Throughout the semester we have covered many different topics during our study of contemporary American culture. U.S. society is made up of different ethnic groups and cultures that have helped shape American values. Individuality, privacy, and equality are just a few things that American values consist of. Through popular music, art, film and literature, we can discern that the American identity is defined as being based on freedoms within the country, helping others and treating everyone as equals. The “Melting Pot”, what America is referred to at times doesn’t just consist of different ethnicities becoming a part of society; it also involves new experiences such as online shopping and electronic obsession. What does it really mean to be…show more content… Diversity has always been a touchy subject with America since its inception. At this time, Americans are battling their selves and it seems like the African-American and Caucasian race are in the middle of it. There are too many people in the world that are being judged solely on what they see from other people of that race. Some people have no idea how ethnicities other than their selves interact or live. Living like that is basically living in the past. Acceptance and tolerance will only lead to progress in the future. Gregory Rodriguez, author of the article, Mongrel America takes a slightly different approach as we stay on the diversity topic of American Culture. He believes that America is already diverse enough as it is, it just needs a few minor changes. At the end of the article, Rodriguez says “Americans cross racial lines more often than ever before in choosing whom to sleep with, marry, or raise children with” I believe that Americans have made progress when it comes to racial dealings but there is still a lot of work to be…show more content… And I Want to Be Miss America, respectively. These two women are bringing a different perspective to the conversation. Both being women and of Middle Eastern and Hispanic heritage, correspondingly; they’ve experienced growing up differently in the U.S., that a majority of other Americans. The last sentence in the article is “I realize it’s my responsibility to somehow forge an identity between dueling cultures, to focus on the humanity, not the terror, that bridges both worlds” Ali is saying that although life for her was tough, she knew she just had to accept what was happening and decided ignore it and keep living life. Alvarez on the other hand, felt a little differently, she had a early dose of the advertising. At a early age she was exposed to the beauty market, this showed her the way women are supposed to look, dress, feel. She then goes on to say at end of paragraph 22 “To this day, after three decades of living in America, I feel like a stranger in what I now consider my own country” Alvarez feels like she’s not part of any culture, and that is the whole point of being in American culture, to make everyone feel