"I am in favor of assimilation. I am not in favor of assimilation. I recognize assimilation." (123) With these statements, Rodriguez is basically saying that he accepts what is happening in regards to culture in America. While he isn't completely for or against what is going on, he is accepting it and working with it. I don't think this means that racial and ethnic distinctions do not matter anymore, I just think that differences are becoming a part of everyday life and they are just so common now that it really isn't such a big deal. I understand that not everyone will agree, but I think that is the point Rodriguez is trying to state.
I don't necessarily think that Rodriguez would agree with the theory that communities provide stability. In his essay, Rodriguez discussed the Laotians and Mexicans in Merced that didn't like each other. Although they lived in the same community and their cultures and actions were spread among each other, they did not like each other and didn't really work together. Although they didn't like each other, they were rubbing off on each other more than they cared to notice. I think that although communities can provide stability, sometimes they can't. What Rodriguez pointed out is that different people view their lives differently than other people in the same situation may view their own. A "hispanic" in one location may be fine with being called a "hispanic", while another person in the same community may not accept that title, they may want to be known by their actual ethnic or racial group instead.
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