Discuss the social, cultural, and political pros and cons of the old “melting pot” approach to immigration and the newer “salad bowl” or “symphony” approach. Explain how each approach could be helpful or hurtful to immigrants and to U.S. society as a whole.

What will be an ideal response?


The “melting pot” approach encouraged immigrants to assimilate by shedding the cultural characteristics of their home countries and becoming fully acculturated in the dominant U.S. culture. After all, when things melt together, they lose their individual characteristics. Assimilation allowed immigrants to function more fully in U.S. culture and gain a greater degree of acceptance from at some native-born Americans, but it also caused them to lose some of the benefits of social identity and community that came from being members of a distinct co-culture. On the other hand, the “salad bowl” or “symphony” approach allows immigrants to retain the benefits of social identity and community from belonging to a distinct co-culture (just as a salad or a symphony retains individual flavors and voices), but it hinders them from becoming fully acculturated into the dominant culture of the United States. This can lead to increased bias and discrimination against them and even anti-immigrant backlash.

Communication & Mass Media

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Communication & Mass Media