Faces_of_America_Documentary

PoliSci Faces of America Documentary I love the concept of this documentary. Searching out your family line going back numerous generations, and looking at who you are made up from; it must be enlightening. I traveled to Scotland and the Orkney Islands when I was 15, with my mother and sister, and we saw tombstones of my mother’s side of the family from her grandmother. Names I never knew, attached to faces only my grandmother would recognize. I was too young to fully appreciate it, but looking back on it now, it’s pretty incredible. Because now I know what they went through to get where they were, before they died, and what they did to get me where I am. In a lot of people’s cases, one's family history, where they came from and what culture they are part off, dictate their career choices. One perfect example from the documentary is Mario Batali, the famous chef. His Italian lineage guided his profession into Italian cooking. Knowing where you came from can be inspiring. What’s more, you realize suddenly that your ancestors lived through all of the chaos that you learned about in school and books; the many world wars, famine, racial injustice. I think it’s really easy to forget what your ancestors went through, because we so easily get caught up in our own lives. I fine it very interesting, however unsurprising, that those in the documentary who are Jewish, or Black, etc., admit to not knowing or understanding "race" until they got to America. They had to travel great distances, in many cases, learn English, adopt a new way of living almost entirely, and all they receive initially is racial difficulties. I was especially moved by Gladwell's interpretation of his father as he was growing up; a person who innately "doesn’t see color" sounds like a miracle. He was raised in a house and a community, luckily, where his mother who was Jamaican was welcomed. He didn’t understand that racism was an issue until he was older and came to the United States. For some reason, as if I should hold some kind of guilt for this country’s past ignorant ideals, I feel embarrassed. I know it wasn’t like it is now, but I want to assume the best in people here, because this is supposed to be the place of the American dream; for everyone, not just some. Something else that many may not think about too often is what would one's life be like had one's grandmother/father not left their country. Some would still be living in the more oppressed places in the world, financially, religiously, and/or politically struggling. In my case, half of me would be herding sheep somewhere in Ireland, and the other half selling meat somewhere in Sicily. Further, the mystical happenstances that occurred for each member of the families in this documentary, not to mention yours and mine, to even come and stay and grow in this country is a feat in itself. In numerous cases "luck" allowed them to come to America to live, or to escape their country in time so as not to fall victim to the current plight. It certainly inspires one to talk more with the remaining family one has. You think you know how and when and why, but it may not be that simple. While you still have those people in your life, you should gather all the information you can out of them. Your parents, your grandparents; are the only link to your past. Traditions, family members, ones basic history, all slip away with the loss of a life. It’s so easy to overlook; a tragedy. It’s commendable and deserving of the utmost respect, what our ancestors had to go through to gain the respect they have now. They devoted their lives to this country that we, people of my generation, take for granted. Even when the country didn’t return that devotion, trust, and love, all of these people, from all over the world, stayed determined. Truly, Clinton said it right: "Rarely has a nation been so well served by people it has so ill-treated."