As one that has an interest in family and the origins of my ancestors, I am still left somewhat bewildered by those claiming a heritage. The bewilderment comes from attempting to rectify the past with the present. To rectify can mean to make right, change or convert. Thing is, you can't change the past in any way. That which has been expended is gone. You can't rectify that and make it into anything else. In brief, it is what it was. Our ancestors are who they were, not who we wish they had been. You are not entitled to anything beyond whatever legacy was bequeathed to you. Your legacy is whatever money or property that was left to you. It is not to be confused with history. History is ever changing, moment by moment, year by year, century by century. You can't inherit history; you have to create that personally.
In years past we used to say that someone was riding the coattails of another. They were profiting off the success of another. It generally implied the person was unable to be successful on their own. success by association. It was also viewed as taking the easy way out. It implied dependence. It also was accompanied by a certain degree of disdain. But somewhere along the way that has changed. Now there is this claim to heritage that somehow entitles the claimant to special considerations or benefit. That is what I find confusing. Your heritage is what you inherit. And whom do you inherit that from? Your parents are the short answer, notwithstanding all the other possible scenarios. That applies to every aspect of your life including your culture. You cannot claim a distant culture as your own. That is to say, a culture from a hundred years ago or more. Culture changes over time, over history just like you. The truth is the culture of my youth, a time period in the 1960's no longer exists. I am a product of that culture, a "boomer" as I am often called. In the years following WW2 being of German ancestry wasn't a good thing. Being off Japanese ancestry wasn't a good thing. Being a foreigner in general wasn't a good thing. Claiming heritage from the descendants of the Mayflower was a very good thing! Today being a descendant of anyone in 1619 Virginia would be a very bad thing.
How did it change from riding the coattails of another, to demanding benefit for the distant past? It's basically the same action. Now I should benefit from what my ancestors didn't have. I didn't receive a legacy. For that reason, I should be given one today. Placing the blame for that lack of legacy not on my ancestors, but on someone else, is justification. I'm certain my ancestors would have given me a legacy if they had one! But they were denied that by others. It's the others' descendants that are at fault here and should provide that legacy. I had German ancestors in this country that were discriminated against. I'm certain they would have been far more successful if they hadn't been. I think I may have inherited a fortune! I should receive that today. Heck the Romans invaded Germanic lands and seized control for hundreds of years. I'm thinking the Italians (Romans) today should pay reparations to me for that injustice.
The bottom line for me is a simple one, however. I'm an American. I was born in America, raised by Americans, and live in the American culture. My American cultural experience is different from other Americans however, each is unique. But the fact that I am an American, and that they are American doesn't change because of that. You don't get to claim a culture. You have to be born into it. You can certainly learn about other cultures, study them, and perhaps even adopt some of their traditions, art or customs but you can't claim their achievements or misfortunes as your own. They are not!
I could never know what it is like to be a German in the later part of the nineth century. I can read about it but that's about it. My German ancestor came to this country in 1856. He came because of political upheaval in Germany at that time. A dreamer? Hardly, just willing to take a calculated risk to improve his condition. His children became Americans. Over the years they adapted and adopted the traditions, customs, and art of this nation. The objective was to be successful. Yes, he came of his own free will. I understand that. He also had the free will to go back to where he came from. His children had that free will too. Why they choose not to I can't say, only speculate. I know that I have never had the desire to go to Germany to live, to claim any heritage there. I'm not German! I'm an American and as such have sought my legacy in America. It's something you have to do for yourself. It isn't something you can simply claim. You can't claim what isn't yours. Maybe it is what you wish to have, maybe you even feel like you should have had that, but you didn't, and you don't. That doesn't mean you can't. The best thing to do is work with what you have. Remember heritage or legacy is something you leave behind for the next generation, it really isn't something you inherit! I'm thinking that's where the confusion lies.
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