A British Citizen Assimilating into the US

Within the dominant host culture, assimilation is the mechanism through which refugees, strangers, and subordinates become indistinguishable. Assimilation of British people into American culture results in a reinforcement of the country’s current cultural traditions, resulting in the loss of national identity and religion, as well as adherence to the American way of life. Perhaps the United Kingdom is unaffected by large-scale cultural and traditional aspects that would make assimilation difficult. Traditional dilution is a social effect of assimilation (Ashraf and Oded 8). It culminates in a mash-up of mutually contradictory values, resulting in a cultural conflict due to irreconcilable differences. The differences evidence on political as well as the economic life could also lead to challenges. The move of the Britain citizens to become culturally assimilate in the dominant US society results in profound historical changes. As such, the many similarities shared between the US and the Britain’s political, cultural, and economic life establish a conducive environment for a gateway towards assimilation.

Cultural Aspects

America and UK speak the same language, which is English, which would make the assimilation easier. However, few divergences differentiate the US and the UK English. For example, the most noticeable differences are demonstrated in the vocabulary and pronunciation. In the US, the front of a car is called ‘hood’, while the British call it ‘bonnet.’ Also, in the US English, collective nouns are singular, while British refer to the collective nouns as plural (“the team is good” an “the team are good” respectively). Both Britain and America are rich in traditions such as having similarities in marriage customs. However, they have differences regarding traditions of food and sports. In the US, junk food such as hamburgers, Pizza, hot dogs, and onion rings is common. Here, white forms the primary cereal grain. The British love roasted beef, pork chops, and roasted chickens. In the two countries, a persons’ beliefs in a given religious faith are respected. Protestants are dominant, and the religion has become an essential part of people’s lifestyle. The US was founded on the principle of religious freedom. For this reason, the country is diverse in religion, and has many believers. However, in the UK, many citizens are non-believers, and religious faith is not widespread (Biressi and Heather 18).

Political Aspects

Various factors are similar and different in the US and the UK political system. Both are dominated by two political parties. In the US, there are Democratic and the Republican Parties, while in the Britain, the two dominant parties are the Labour and the Conservative Parties. The US is led by a president, while the Britain is ruled by a Prime Minister. Britain has remained to be a constitutional monarchy. However, the US created a system basing on federalism, which means that power is distributed among the 13 original states, following the same constitution. Besides, the US constitution is more flexible compared to that of Britain. The US constitution is prone to amendments, and thus, possible changes can be made to it with time as opposed to that of Britain. For example, US Bill of Rights has undergone ten Amendments, and it is still in use. In the US, the founding fathers of the American constitution provided for separation of powers in the three branches. For example, when the US wants to wage war with another country, the president has to get approval from the Congress despite being the Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces (Tipton et al. 5). In Britain, the separation of powers is also evident, but it is weak. It is called Fusion of Powers, which means that the branches are more intermingled and integrated into one another. From the way the two government systems are formed, the US president has some limitations in power compared to the Britain’s Prime Minister.

Economic Aspect

America and UK are built on the same profile of high-employment industries. Large-scale public sector employment is significant to the economy. Key public sectors such as healthcare and education take a critical position in the economy. The two nations are also well developed, showing high GDP levels, and the rate of job creation is high. The US has an extraordinary workforce participation, due to which stability was regained after the 2008 recession period. Britain is a leading trading actor and a financial center. The government has introduced limitations to the public ownership and the growth of the social programs maintained (Jiobu 5). The agricultural sector is efficient, highly mechanized, and intensive, thus producing approximately 60% of the food demanded using less than 2% of the labor forces (Kaufman and Slettedahl 10). It has an advantage in coal, oil resources, and natural gas, which constitute the most significant proportion of GDP. Contrarily, the American economy is considered the most powerful and the most technologically developed one. “The market-oriented economy, private individuals, and business firms make most of the decisions” (Kaufman and Slettedahl 13). The US firms persistently follow any technological advances. Right technology explains the gradual developments evidenced in the nation.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, the similarities shared between the US and the Britain’s political, cultural, and economic life make assimilation easier. The two have the same language, share traditional practices, religion, and economic aspects. These factors encourage assimilation between the two nations. Such tendency would result in cultural shifts attesting to each tradition. However, the differences could influence immigration assimilation. The variations evident in language, traditions, and religion are crucial to the process of assimilation. However, embracing diversity is a vital issue. Assimilation is a primary factor that warrants peaceful coexistence in society.

Works Cited

Ashraf, Quamrul, and Oded Galor. Cultural Assimilation, Cultural Diffusion And The Origin Of The Wealth Of Nations. London, Centre For Economic Policy Research, 2007.

Biressi, Anita, and Heather Nunn. Class And Contemporary British Culture. 2010.

Jiobu, Robert M. Ethnicity And Assimilation. Albany, State University Of New York Press, 2008.

Kaufman, Will, and Heidi Slettedahl Macpherson. Britain And The Americas. 2011.

Tipton, Scott et al. Assimilation. San Diego, Calif., IDW, 2013.