What sets us apart
One of the great things America is most known for is the diversity of the population. There are people from all over the world, coming to this country seeking opportunities and freedom to live the life they’ve always wanted to. Sometimes this luxury goes unnoticed though, especially when so many, including myself, get used to the privilege we have. In hindsight, the ideal picture of diversity reciprocates a feeling of acceptance, working harmoniously with one another while letting everyone be their own person. However after reading Mohja Kahf’s My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears, I recognized not only am I lucky to be surrounded in a place that accepts my culture, but also see how in other places, people aren’t as fortunate.
I read Mohja Kahf’s poem as part of an assignment for my AP English Language Class. In this poem Kahf relays a story in which she and her grandmother are at a Sears bathroom while her grandmother attempts to wash her feet, yet there are other women from the Middle West silently judging in the background. A particular quote that stood out to me though was when Kahf described this:
“Standing between the door and the mirror, I can see
at multiple angles, my grandmother and the other shoppers,
all of them decent and goodhearted women, diligent
in cleanliness, grooming, and decorum”
From this, it was evident that Kahf felt an understanding of both her grandmother and the women from the Middle West. What clashes is their stubbornness in thinking that their own culture is the “right” one. Having this mindset closes people off to acceptance of another culture, which enforces the opposite idea of inclusiveness. She justifies their actions despite contradicting one another by saying that these women have good intentions. Although different, Kahf highlights the underlying similarity in that these women are capable, independent, and have good etiquette. When saying this, Kahf tries to find the common ground between two polar opposite beliefs.
Recognizing this made me think of something similar that had happened in a book I had read previously, entitled Catfish and Mandala, by Andrew Pham. In this book he recounts how the Vietnamese left behind during the war aren’t fond of Americans, nor were Americans fond of the Vietnamese. Thus, this makes Viet-kieus caught in the middle because they had an understanding for both perceptions since they had ties to both nations. Just like how each culture felt as they were right in the Sears bathroom, both nations felt just in themselves. This caused Viet-kieus like Pham to be conflicted as to where he truly belonged because of how different they were. In that sense, they were the middle ground who understood both perceptions.
That being said, I think this has made me realize the true portrayal of diversity in America. The idea of it sounds so accepting and progressive, yet to some extent, differing cultures may clash. Uniting the similarities from the concepts above is significant to me because it brought me back to how my culture has been perceived differently in different stages of my life. Like I said in the first paragraph, I now am fortunate to live in a place that fully accepts my culture. However, when I lived in the UK, I was surrounded by predominantly European cultures. There were only a handful of Asians at my school, and so automatically it creates a division. Noting this and comparing it to what I now experience in OC makes me question why the same can’t happen for others like the Islamic culture in America.
