Who really benefits from Cultural Assimilation?

Assimilation or more so cultural assimilation in this case, is the all important process of adopting and adapting to another group's language and/or culture. Cultural assimilation ultimately sees a group of people foreign to another group of people change and adapt their way of life to blend in and suit another groups. More often than not, this means a foreign group of people adapting to a western way of life and culture. This entails language, beliefs, religion, cultural behaviour and traditions are either forgotten or put on the back burner for the sake of blending in to another version of society.

What I would really like to know, is to what extend does cultural assimilation really benefit either party? Yes it is easy to say that many people seek to join another society different to their own based on the promise of a opportunity and success. And yes, it is easy to say that many societies have the expectation that in order to successfully and happily live along side one another, the "foreigners" must compromise their own lifestyles and languages in order to contribute and participate in society. In other words, society feels more comfortable if foreign culture isn't shoved in our faces, we may not admit it but we need serious compromise from people integrating into our society in order to feel at ease.

The big issue with this is really who benefits from cultural assimilation? Sure we can say that people coming in are offered with opportunities and perhaps a higher standard of living for themselves and their family, and yes we can say we welcome people for economic and cultural growth, but is this really good enough? Ultimately we are losing the opportunity to embrace new cultures and traditions that could enhance our way of lives and experiences. And unfortunately this means that those coming into a new society are losing out on their culture and traditions, prioritising the need to fit into a new lifestyle. This is something to consider as we may be making economic gains and benefits, but the intermixing and sharing between cultures is just as important in order to achieve a diverse and open community.