The Simultaneous Nature in the Ethnic Market.

The other evening I was eating dinner with my fiancé. It was Friday night, and we were enjoying our time together without cell phones ringing, without deadlines creeping toward us, without the thought of book reports soon due, homework, or any other of our daily distractions. We were just laughing and enjoying one another’s company.

We were eating a Mexican dish: corn tortillas, vegetables, beans, and salsa. I was admiring the beautiful roses he had given me earlier that day, anticipating diving into the box of chocolates sitting on the corner of the table, and reading over the small card that accompanied the flowers and candy. On the front cover of the card was a picture of an oriental cuisine: square plates, Chinese take-out boxes, chopsticks, and fortune cookies. The inside read, “I love every delicious moment with you.”

In the midst of this romantic moment it dawned on me that I actually live in the world that Marilyn Halters describes in her book, Shopping for Identity: “There’s a new evolving and complicated ethnic mainstream, for which salsa has become a staple…Szechwan beef has replaced the standard hamburger, and movie actresses with classic Anglo features are routinely having plastic surgery to embellish and fill out their now too-thin lips.”

Only in the United States can two white Anglo-Americans eat Mexican food, swoon one another with oriental cards and European chocolates, and decorate their dining table with flowers grown somewhere in Latin America. Not to mention the many artifacts that decorate the dining room we eat in almost every evening: the Caribbean lamp, the sushi plates, the oriental rug, the French paintings, and the Costa-Rican rum. My home is adorned with symbols of the commercialized ethnicity of which Marilyn Halter writes.

“Whether we like it or not, we are all deeply immersed in a commodity-driven, consumer culture that daily shapes who we are and how we define ourselves.” Marilyn Halter is correct when she writes about how this culture is affecting the lives and identity of every American: Anglo-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, African-Americans, Irish-Americans, and every other hyphenated Americans. However, there is one point that I do not feel Halter elaborated on enough in her book: the idea of the new and complicated mainstream that is depicted in the story of my boyfriend and I. This phenomenon finds Anglo-Americans learning and experiencing new cultures in their own homes and in their own country. The idea that non-ethnic groups can pick and choose the group with which they wish to identify- regardless of ethnic characteristics.

It is true that Halter writes about the salad-bar phenomenon that is transforming our society- a phenomenon of ethnic groups that tend to reinforce their cultural roots- especially once they have gained economic security. She mentioned the effect this phenomenon has on marketing, corporations, and small businesses, yet she barely noted the effect this phenomenon has on the average American consumer. Sure, salsa has become a staple, but what exactly does this mean? It does not just mean more Mexicans are shopping in grocery stores- it means more Americans of all ethnicities are choosing to experience different cultures.

It is so interesting to think about the ability the average consumer has to pick and choose with what ethnic identity they prefer to relate on a daily basis. On Monday one can eat Chinese take-out and on Tuesday take Latin dance lessons at a local dance studio. It is not only ethnic groups who are able to choose whether to surround themselves with the culture from their home country or to surround themselves with North American culture. It is not just they who can decide when and where to identify with particular cultures. This is now an option for everyone!

It is also interesting to wonder about the effect multicultural marketing has on the general population. If a Hispanic ad is shown on English television, and an Anglo-American views the ad, what type of effect does this have on the Anglo-American? Do they feel more attracted to Hispanic culture? Are they in turn more attracted to the company for reaching out to another ethnic group? Is the consumer more compelled to purchase the product, even though it was aimed at another consumer? Do advertisements break down any existing walls between ethnic groups? Are Christians more comfortable with Jews because they see an ad on a billboard for Kosher products? What is the effect?

In my household, we are proud of the different cultures that are represented in our country. I am not sure if we are the exception or if the majority of Anglo-Americans feel and behave the same way. We love the idea that we can experience different cultures in our very own country. The conglomerations of ethnic products that fill my home are testimony to the salad bar phenomenon, yet they symbolize a different commodity-driven society than the one illustrated by Halter. It is important to acknowledge the simultaneous nature of the ethnic market- as ethnic groups attempt to grab hold of their authentic cultures and identities, Anglo-Americans like myself are attempting to learn more about the world and cultures around them. Both of these phenomena working together are what create the ethnic market that surrounds us.

Written by
Shanna Tumbleson
Student
Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication
Florida State University

In Response to
Shopping for Identity
by Marilyn Halter

Presented to
Dr. Felipe Korzenny
March 4th, 2007