American culture: Does it exist? In what form?

[SeXy ReDHeD]

Okay, I know I already started a thread today, but this needs answering ASAP... I have a rough draft of a paper due tomorrow!

I am writing a paper on American vs. Native American cultures. The evidence for this paper has to come from one or two sources of my own, and the rest from stories/poetry we have read of Leslie Marmon Silko... in my opinion she bashes American culture a lot by saying that we actually have no culture. And, while she doesn't say this in certain words, she does imply that her culture is in fact superior to American culture because they have tradition, history with the land, etc. (this is a very simplified version to make this short and sweet).

My thesis is that a real American culture does in fact exist, and that our very LACK of a definable "culture" IS our tradition, and so our culture. We are comfortable in a constantly changing environment, and our comfort with change is what enables us to be the world superpower that we are...

ANYWAY. I was wondering what you guys thought about this. Feel free to answer any or all that you want

1) Does a real, uniquely American culture, exist? In what form?

2) Does a history with the land matter in American culture?

3) Do you feel that you have a history with the land?

4) What do you feel is the one thing that all Americans have in common?

5) Are any or all of these things necessarily important to having a "strong" American cultural sense of identity... which ones are, which ones aren't? Why?

And one more for you non-Americans!... what is it that differentiates Americans from everybody else?

P.S. I don't want this to turn into a racial thing... I am not saying that Native Americans or their respective cultures are bad, nor that I do or do not agree with any of this. It is an assignment for an essay!

[Edited by SeXy ReDHeD on 09-28-2000 at 12:33 AM]

 

[Weird Harold]

Tough question

You aren't likely to get many responses in time for your paper. This is a tough question that requires some thought.

But, I'll give some preliminary thoughts so you're not completely lost.

1) Does a real, uniquely American culture, exist? In what form?

Yes, there is a uniquely American culture. I don't think you're on the right track about it being our lack of coherency though.

What form it does take, is what is going to take some thought to find the right words.

2) Does a history with the land matter in American culture?

No. At least not in the sense that native americans have a history with the land. A "history" is present in regional variations of American culture, but two hundred years isn't really enough time compared to nationalist feelings found in countries that have existed for a millenia or more.

3) Do you feel that you have a history with the land?

No, I'm a recent immigrant to Nevada. I did feel a connection to the land and history of Oregon while growing up though.

4) What do you feel is the one thing that all Americans have in common?

Cars.

Seriously, the American fixation on private transportation HAS to figure into American culture. One thing that struck me as being "different" when I was stationed in England, was the attitude about learning to drive and owning a car. That's something else that is going to take some thought to find the right words.

5) Are any or all of these things necessarily important to having a "strong" American cultural sense of identity... which ones are, which ones aren't? Why?

A "History with the land" is not necessary to American culture, cars are. More thought is required to explain coherently.

 

[Gus]

Don't look to your past

There must be American Culture but since as already said, the history belongs to the natives, you need to look to to-day.

To me, it is all to do with fast food, coca-cola, drugs and fat people. The last is latest.

Don't forget that you tend to be seen as rich and generous whilst also very proud of yourselves.

Music and films, mass production,tall buildings

I am not too good with words so do take it all as simply notes for you to think about, nothing was intended to be offensive, hell, one of my best friends is an American!! I'd put a smiley there if I knew how to do it.

Don't confuse the 'superpower' bit with culture - that's due to the natural wealth of the country + the industrial revolution.

Good luck with your assignment.

 

[Myrrdin]

OK, i,m an ousider looking in. My main experience of Americans, is a month in Missouri, a few years ago.
You're common culture. A common background, descendants of people, who left their own country, seeking to start a new life. Seeking to better themselves, to explore new horizons, looking to be able to support their families with dignity. A common bond that unites no other country your size. With all the shades of entrepeneurialisation, "stand on my own two feet", echoes that come with it.
You were able to start your own culture, without the hang ups of the class system. No ball and chain of history and tradition hampering your efforts. You started with a blank piece of paper and built your own values, constitution etc. The first modern society.
The family i stayed with were farmers. They were proud of their connection to the land. It made no difference to them the number of generations they had been there. It was theirs, their life their inheritance. Living memory can only go back so far anyway.
Out of any nationality i speak to. The Americans are probably the most learned about family history and culture. Able to say, where a certain descendant originated from. Their personal link to the past.

 

[Silverlily]

I agree with WH, cars are very American, especially the idea of everyone having their own, if not two or three. We crave mobility.

I also see convenience as being a big part of the American culture. I've been to a few other countries and no one else does 24 hour stores, delivery, and convenience stores like we do. Everywhere you turn, things are touted as quicker and easier.

I see American society as being very kinetic and mutable, always moving, always changing.

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

1) Does a real, uniquely American culture, exist? In what form?

Yes, of course, with the caveat that everything is based on something from somewhere else, which is true of all cultures. You take the old and craft it for the new. Even the American Indians did that. No one can deny that Reggae is a culture, but it's based on a varitey of music and languages from a variety of countries.

