What happens to peoples’ identities when they are not considered citizens in their own country?

When people aren’t considered citizens in their own country, they are looked upon by others as enemies. They are also referred to as a whole, being stripped of any individualistic qualities they have left. In the holocaust, this means they anyone with a star on their jacket was a “Jew,” as if that three letter word described everything about them. Eventually, they became just a number that was tattooed on their arm and one of the millions of striped uniforms.

On page 83 of volume one, Art Spiegelman sketched the dead mice as the main focus of the whole page. Also, he makes the Star of David really stand out in contrast to their dark uniforms. His purpose was to show that to the Nazis, their religion was all that mattered. They even referred to their deaths as “examples.” The fact that people were killed for a mere example makes my heart drop.

The same thing is happening in the US, but on a somewhat smaller scale. During Amer Zahr TED talk, he talks about how the term, “terrorist,” is used to describe someone who is Arab and how the words, “depressed,” or “mentally ill,” refer to caucasians. His talk really made me think how even our government, our news, and our leaders are degrading other races without even considering other terms. Isn’t the United States supposed to be the “melting pot?” Aren’t we as Americans supposed to embrace other cultures? Instead, we tend to think if someone isn’t necessarily white then they aren’t American. This issue will not resolve until everyone understands that no matter what, race, religion, or sexuality, we are all American. Diversity is what makes America beautiful.