts. It was also stated that there is no any scientific basis of racist doctrines as all the people have the same origin. Race issues that arise have social background and are not biological (Balantine and Roberts, 2010, p.249).
References
Balantine, J.H. and Roberts K.A. (2010) Our Social World (Condensed Vercion).
Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press.
Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., & McDaniel, E. R. (2010). Intercultural communication. (12th Ed.). Boston: Wadsworth Cengage.
