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Restructuring the face of the American identity

They held it high, gripping the edges of the flag tightly as they marched down the streets. For these high school students, the potential passage of Proposition 187 scared them enough to walk out of their classes this fall and to use all of their power ­ their voices, their passion and the Mexican flag ­ to protest the bill.

For them, the red, white and green flag was a sign of cultural pride, of an identity that sustained the Chicano movement for decades and helped bring about social change.

But for many spectators watching, the sight of that flag made them stiffen with anger and fear, solidifying their support for the measure. Countless Los Angelenos interviewed by the media during the intense show of anti-187 protests said seeing the Mexican flag made them decide to vote for the proposition.

It was anti-American, they said. It didn't belong. It epitomized the reason 187 had to pass ­ these people had to remember they were in America now.

* * *

It's ironic that the flag of another country so perfectly epitomized the communication chasm about our identity here in this country. The polar interpretation of this symbol demonstrates how split our society is when it comes to deciding who is American.

Twenty-five years ago, the main battle was to obtain civil rights for people of different ethnicities. The struggle now is much less clear. Emerging in the shifting and sliding social forces is a nagging, persistent question: Can we tolerate the diverse cultures and lifestyles that make up our community? Have we re-evaluated the American identity?

The former American identity, or at least its caricature as a cohesion of mom, apple pie and white middle-class suburbia, has cracked amidst the ending of the Cold War, increasing globalism and drastic social upheavals. Like a mask that grew too tight, our old identity is ruptured with the fissures of social movements and increasing diversity.

Small lines and wrinkles of culture clashes and assimilation have marred the old face of America, giving way to a new selfhood. We've grown, however painfully, yet few are focused on reshaping our identity.

The question "Who am I?" is even more pressing at UCLA. Students throughout time have struggled to pinpoint their identities, to discover themselves, to find their niche. But here and now we face a debate more complex and tenuous than that of nearly every previous generation.

The battle is not clear-cut. How can we position ourselves on issues such as health care, Bosnia, welfare reform, ethnic studies, affirmative action, when we haven't been able to position ourselves in relation to each other?

Mass media and pop critics have labeled us Generation X, bemoaning our lack of direction and motivation. The work and dedication of UCLA students alone should be enough to combat that stereotype, but on the other hand, the label could be appropriate.

We have yet to decide in which direction to take our collective identity. An intricate web of cultural history, interethnic relations and divergent perspectives has bound us to an individual identity out of a need for selfhood, but we lack the community connections with each other.

The answers don't come easily. Many scoff at the "make love, not war" mantra of the '60s and mock the naivete of Rodney King's plea of "Can't we all just get along?" Countless UCLA students have commented on their initial surprise of how difficult it is to follow that philosophy on a campus representing such diversity of ethnicities, cultures, religions, sexualities and genders. For many, freshman life was a wake-up call that no, it's not that easy to get along.

Learning who we and others are is the greatest task before us, and four to five years of passing people on Bruin Walk doesn't seem to do the trick. The complex relationships and prejudices don't often manifest themselves in the violent explosions of John Singleton's recent portrayal of campus tensions in Higher Learning, in blatant racism or radical extremism.

Such depictions are frustrating for our generation ­ our challenge is to deal with the more subtle and more pervasive forms of intolerance, ignorance and miscommunication that prevent us from moving forward together. Our upheavals most often are not the violent movements of our social foundation, but rather a gridwork of cracks and rifts that have marred the face of a former American identity.

So the plea of "Can't we all just get along" seems out-dated, simplistic and naive to a generation faced with grey space to move in, rather than black and white value systems. Maybe an alternative question is, "Can't we all just figure out who we are, and how we relate to each other?" That's a more relevant challenge, a vital groundwork that few have begun to structure.

Campus debates are grounded in our lack of identity. Curricular reform, political correctness, affirmative action ­ none of these will be resolved until we begin to examine our concept of who is an American. College courses inherently begin the thinking process on an individual level, but it's not often we can discuss as a community where we are going.

Tonight we'll have that chance. At 7 p.m., the Daily Bruin is hosting a town hall meeting on "The American Identity," bringing together a diverse group of panelists to prompt a debate about culture, class, sexual orientation, gender and ethnicity in the campus environment. This is only a starting point, but we hope you'll join your fellow students, staff, faculty and administrators in a candid dialogue about these issues.

Come to hear each other. Come to share your perspective, to add to the debate. This is an unique opportunity for all of us to really listen to one another, and to hopefully identify what new social foundation we can build together.

Gold, a third-year English student, is Editor in Chief of the Daily Bruin.

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