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I honestly think the Statue of Liberty represents America. Known as freedom it is a crowned with Greek wreath . To America it represents the limitless unfolding of the human potential as free men and women to go about their lives  The Statue of Liberty is one of our great symbols of freedom and justice. It was originally called “Liberty Enlightening the World.” She holds a torch high in her right hand to When immigrants to America sailed into New York harbor and saw the Statue of Liberty they believed they had come to a better place than the county they had left behind.

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I feel that America is a melting pot because people seem to come together to make one society. The cultures of many countries have been brought over here and it gives America something that many other countries lack, diversity. Though this diversity isn't what makes America what it is, it certainly does have some impact on our lives as Americans. That impact can be good or bad *cough* *Trump*, but it helps us get better as a whole.

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If you're over 30 you probably remember the term "melting pot" being used to describe America's model of benefitting from other cultures. Growing up in the SF Bay Area I heard it all the time.

I was thinking about multiculturalism the other day and trying to figure out what was wrong with the "melting pot" approach when I realized that NOTHING was wrong with it.

The problem isn't the melting pot; the problem is NOT doing the melting pot.

The melting pot and e pluribus unum are very similar concepts. They speak of taking difference and turning it into unity. They speak of building a stronger, united whole by incorporating the strengths of diverse components.

Abusing the Metaphor

Fine. I like that.

The problem is that we're not doing that. We're not following the metaphor. The metaphor has a key word and concept within it: melting. Melting implies a couple of key things:

When you have two metal bars next to each other and you throw them into a true "melting pot" they are exposed to the extreme temperatures and they melt. The lines between them fade away. They cease, for all intents and purposes, to be different metals. And the properties of each are given to the new, single alloy.

This is what we want - a united America that's stronger due to its diverse population.

Heat

But we don't have that. We're missing the heat. The heat in the case of the metals is actual increased temperature, but the heat in the cultural context is the social pressure on immigrants to downplay their previous culture and adopt the American way of life. In both cases the "heat" is essential because it enables many to become one.

Without it you have a single location with a collection of different people with different cultures. Cultures which exert such extreme and opposing pressures on the whole that they can destroy it in a very short period.

Mixing

That's our country today. A lack of whole. A lack of unity. A lack of identity. We are pulling ourselves in too many directions

Some cultures look different but are fundamentally the same. Take the Eastern Indian culture and the Upper Middle-Class "White" culture ¹, for example. They may have different native languages and like different foods, but the similarities are far more significant. Their goals are as follows:

1. Be disciplined with your money.

2. Be relatively conservative with your values.

3. Financial security is your measure of success.

4. Education is your path to financial security.

5. Every child goes to a good university. Period.

6. The purpose of every parent is to get your kids into that great school.

7. Make those kids successful so that they can have kids and they can do the same.

8. Repeat.

The primary source of accomplishment in the lives of parents within these cultures is captured by the following statement:

Yes, my son is doing really well. He was top of his class in high school and he's on track to be top 25 at Harvard. He'll get hired immediately and make a lot of money.

That's it. That's life for most of these people. And it's not just Indian and White people. It's a good portion of the Chinese and Koreans too. Oh, and the Jews.
Education -> Money -> Kids -> Education -> Money.
Notice that almost half (48%) of Hindus in the United States have a Masters degree ².

So these are the types of approaches to life that we should be standardizing on as an American ideal. It doesn't have anything to do with foods or accents or favorite dances; it's about shared values.

And it doesn't mean that there's no place for art or philosophy. I'm not saying everyone has to try and be a doctor, engineer or lawyer; that's un-American as well. The point is simply that people who come here and want to establish Sharia law and abolish the American way of life, from America, should not be welcome.

This is to say that there is such thing as being so different as to become incompatible with America. And that's America's primary challenge today - figuring out what our identity is and determining how to go about actualizing it.:

Notes

¹ Yes, I'm aware that "White" culture is all but pinned down.
² http://pewresearch.org/databank/dailynumber/?NumberID=482

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If you're over 30 you probably remember the term "melting pot" being used to describe America's model of benefitting from other cultures. Growing up in the SF Bay Area I heard it all the time. I was thinking about multiculturalism the other day and trying to figure out what was wrong with the "melting pot" approach when I realized that NOTHING was wrong with it.

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I feel like this represents "America" because America tends to make people change who they are to conform with our standards.

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I feel like when people use the term “America” they think about freedom and that’s why I chose the Statue of Liberty to represent America. America is known as “The land of the free”. This image of the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of America and defines freedom.

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I personally think that Looney Tunes is a prime example of America. You may ask why a cartoon show is a good example of America? This image shows that the company Warner Bros. was in its golden age in the 1930-1969 because this shows that America are creative in their skills to make people feel happy.

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When most people hear the term "America" they tend to see a beautiful country full of joyous and wonderful things; WRONGGG. When I see America I see a big, gready, nasty, mean country that portrays to be the best. America is a covering. You take off this beautiful mask and underneath is something so horrible and negative. Don't be fooled by our covering.

