Losing your Identity

How do you feel about second and third generation immigrants that are clueless about their heritage?

For my french class, we are discussing la langue Creole which is un melange of Spanish, German, Portuguese, and French, bien sur. The problem now that many Creoles are seeing is that they have become so Americanized that they have, in turn lost their heritage. Furthermore, many times (especially concerning children and teenagers) Creoles feel that their diverse, Mulatto culture is what makes them stick out, so instead of embracing their uniqueness, they will do everything possible in order to blend in.

I realize that it's rare for us Tennesseans and Northerners to come across Creole. However, this issue is prominent with in our Nashville community concerning Indians, Hispanics, etc. According to this journal which concerns only Creoles ( I, however find it applicable to all second and third generation immigrants in the USA)
http://multilingual-matters.net/jmmd/019/0001/jmmd0190001.pdf
Creoles who come from a very proud heritage and grow up immersed in their native language have the tendency not to learn their native language. I find this quite bizzare, as knowing two languages fluently is quite useful. Why would these people throw away the opportunity to learn something so useful, and more importantly, not show any interest towards part of their heritage. If they no nothing about their heritage, then are they losing part of their identity?

What are your takes on second and third generations who know nothing about where their ancestors came from. Do you think it's a shame that they are throwing away such a wonderful opportunity to understand and speak another language?