The New American: A Look into Ethnicity in America Today.

The America which Lydon B. Johnson governed over is not the same America Barack Obama inherited this past January. Sure both presidents were faced with unhappy Americans who wanted out of a seemingly endless war. However the very definition of what makes up the ‘American’ over which they govern has changed drastically in the past 44 years. In her book Shopping for Identity: The Marketing of Ethnicity, Marilyn Halter delves into the history of ethnicity in America to paint a picture of the cultural make-up of the American people today.

The main point Halter hammers home- with a mixture of outright statements and subtle implications- is that America is not actually a melting pot. We have long been taught that we are the “land of opportunity” and the “great melting pot” of the world. After all, it is our Ellis Island which thousands of European immigrants flocked to at the turn of the century. Some sought escape for political hardships while others longed for better financial opportunities for themselves and their families. Whatever the reason, the immigrants who came to America quickly threw out their culture from their homeland in order to become American.

In Shopping for Identity, a man remembers the story his grandmother use to tell of her first day on American soil. Her brother, who had already been in this country for sometime, met her at Ellis Island and immediately threw her suitcase of homeland memories into the harbor. He explained that they were Americans from that point on and needed to forget about where they came from. Halter interweaves a mixture of academic studies and personal stories such as this one to support her ideas of ethnicity in America.
For decades foreign-born Americans have felt social pressure to assimilate into American society. For many years being different was a huge negative in society. Immigrants immediately tried to bury the culture which lived inside them in order to become more like native-born Americans. However, as the January 2009 Newsweek article “Who We Are Now” suggests, things began to change for America when Lydon Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1965. This Act is still the basis of our nation’s immigration laws. This, coupled with the Civil Rights Movement, paved the way for those Americans of different ethnicities and race to have more respect in society.

As Halter points out, the political atmosphere in America led to a very interesting shift in the pendulum of ethnicity and culture in America. A trend of retro-acculturation began to spring up from Little Italy to Chinatown to Little Havana and in communities all over the country. Americans were beginning to get back in touch with their native culture and began to rediscover what made them who they were. For many that still meant being American to some extent. However, it was not long a social taboo to speak Yiddish or shop at specialty stores for familiar spices and foods.

This idea of acculturation is also seen with second- and third- generation who “seek to retain hyphenated identities.” The trend of getting back in touch with one’s roots was also felt with those Americas who were born in the country but whose parents or grandparents made the incredible journey from spots all over the globe. They too wanted to speak the language their ancestors spoke, eat the same foods and get a better understand of the culture in which they came from.

What does this all meant to marketers in America today? As Halter suggests, America is no longer a melting pot but more of a salad bar in which many different cultures and races are present for the picking. It has become acceptable (if not hip) to be of a certain ethnicity or race, which has allowed people to get back in touch with their ancestral or homeland culture. This shift in how the “typical” American accepts those who are different has led to unlimited marketing possibilities. Specialty stores which sell ethnic foods and goods have become an easy way for those Americans to experience elements of their culture. Also chain grocery stores, such as Albertson’s, have begun to offer ethnic choices right along side traditional American products.

Companies in all different industries are also beginning to see the financial benefits of reaching out to Americans of different ethnicities. They have begun to sponsor community event which promote cultural identity, as well as marketing to these groups based on specific consumer behaviors. The most important thing Halter is trying to get her readers to understand is that ethnicity is here in America, whether you like it for not. And the power of these cultural consumers is rapidly bypassing the general market. In order for any company to survive in America today, they must be courteous and respectful towards the new American.

By Michelle Orrick
Student
Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication
Florida State University

Meacham, Jon. Who We Are Now. Newsweek Magazine. January 26, 2009.

Halter, Marilyn. Shopping for Identity: The Marketing of Ethnicity. Schoken Books, New York. 2000.

Halter, Marilyn. Shopping for Identity: The Marketing of Ethnicity. Schoken Books, New York. 2000.