That being said, some American art forms (and their inspirations) are: Jazz (from African Rhythms), Vaudeville (from the English Musical Hall and American Minstrel Shows), Modern Dance (from a billion places, including Irish Clogging which played a part in the development of tap), the Three Ring Circus (from comedia del 'arte and, yes, there is a culture around it), musical theatre (uniquely American and, again, from the sketches and interludes of English Music Halls and the French Tradition of adding ballet to opera thereby incorporating movement into story telling), film (though the French were big in the early film industry cinema as we know it was, for good or bad, truly refined as a story telling device in New Jersey and then California -- before then it was a novelty like magic lantern shows). Inventions -- don't forget that in Europe you had experts, but only in America did you have ignorant idioits like Ben Franklin who didn't know that you couldn't do certain things with electricity, so went Goddamned tinkering anway, and ended up creating all sorts of things. American absolutely has a culture of inventing, from Franklin to Edison and on, they reflected Yankee ingenuity, and changed the world.

These are just a few art forms that were truly developed here, reflect both the old world and the new, and are deeply entrenched in a unique American culture or experimentation, abandon, freedom of thought, and celebration of the individual.

2) Does a history with the land matter in American culture?

Absolutely. Paul Bunyon is as much a folk character as Dracula (and, to my mind, just a little feakier with that big blue ox pal). Remember that when America started the colonists had no idea what lay between the coasts. A TON of mythology was created about the American continent by the early Americans, all of which affected more than our history, it defined our culture.

Stories of gold in them thar hills sent thousands of people to California and Alaska, forever reshaping those states and adding to the American sense of exploration, expansion and the American sense of tremendous opportunity. Stories of a fabled American River running westward to the Pacific Ocean was the reason Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark out on their expidition, opening up a thousand miles of land to settlement and statehood, and adding to the American sense of creating our own destiny. Moving water across several states by building the Eerie Canal, still one of the greatest engineering marvels of all time, helped Americans move westard, and added to our sense of power and our confidence in our ability to reshape the planet.

From Washington Irving's stories about the Catskill Mountains to Twain's stories about the Mississippi River to Jack London's Alaskan tales the American landscape has played an amazing role in defining who we are -- which is what a culture does.

3) Do you feel that you have a history with the land?

I do, though I didn't realize it as a kid. I grew up in New York and New Jersey, and, luckily, both places come with a good 300 years of history. Where I lived as a kid there was a church whose pews sitll showed the blood of Revolutionary war soldiers. Fascinated as I am with New York I can tell you what each block of Manhattan looked like a hundred years ago. I can see a direct link between the artists of then and what I try to do now. I feel very tied to the past.

4) What do you feel is the one thing that all Americans have in common?

Our (sometimes silly) insistence that we're all special in some grand way. And the fact that every single American has at least one Canadian dime somewhere in the house.

5) Are any or all of these things necessarily important to having a "strong" American cultural sense of identity... which ones are, which ones aren't? Why?

I think I covered that above. Our history and the land have created myths and perceptions about ourselves as a people that is a definite "culture" and I don't really think any are not "important". But we could do without our culture of rascism, that's for damn sure.


[Edited by Dixon Carter Lee on 09-28-2000 at 09:19 AM]

 

[Gaucho]

1)Does a real, uniquely American culture, exist? In what form?

Yes, in the form of our system of government. While we didn't invent the concept, there is no question in my mind that the democratic ideals as embodied by the United States of America represent the highest form of government yet achieved on this planet and also serve to both define and enrich our cultural identity on a daily basis. Everything that we possess, from our ability to create and refine ideas and invent products and services that benefit the entire world to our freedom to worship, work, love and live as we choose, stems from that system of government. It is uniquely American and, despite whatever flaws we may find in the people that represent it, I believe it to be a work of pure genius.

2)Does a history with the land matter in American culture?

Sadly, no. Unless you count our 200+ year history of using and abusing the land (and whatever people we found on it) for whatever purpose we saw fit. The fact that the land still supports and provides for us (and a good portion of the world) is more a testament to the power of nature than our stewardship of it.

3)Do you feel that you have a history with the land?

If having a history with the land is defined as being cognizant of what has happened to it in the last two centuries, then the answer is yes. Living in New England, the signs of history are inescapable. But I'm not really sure if that is what Leslie Marmon Silko would think of as "history" with the land. No, I'm sure the Native American cultures defined it as more being in touch with the earth as a living, breathing organism, one that provided you with your daily sustenance and upon which your very life depended. Not one to drill for oil out of and pave over so that you could drive your SUV 3 blocks to the local 7-11.

4)What do you feel is the one thing that all Americans have in common?

The only things that we share are the freedoms as outlined in the answer to question #1 and the cultural identity as Americans that flows from those freedoms.

5)Are any or all of these things necessarily important to having a "strong" American cultural sense of identity…which ones are, which ones aren't? Why?

