The demography and cultural attitudes of the U.S. population are changing. Current
statistical research shows that one out of four Americans is of Hispanic origins or a
person of color. They would constitute the majority of the American population by the
middle of the 21st century. The "melting pot" concept never became the reality.
Currently, many groups prefer to maintain their traditions and beliefs and resist
assimilation into Anglo culture. Those demographic and perceptional changes create the
necessity for governmental agencies and regular people to develop better understanding
of cultural differences and conflicts promoted by them.
The setting in the article is centered in the relationship between Hispanic and Anglo-
American influences in the Southern Texas town of Amarilo.As Hispanics grow into the
county's largest minority group in the 21st Century, their greatest political challenge may
come in the South, a region that endured a Civil War and an often-violent civil rights
movement in a futile effort to preserve a culture that excluded non-whites. Shifting
demographics are shaping an America that one day may be as much brown as it is white.
First of all, the definition of Culture as a group which shapes a person's values and
identity. A single term used to define a particular culture is often exclusive. Cultural
identities can stem from the way you talk to the food you eat. Cultural conflicts arise
because of the differences in values and norms of behavior of people from different
cultures. A person acts according to the values and norms of his or her culture; another
person holding a different worldview might interpret his or her behavior from an opposite
standpoint. This situation creates misunderstanding and can lead to conflict as it is shown
in the article between Mr. Polk and the two Hispanic women. To the women, i
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