Question about American culture.?

Question

I was reading many (I emphasis MANY) posts throughout the internet with people saying America has no culture. They give various reasons, but it appears the argument comes down to one thing: race. People seem to think America has absolutely no culture because of the fact that America houses people of various races, backgrounds, cultures, etc... but can't there still be a culture in America? (this is the question I want you to answer, but I'm going to give some examples below)

(I'd also like to make it clear - I'm not a "patriotic" American (which I'm sure some of you are thinking). I simply think there is more to the idea of US culture than is currently being given credit to).

For example,
The entertainment industry is probably the biggest aspect of American culture. I know, for example, that icons like Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Friends (show), Lucille Ball, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, etc... are all known the world over as being "American." Unfortunately (to me) a lot of reality shows worldwide have been made famous by American based reality shows like survivor and American Idol. And, of course, there is music genres. Rock was developed in the US, UK & Australia. Rap, hip-hop, jazz, etc... were all made by African Americans & Latino American groups and have developed the world over into extremely popular forms of music. Yes, African Americans are, themselves, a culture, but they also represent the larger image of American culture.

I also know, being from Michigan, that Ford, the automobile, all hold a certain importance to American history and culture.

Other inventions like the coffee pot, steamboat, sewing machine,typewriter, dishwasher, escalator, air conditioning, assembly line, digital computer, atomic bomb, space shuttle, PC, genetic engineering, etc.. all were invented in the US and played extremely large roles in the shaping of American culture.

And, of course, there's food and shopping. McDonalds, Taco Bell, KFC, Kmart, Wal-mart, Old Navy, Gap, etc... although we sometimes make fun of these things (especially McDonalds - thanks to our knowledge that eating too much is unhealthy and can lead to obesity), the fact is that they are all very popular here and the world over. In the global society we live in American culture isn't only in our borders - it affects the entire world very strongly.

Politics - our culture lies within the Democrats, Republicans, well known Independants (Nader, Buchanan, Perrot, etc...) and the ideologies they spring. This also includes the constitution, freedom of speech, democracy, etc...

Last but not least:

Religiously there is mormons (yeah I know you guys are thrilled about that), Kwanzaa (according to Wikipedia it's almost strictly African American), Baptists (first church was in Rhode Island, 1638), and many other religious denominations (I assume).

Answer 1

America certainly has a culture. However, the things you mentioned above I don't think are the gist of it. That seems like surface glitz to me . . . *part* of the culture, but not the gist. When I think of deep rooted American culture, I think of Emerson and Thoreau, the founding fathers, the Civil Rights battles, women's rights, Martin Luther King, Jr., among the good. Among the bad there is xenophobia, endemic racism, a wide gap between ideals and reality, drugs, etc. What I think of as the ideal American . . . not any one person you see, but the American ideal that Americans have for themselves, is an industrious, independent rugged individualist, the "crank" and the person who goes his own way rather than succumbing to a group mentality. Its a myth of course, but it is a powerful myth and a useful one.

Also most Americans I know have a tendency to see things in a very liberal manner, they are relatively tolerant of differing opinions as long as you leave them alone, and they have a deep seatee feeling that they are all independent agents, not loyal to the government or anyone else but free to live life as they choose it. Its not realistic, but these ideas play an important role informing the American psyche. Its part of your culture which is often overlooked and goes far deeper than football, pizza and Britney Spears.

Answer 2

The truth is that we don't have a long established herritage or culture like many European nations do that have existed for hundreds or maybe thousands of years. So we lack things like mythology and "traditional" cuisine, and other things that would define a long standing culture.

And unlike most other nations that have a majority of its people of that specific culture and heritage with others being minorities, America used to pride itself on its diversity. Everyone comes from somewhere and brings their cultures and traditions with them, creating the "melting pot" society.

Experiencing culture in america is not like any other place in the world. You can't go to New York or Los Angeles for a few days and then assume that is indicative of American culture. The western coast mindset is different from those of the new england states, and those of the southerners, and midwesterners, and southwesterners and Texans. You have to go all over the united states to get a feel for how different we all really are.

The thing is that our society is SO commercialized that it seems like we don't have any sort of culture whatsoever. Our tales and mythology are what appears in the tabloids, and our cuisine is the same mass marketed homogenized companies like McD's, Starbucks, and Walmart.

That's what the people on the outside see, or people who don't bother to look. But experiencing american culture on a real level is a lot like gold mining. It's there in small bits, and it's rewarding when its experienced.

We don't have -A- culture, we have many. And a lot of times they mesh into something possibly far neater than any one could do alone.

Answer 3

If you want to talk about American Culture then I would suggest you start with the European Colonists vs the American Natives. Then you would need to take a serious look at the American Constitution. I understand that many many nations have tried to pattern their own system of laws after our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Take about Whittier, Washington, Adams, Franklin, Henry, Lincoln, Whistler, Rockefeller, Anthony, Sunday, McPherson, Graham, King, Kennedy, Coulter, Lewis, Carson, and the list goes on. These people have had a great effect on the world, not just the USA.
I Cr 13;8a

Answer 4

There's no real way to tell what's "American" per se...most of the people who brought modern civilization and technology to the Americas came from Europe. It also depends on which America you mean. There's a North, Central, and South America. If you mean the United States, then I'm still not sure... But if I were to list SOME things that were American in my opinion: Walt Disney-related stuff Basketball (Not sure about baseball...I think it might be related to cricket in some way...) (I think "American Football" is related to rugby, too) McDonalds White Castle The Delorean from Back to the Future Other than that...I got nothing.

