In American Dreamer by Bharati Mukherjee, who is a very opinionated writer talks about her views as an immigrant. Coming from her village Fardipur in India, Mukherjee talks about how Americans and immigrants should look to the new American culture and should not be bogged down by old customs. Mukherjee talks about being lonely and detached from her roots while in Canada where the population is not as accepting. In her words they "resists culture fusion." I agree with her statements on Canada and think the U.S. while it is known for racial and cultural tolerance is underrated on the world stage. Surprisingly most countries, such as Canada, still draw lines between being a true Canadian and a Canadian of color. Mukherjee felt that the switch between a foreign student and U.S. citizen was a big change. She also says that she takes being an American citizen very seriously. I think that there is a significant difference in outlooks on citizenship between people whom immigrant here and people whose families have known nothing but the Americas. Like Mukherjee says, "I became a citizen by choice, not by simple accident of birth." I believe it is fair to embrace Mukherjee's choice to drop the hyphenated American title. I think that (like Mukherjee) the hyphenation is a way of categorizing the different cultures that speckle America. I feel like you are not truly embracing the country you live in by having the need to label yourself as an Asian-American, Latin-American, etc. By celebrating your "adopted homeland" I think that in its self is what it means to really be American.
Further more, in Stranger in the Village by James Baldwin quotes the insight of an anonymous observer of American race relations: “the Negro-in-America is a form of insanity which
