Assimilation & Acculturation

People from all over the world immigrate to the United States, a free country. Pursuing the American dream with equal rights for individuals and the freedom to practice a religion without persecution is embedded by law within this country. The poor ones, who have wished to come to this country adopt new rules, language, and a totally new way of living from assimilation and into its outcome, acculturation. We assimilate to the United States through experiences, education, holidays, work, and especially sense of humor. As we practice with these experiences through our lives we begin to acculturate the dominant culture which is American life. This is where we get the spontaneous consent of the rest of the culture under the dominant culture based on Gramsci’s concept of Hegemony.
Whether you emigrate or are identified as a refugee fleeing political persecution or in a time of civil unrest, you generally have no choice but to save your life and move to live in America. The refugee who was granted political asylum has a feeling of alienation in a new world with a different language which is the very opposite of immigration where people feel happy and want to learn a new way of living through language and education for the pursuit of the American dream. Getting back to the refugee who wishes to go back to his/her country to live that happy life again before all hell broke loose has no choice but to assimilate and acculturate a new way of living. When it comes to starting a new difficult life for immigrants in America, they are not coerced because just like everyone else they have their own rights up until the time they receive their citizenship. Through spontaneity and consent, we adapt to this new country successfully and very slowly throughout generations our old culture which we bring from a different country becomes obsolete. What does stay as passed down through our parents who taught us discipline when we were born is our native language, and we continue to apply that native language throughout generations upon our children.