Poetry- The Second Chapter
Nationality and Perception of the Self
It seems that those people who have distinct nationalities always want to know the nationalities of others. If a person is 1/4 this, 1/4 that..etc, they seem to disregard the three parts that they are and pick up the one they feel as more exotic. Being a half breed is the same because the person takes up the most interesting culture and bases their existence upon it. I have often noticed that people who are only a percentage of a particular nationality have more pride in it than a person who is a pure breed.
I am Portuguese.
I do not say I am any better, but those who claim to be Portuguese just because their grandfather was a half-breed of it, does not mean they are too.
I suppose where we come from determines significant outcomes. Am I portugese because I know the language? Am I Portuguese because my parents are? Is it like a tattoo given at birth? No matter where you live is that what your nationality is?
People immigrating to America or Canada immediately give up their "home" status and embrace the New World as their own. They must do so in order to gain rights and freedoms. Why is it that few Canadians say that their nationality is Canadian? They say, "I'm a 1/4 this or 1/3 that" but once they leave the continent and go to Europe or Japan they immediately say they are Canadian and can prove it by pointing out the Canadian flag sewn on their backpack.
I am interested to know how much of one's nationality makes up the self. Which culture does a person embrace? How does one determine their home? Is it where family is or where family once was?
I have noticed a sense of pride for pure breeds, some have decided to marry within their culture. Does it matter if the world becomes one big globalized culture? Should we inter-marry or turn outward to other cultures? Is it ignorant to refuse to accept another person's beliefs or should we allow that culture to determine who we are? How do we define the self?
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