Answer 5

No culture?? what about Elvis, the biggest icon in the world...ever!, what about Hollywood? didn't that give us most of our entertainment? How many other places have had a Wyatt Earp, a Sitting bull, Wild Bill Hickok, America has a host of cultures, some good some not so good, but they have helped America to become what it is, a place where you can live in almost any scenario that you can think off!

Answer 6

America is a very new country comparitivly, our culture is a combination of cultures brought in by immigrants. The true american culture would be native american, but settelers brought their own ideas, paying little attention to the native culture. We are influenced by all the cultures around the world. So to answer your question there is culture in america, probably more here than elsewhere.

Answer 7

Our culture here in America is diverse. We don't all have creamy white skin or dark skin or our eyes don't tilt up and so forth. We have it all. That's what makes America great. We don't keep anyone out unless they seem to think they are better than the rest. This includes Muslim's, Jews, Catholics, Protestant and all the rest. We don't all run around the streets in black clothes and hide our faces from the world, but if you wish to do that, there is no law against it. That's what makes America great.

Answer 8

The first thought on my mind is that America was formed by nonconformists.people who did not want to be defined nor conform to the culture of their home countries.one of the definitions of cuture is::The predominating attitudes and behaviors that charactarize the functioning of a group.) so what this says to me is that you had societies where cultures( or attitudes and behaviors) had formed that worked for the majority or the ruling majority anyway,and as long as you conformed to that ruling majority you were fine.if not you were pushed out.the puritans came to america because they did not want to conform to the religious beliefs of there country.they wanted the FREEDOM to worship as they believed they should.Many people came seeking the opportunity to make their own way, without the strictures of the ruling majority seeking FREEDOM for the pursuit of happiness.many came as bondslaves or were exiles of their cultures because they did not fit in.....So it doesnt surprise me at all that countries that have conformed for centuries to their ruling majority would raise their eyebrows at us.they have comfort in their sameness,in their order.so they would,nt understand that for us the FREEDOM to choose how to live is our predominating behavioral characteristic.that means we have many cultures at once living side by side,we struggle with it at times,but our exposure to all the diversity has caused us to be richer in creative thought,not locked into what our culture demands of us.we have inventions and art and medical advances that couldnt have happend anywhere else in the world or at least not in the time frame it did.I think of the fact that I and many others in this country would,nt even exist if not for the diversity of this country(im irish ,french,norwegian)HA!HA!HA!What other country could THAT have taken place in?Im sorta rambling now but you get my point ( to have "culture" by the definition above often means conforming to a set structure in which spontinaity and free thinking and creativity are not encouraged or accepted.I truly think RIGGO has a great answer and id have given him a thumbs up but the system wouldnt let me. God bless America!

Answer 9

America has culture for sure, but i is not that romantic medieval, hero and villain style historical culture that Europe has. It is a modern, familiar culture that doesn't inspire people quite the same way as older culture does. But, everyone has to start somewhere.

Answer 10

"Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate"), generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. Different definitions of "culture" reflect different theoretical bases for understanding, or criteria for evaluating, human activity"

"Most general, the term culture denotes whole product of an individual, group or society of intelligent beings. It includes, technology, art, science, as well as moral systems and characteristic behaviours and habits of the selected intelligent entities. In particular, it has specific more detailed meanings in different domains of human activities"

"We may notice that different human societies have different cultures, and the personal culture of one individual can be different than another one"

"Anthropologists most commonly use the term "culture" to refer to the universal human capacity to classify, codify and communicate their experiences symbolically. This capacity has long been taken as a defining feature of the humans. However, primatologists such as Jane Goodall have identified aspects of culture among human's closest relatives in the animal kingdom.[1] it can be also said that " it is the way people live in accordance to beliefs, language, history, or the way they dress."

"Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." As such, it includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behavior such as law and morality, and systems of belief" (Wikipedia- Made in America).

"What is culture?
…all external communication, be it verbal, vocal or bodily, is influenced by cultural considerations. Simply stated, culture is ‘the way we do things here’. Most often the term ‘culture’ refers to patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviour of different ethnic groupings. However culture can be used more inclusively to include patterns related to different groupings: for instance regional, social class, religious, organisational and minority"
(Nelson-Jones, 2000, pp 52-53- http://www.divert.sa.edu.au/intervention/culture.htm Made in Australia/New Zealand).

So far the United States of America seem as cultured as the others: Very religious, very Military, and quite adapt at POP Art.

And if you'll notice- there is not a word about race anywhere. But, what would be hard to do is put every cultural group that inhabit the US under one umbrella- one tag, so to speak. It's all about stereotyping, classifying, and generalizing what makes up the peoples of this enormous world. I mean, do all the British drink tea because it is cultural? Do all Italians eat spaghetti? Do all Australians drink beer and eat prawns (shrimp) cooked on a Barbie? Is it cultural?
Interpretation?