One concept I often find myself pondering is the American identity. More specifically speaking: my American identity. I'm so often mistaken for a foreigner or an immigrant because I "don't look American". Being a child of immigrants, I never know what to say when someone asks me where I'm from. I feel like people would laugh in my face if I said I'm American because of the way I look. However, I also can't say I'm only Pakistani because its really my parents that are Pakistani. Yes, Pakistani culture is a part of my identity but my home is America. I think people often assume that just because I am a hyphenated American, (Pakistani- American) I have two places I call home. When in reality, I feel like a foreigner in Pakistan, and people there can tell that I am American just from my "American Accent" and probably the way I act. It's disturbing, when at home in America, no one can hardly ever recognize me as American and I often feel alienated. While at the same time, in Pakistan, and London, (another example) I feel more American than ever. The irony is that there I am an actual foreigner, yet, since people can just tell that I am American, I feel like I am a part of America more than I ever do while actually in America. Sometimes, I wish I could just let everyone in a room know that I was born here, I know English, and I'm not actually that different than them. I feel like I have to prove that I'm American since I'm not white, and wear a Hijab. A struggle, I think, that is similar to Frederick Douglas's plea in The Meaning of July Fourth for The Negro, where he is essentially proving to his audience that black men are indeed as American as white men, when he catalogs the roles they play in society: " ... having among us lawyers, doctors, ministers, poets, and authors, editors, orators, and teachers ... " ( Douglas 3) . It is important for Americans to realize that all Americans don't look the same, and many of the people deemed not "American looking" or not worthy of equality (like in the time of Douglass) play exceptionally large roles in the betterment of our American society. It is what Douglas is trying to prove for African- Americans in his address in 1852, and what I am trying to prove for Pakistani- Americans in 2018.
I really like how you find similarities between yourself and Frederick Douglass. I also am able to understand your confusion about American Identity. I think that there are many American citizens like you who are confused about answering the question " Where are you from ?". Also, I have friends who face a similar issue like you. It is also intriguing to see how to connect the past with the present in your last sentence. Finally, I never really thought about the concept you discussed which is very surprising and interesting to read for me.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to this! Since I am not an American citizen and do not look like a "traditional Indian girl", many people have a hard time believing that I was born in India. Like you, I also have a hard time finding my mixed Indian American identity.. Even though I am technically not American, I moved here when I was 3 years old, so it feels like home to me. When I visit India, my own country also seems like an unknown and foreign place because the United States is where I grew up. I find it very interesting that you related Douglass as he is explaining that African Americans and whites are the same back to how people who look different should still be considered American. It shows that this is still a very important issue in our society today.
ReplyDeleteHi Murryum, this is amazing. I relate strongly to the idea of not feeling American enough but also not feeling Indian enough. I like the way you connected it to Douglass' statements. I agree that we are essentially feeling the same way they did back then. I like the picture at the top because I think it sums it up perfectly. It feels like there is a constant need for me to prove both halves of my identity. I think the concept of being "American" is very interesting because we all come from different places. Who's to say who is more American than another person? Very interesting post!
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