Race/Ethnicity

When you or I walk around on the street, through the halls of school, or around the mall with your friends, we all encounter different ethnicities everywhere we travel. America is known as the "melting pot" for a reason; there are a variety of races wherever one may go. The fact that America is so diverse may be a benefit to some, but others may think of it as a problem. Personally, I think that diversity is its positives and negatives. It creates a well-rounded environment, but is a well-rounded environment beneficial?

The "melting pot" of different cultures and races raises questions in society, from the business field to the playground. Is George getting the accounting job over me just because he is "Asian" and Asians are are supposedly smarter and can adapt to environments faster than others? Did he choose the Asian because he is better qualified or because he is Asian? Why did Jason not pick me for basketball, is it because I am "white" and whites are not as good as blacks like Jason? Did he not pick me because I am not as good as some other players or is it because I am white? Questions like these appear everywhere and everyday. Although, America is a "melting pot", the wide variety of races begin to cause tensions and racism in communities. A process known as affirmative action makes it hard for some groups and/or races to be accepted to certain schools. Applying to college, as we all know is stressful and time consuming, how would you feel if your wasted all your time applying to a college when it does not matter? Assuming the situation, a college accepts someone from North Dakota just so they have someone from North Dakota and they do not accept you so they can let that person in when you are more qualified, how would you feel?

Personally, I think that the well-rounded communities and the combination or different cultures have positives and negatives. Positively, as a group of different ethnicities, we have the ability to share cultures and beliefs that are respectively different to different cultures, religions, and areas. Sharing these differences brings the cultures, races, and ethnicities together, so we can live without violence and racism. Negatively, together these races and ethnicities cause tensions between groups, "clicks", and even sometimes friends. In the motion picture, Freedom Writers, violence occurs between the different races, ethnicities, and "clicks" that are present at the high school. From fist fights to shootings, violence can be said to be caused by the differences in beliefs and backgrounds. America has variety and there is something here for everyone, so why not share it instead of fighting. Fighting does not solve problems it only makes matters worse.