When studying the Mexican American identity, we listened to Somos Más Americanos to try to understand Mexican Americans' complaints on immigration, border control, and racism that they face everyday. The song presents an irredentist claim that American Southwest once belonged to Mexico and the new border recklessly "crossed" the Mexican culture in half. More interestingly, however, the artist believes that Mexicans are more American than Americans, considering that Mexicans have more Native American blood and Native Americans are the only "true Americans".
Ironically, just like the Anglo Americans, the Spanish conquistadores that mixed with Native Americans were also literally European conquerors who perceived themselves superior and decimated the population of Native Americans. Both the Spanish and the British also recognized the fact that they lack a legitimacy over controlling the land, and the only way would be to mix with the natives or to replace them. The Spanish and Anglo colonists eventually chose to go down their own path.
Attempting to portray themselves as adventurous frontier explorers "manifesting destiny", the British colonists--later Americans--demonized Native Americans as barbarians. Yet, at the same time, unlike the Spanish, they had to depict themselves as righteous successors to the land who deeply connect to the American continent, rather than brutal British conquerors.
In Playing Indian, Philip Deloria defines America as having an undefined identity, yet interestingly, every time when an identity crisis appears, White Americans look toward the Native Americans. Based upon the real life counterparts, these European conquerers reimagined Native American culture in the form of a mystique. Certain parts of Native American identity have been taken apart from their real selves and deliberately re-appropriated to fit the need of different groups of White Americans. These fragmented symbols of savagery and radical individualism became part of the Anglo American identity and even the countercultural movement in the 1960s.
At the same time, Anglo America continued their brutal yet "glorious" campaign to push the frontier and eradicate Native American presence. After reaching the west coast, Anglo America opened up the new frontier of the Pacific and the Caribbean, where it "enlightened" the Filipinos and other Pacific Islanders through brutally suppression. The success of Anglo Americans framing its conquest as both honorable and visceral showed the extent to which American identity was built on contradiction: virtuous and savage, old and new, and exotic and native at the same time.
Generalization of a group as fragmented symbols is dangerous. White America actively generalizes every ethnic group, mostly at the level of creating stereotype: Asian=intelligence, diligence, quiet, and politically non-threatening; African American=Physical Prowess, crime, and poverty; Hispanic Americans=drugs and illegal immigrants; Middle Eastern Americans=Islamic Extremist and security threat. But sometimes White America takes one step further to create a symbol of these people. As dangerous as stereotypes are, Stereotypes still hold some truths to the reality; symbols most of time have no connection to their real life counterparts at all.
We should stay aware on the cases of symbolization to prevent the White American cultural appropriation.
Ironically, just like the Anglo Americans, the Spanish conquistadores that mixed with Native Americans were also literally European conquerors who perceived themselves superior and decimated the population of Native Americans. Both the Spanish and the British also recognized the fact that they lack a legitimacy over controlling the land, and the only way would be to mix with the natives or to replace them. The Spanish and Anglo colonists eventually chose to go down their own path.
Attempting to portray themselves as adventurous frontier explorers "manifesting destiny", the British colonists--later Americans--demonized Native Americans as barbarians. Yet, at the same time, unlike the Spanish, they had to depict themselves as righteous successors to the land who deeply connect to the American continent, rather than brutal British conquerors.
In Playing Indian, Philip Deloria defines America as having an undefined identity, yet interestingly, every time when an identity crisis appears, White Americans look toward the Native Americans. Based upon the real life counterparts, these European conquerers reimagined Native American culture in the form of a mystique. Certain parts of Native American identity have been taken apart from their real selves and deliberately re-appropriated to fit the need of different groups of White Americans. These fragmented symbols of savagery and radical individualism became part of the Anglo American identity and even the countercultural movement in the 1960s.
At the same time, Anglo America continued their brutal yet "glorious" campaign to push the frontier and eradicate Native American presence. After reaching the west coast, Anglo America opened up the new frontier of the Pacific and the Caribbean, where it "enlightened" the Filipinos and other Pacific Islanders through brutally suppression. The success of Anglo Americans framing its conquest as both honorable and visceral showed the extent to which American identity was built on contradiction: virtuous and savage, old and new, and exotic and native at the same time.
Generalization of a group as fragmented symbols is dangerous. White America actively generalizes every ethnic group, mostly at the level of creating stereotype: Asian=intelligence, diligence, quiet, and politically non-threatening; African American=Physical Prowess, crime, and poverty; Hispanic Americans=drugs and illegal immigrants; Middle Eastern Americans=Islamic Extremist and security threat. But sometimes White America takes one step further to create a symbol of these people. As dangerous as stereotypes are, Stereotypes still hold some truths to the reality; symbols most of time have no connection to their real life counterparts at all.
We should stay aware on the cases of symbolization to prevent the White American cultural appropriation.