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I believe the Statue of Liberty is an ideal image of America. Why? Because the statue is an important symbol of the U.S as it defines freedom for everyone. America had its past history of equality, rights, freedom, voting, etc. However, this symbol enlighten and guides Americans to better opportunities. It's a memory that wasn't build to remind Americans why it stands.

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I feel like America is represented by politics because almost everyone elects for a president during election day

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I feel like sports represent America because all Americans watch sports including the Super Bowl. Each American have their own team they like and people help cheer for their team.

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Barack Obama’s is a clear example of a good president and definitely the coolest president we ever had and not just because he was the first black president but what really got to me was his genuine love for sports and I feel represents what our country is in the best way

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America in most recent times has come under a tough spot, and most people would likely symbolize America in a more negative light, but I would like to symbolize America as an Eagle. Throughout history America has been a symbol of freedom, for both the country's citizens, and people outside, who may be in a rough situation (Third World Countries) sometimes see America as a land to escape to, a land that has complete religious freedom, racial freedom, and laws against using the government as a platform to discriminate off of these things. From the beginning, America was created by people who came to this land under British rule and lived under a tyrannical king. Long story short they rebelled against them in a revolutionary war that birthed a nation. The Nation was built off the premise of people being the ultimate deciding factor in who gets elected, and what laws are set in place. There are negative sides to American history but along with the cons are always pros, and in the future America will be a better place that will once again be widely known as the eagle it should be known as.

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I believe America is the American bald eagle. I'm saying this because of who we were back then and who we are today. We were shaped by our history, just like this beautiful bird. It flies so high just like our faith and hope. We have such high hopes that one day we will truly be free. Not by laws or regulations but by our own free will.

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Kyrie Irving is an outstanding son of a gun. Over the past years, he has shown us that he belongs in the NBA. Even though he has been averaging 1 point less than last year, his success with the Boston Celtics is enough to bring them to the finals.

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I think this represents football because football is the most watched and known sport in America. It describes America because in football you need the whole team to win a game and in America everybody needs to comes together as a team to accomplish something. In football when the team loses it takes a toll on the team and each player, same for America when something happens it’s takes a toll on the country. Also football is the greatest sport in America and America is the greatest country . But anyway you got the gist of this peace my brutha 😉

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I think this represents america because football is our nation's sport. Our team is the cowboys they were voted Americas team on october 20th 2016. Football builds teamwork and character. It shapes young men and changes lives.

http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article109370477.html

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Dallas Cowboys Uniform Poster by Joe Hamilton

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Dallas Cowboys Uniform Poster by Joe Hamilton. All posters are professionally printed, packaged, and shipped within 3 - 4 business days. Choose from multiple sizes and hundreds of frame and mat options.

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I believe gun represents America. I believe that guns represent America because the United States is first in crimes with a gun. An American is mostly like to die by a gun than any other country. America revolve around guns because of an amendment we have. In Texas people have one of the highest own gun. But one of the highest crime with a gun is in Chicago and by a lot.

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The Eagle shows a form of freedom and Americans have always fought for their freedom. Americans fought The British for their freedom and have also fought amongst themselves. in picture the Eagle is flying freely as to oppose of being in a cage or on the ground. The Eagle fights for its food and the well being of their young and American fight wars so that the young could have a great future and a great world to live in.

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I think the American Military represents America the most because I believe the military shows how powerful America is. America has one of the most powerful militaries in the world and I would say the most powerful people in the world. The America Military has military bases in many countries, so it shows that America has an influence all over the world.

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I feel like America is prejudice in some ways. I know we have freedom and all but some groups just feel left out and have to stand up. In a way I think America improved from sticking to trying to have an all white type of country back then to now having such a diverse group of ethnicity. Some people don’t think America is prejudice but America is prejudice at times.

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America is Violent. There were over 307 mass shootings in 2017. The people who are supposed to protect us are crooked and prejudice. They kill rather than protect because they’re supposedly “scared for their lives.” Our own President had launched missles shortly after elected. He has also tweeted violent tweets in response to North Korea stating, “I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”

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The reason as to why I believe the MLB symbolizes America is because it’s been around since the 1900’s. Americans have watched this sport forever since it began. Americans always show there support for there favorite team. For example Yankee fans and Red Sox are hardcore fans, they loved when there team wins and they hate when there team loses. The Yankees have won 27 World Series the most in mlb history, the New York Yankees have the strongest fan support around the U.S.A. This is why the MLB symbolizes America.

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The American Bald Eagle...which is apt because American Bald Eagles are on the endangered species list as recovering.  The only reason they are in a mode of recovery is based upon the tireless work of a variety of individuals.   In order for the American Eagle to continue to recover and thrive, it needs a healthy ecosystem with all species that it comes into contact with in balance.  If we rid the environment of other species, we run the risk of also destroying the American Bald Eagle along with them.  In America we are made to think we are supposed to survive and thrive alone as individuals, but in actuality it is America as a collective that gives it the strength to meet the needs of the whole and continue to survive as a strong country (that includes our entire diverse population and not just a single segment of it).

Citation:
US Fish & Wildlife Service. (2017, November 17). Bald & golden eagle information. Retrieved from https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/managed-species/bald-and-golden-eagle-information.php