America is a nation that takes pride in its vast diversity and multicultural society due to people from around the world coming in search of the American dream. However, at times it feels like our society is culturally illiterate and often times we associate what’s different as a threat to our way of life.

This is visible at the airports, all thanks to the “alertness” of the Transportation Security Agency. Too common are the stories of a traveler practicing his or her faith only to have a light bulb in a TSA operative’s head go “click” and associate the cultural difference with Al-Qaeda.

Then there are the moments institutions of learning have experiences with cultural diversity. In grade school, children are taught that our society accepts the cultural differences of everyone. However, there are a few kids who are raised by intolerable bigots and are taught that it’s acceptable to be hostile toward anyone that is culturally different.

A misunderstanding of cultural diversity is not limited to what immigrant communities introduce, but also toward a variety of American cultures. Americans seem to forget that the U.S. is a nation with a variety of its own cultures that have developed over the course of history.

As Americans, we are at times culturally ignorant about ourselves. Americans in blue states assume that those from red states are ignorant NASCAR fans who are gun-toting, primitive and homophobic. On the other side, Americans from red states assume that those from blue states are latte drinking, pot smoking adulterous liberals.

At times, we fail to recognize the indigenous culture of Hawaii or the Cajun culture in Louisiana. What has made America such a diverse nation is the variety of indigenous and colonial cultures that have blended with a variety of other cultures that arrived with the families seeking the American dream.

The only way to end hostilities is to educate the youth, in middle and high schools, about the variety of cultures that make up America – in classes about cultures from all over the world.

Despite what bigots and the close-minded say, America is a multicultural society. We need to abandon the one culture myth and accept that America is one big multicultural society.