2024-09-15T21-15-21Z

Rachel Torres is conducting a history project and asks for consent to record a conversation about American identity. She asks the interviewee what America means to them. The interviewee mentions feeling proud to be American but acknowledges systemic issues and a lack of pride as they've learned more about society. They mention the disillusionment with American culture and society, especially since the 2016 election. They still believe in the concept of America as a land of opportunity but feel that it is not true for everyone. When asked to define American identity, the interviewee struggles and mentions unity, pride in athletes, and the tarnished image of American democracy. They also mention American brands as a part of their perception of American identity. Okay, perfect. Okay, so who am I here with? Hi, my name is Rachel Torres. And just before we start, I just want to get your consent to record and share this with the faculty community to use for my history project. Sure, sounds good. Okay, perfect. And then, so I just have like four or five questions that are related to American identity, and some of them are like more broad questions, but then some of them are also more personal. Okay. I hope that's okay. Yeah. Okay, so the first question is, what does America mean to you? So what does America mean to me? I think like the idea, an imperfect place with good intentions. Like I definitely grew up feeling proud to be an American, and I think as a faculty member I learned more about some systemic issues within our society, and it's still harder to have that same level of pride that I definitely felt as a child. I believe in the concept of the land that was created over the planet and everything that like American idealism speaks to, but I also see it not happening all the time. I think, you know, working as a public school teacher for many years, I saw the reality of like our American education system that for so often was seen as just like pinnacle of like American exceptionalism and everything is great in our country, and like I saw the reality of that not being the case. And I think specifically to like at least 2020, if not before, being disillusioned by some, probably since 2016 definitely since the election, disillusioned with the aspects of American culture and society. I think right now like there's such a divide in our country that I just never sensed really, or did not sense as much as growing up when I was an older adult, but I feel that sometimes makes it hard to feel really proud to be fully, fully have that like pride in being American. I believe in the idea though that like there is an opportunity. I love the idea of there's a land of opportunity, so I'm the like great-grandchild of immigrants who like came through Ellis Island and had the dream forever to come to America as like this place where everything and anything was possible, and I like love that concept, and I see so many of like the students that work with their parents having that same dream, but their migrant father or great-grandfather had that dream, and I've seen it change and experience as coming to America was so different than what that immigrant American dream could be, that like I wish that concept was still true to all today, and I don't think it is, and that makes me sad. All right. Thank you. The next question is how would you define American identity? Oh, wow. How would I define American identity? I don't know what I'm thinking. My husband's sitting next to me because I questioned. He looks me in the face like, whoa. That's a tough one. I guess I think American identity is maybe like everyone feeling united behind the same goal and belief. I don't know if that exists right now in America. I think there's aspects of American culture that a lot of people maybe used to get behind in the same way. I don't know if they do as much anymore. You know, I think having just watched the Olympics with like a small child, I could see like more American identity and pride. I think we're proud of our country. For our athletes, I think our identity hinges on democracy. I think it's been tarnished by how our democracy is played out lately and how we're seen in the context of the whole world where a lot of, you know, other faces looking to us in light of some leadership we've had in our country and questioning American decisions. You know, I feel like American identity can be shaped in like anything is possible and the goal of like living in a democracy where we can criticize and talk about our leaders and policies and not make serious repercussions. But, you know, part of me also thinks of American identity honestly as like brands. Like when I say American brands, I think of Coca-Cola, I think of the Olympics, I think of the U.S. and I'm still like an American. I feel like a Fourth of July commercial from Target to me like captures American identity where it's showing all different.