What is an American?
There is an often repeated phrase about America being a “melting pot” that totally
Meb Keflezighi
breaks down when the unexpected happens. There is a stereotypical assumptions made, the undercurrent of which is that only certain types of people, with recognizable names should be able to represent themselves as Americans, regardless of their achievements.
The victory at the 2009 New York City Marathon by Meb Keflezighi illustrates this. There are questions about his origins and whether or not he should be considered an American. Is it just his name?
Note that he has lived in the U.S. for two thirds of his life, gone to school and trained here to be the runner that he is and a US citizen. One newspaper’s headlines proclaims that Keflezighi won the marathon for his “adopted country” which suggest (unintentionally, I hope) that maybe he is an American of convince, like a carpetbagger.
- So what decides who is an American?
- What does it mean to be a U.S. citizen?