American culture is ubiquitous. When people from other countries and cultures read about us or watch our movies or visit our cities quite often what they see is a mess; a country with no culture, no roots and no sense of identity. Nothing could be further from the truth. What they are seeing is the nature of true freedom in action. It's messy, it's ugly and quite often it even becomes violent. But it's also beautiful, enriching, and quite precious. And it's all ours.

Sexy, I hope this helps.

 

[Ramlick]

We Americans are a PROUD people.

We are fat and proud of it.

We're anti-intellectual and proud of it.

We're obsessed by television, especially sports, soap operas, and Oprah, and proud of it.

We don't like to cook, we eat everything out of paper or plastic, get sick from cancer, and proud of it.

We don't bother to vote, and are proud of it.

We disrespect everyone in authority from our parents and teachers to our politicians and police and we're proud of it.

We drive our cars when we could walk, and are proud of it.

We wipe our asses with the best quality tissue in the world, and we're proud of it.

We bomb countries to keep our oil prices low, and we're proud of it.

We are shallow and superficial, obsessed with our outer appearance, make plastic surgeons wealthy, and we're proud of it.

We like to out-do the Jones's, and we're proud of it.

We ignore all the best contributions and creations of other Americans, and we're proud of it.

We haven't the attention spans to pay attention in class, read books, listen to music that's not an insult, or enjoy anything that's not presented in a loud, bright, colorful video format, and proud.

We are comprised of people who were rejected from other countries, couldn't hack it in their original countries, came here to plunder the land, or were kidnapped here to be slaves. (and proud of it.)

We make multi-millionaires out of the likes of Jerry Springer, Daryl Strawberry, and Eminem because our priorities are fucked and we're proud of it.

We Americans are a proud people. We are number one.

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

Spoken by someone who thinks history started with the first Mcdonald's.

 

[Always]

1) Does a real, uniquely American culture, exist? In what form?

yes
in the form that every culture that exists is reprensented in some part of the U.S. and therefore, our culture is effectively a mixture of all others.

2) Does a history with the land matter in American culture?

not in culture

3) Do you feel that you have a history with the land?

yes

4) What do you feel is the one thing that all Americans have in common?

lack of having something in common (i know, oxymoron or whatever, but it's true)

5) Are any or all of these things necessarily important to having a "strong" American cultural sense of identity... which ones are, which ones aren't? Why?

knowing who you are and who you want to be before you try to figure that out for other people
respecting all people as equals even if you DO feel that they have their own damned country; they should live there
knowing that you owe your life to the land and actually doing something about the ecological abuse

we are proud.

yes, most of us are fat.
yes, the government tries to make the general populace stupid.
TV? what's that? (shoot oprah!)
i love to cook!
i vote!
i only disrespect my elders because what they want me to do is bullshit.
i ride a bike.
i use the fluffy soft kind
hey, i had nothing to do with that!
yeah we're shallow, yeah we're superficial, and YES we spend so much time regulating how many FUCKING CALORIES we take in in a 24-hour period when there are people in other countries who are STARVING to death.
i kidnapped my neighbor's cat and bred it with my own! (no, j/k)
true
I love to read, got straight a's since my freshman yearin HS, love any music but really bad rap (ben stien reading something that an idiot with no poetic talent wrote), and I enjoy nearly everything.
*laughs* damn that's so right it's funny.
shoot springer. . who? and shoot eminem. (he stole his name from Methods of Mayhem, whose nickanme was M&M)
hell yeah!!!

 

[Ezzy]

Well...

Spoken by someone who thinks history started with the first Mcdonald's.

Damn I thought it was when Mcdonald was old and had a farm.

EZ http://smilecwm.tripod.com/cwm2/sleep.gif

ps Mcdanald arrived in America during the land clearing (forced emigration)from Soctland.

 

[Curious Guy]

Culture?

Yes, we Americans have a culture. To the rest of the world, even though they do not know the true meaning of the word, it is spelled R-E-D-N-E-C-K. To most cultured societies we are uncooth and repulsive.

We may have our problems amongst ourselves, but, do not fuck with one of us. If you do you must take on all Americans, because we stick together against all others. There is a lot of pride involved with being an American. BTW, I am by blood part American Indian. But, first I am American.

 

[Sweetbitch]

I'm just another outsider looking in, although I was in America for a year last year.
To be honest, I think America is too big to have one definitive culture. I mean, it's around the same size as Europe. Think how many different cultures there are here.
I think the different regions have cultures, you know? The mid-west with their back-to-basics-home-grown-family-first attitude. Not that I'm complaining about it, that's where I was, and I would definately go back!
I guess I can't really comment on most of the rest of these - I wouldn't know what the hell I was talking about. But I can do the last one.
The one thing I did notice was the sense of pride you have in everything you do, and have done. I loved it. I don't know if it's the same everywhere in the US, but that was one of the strongest links I seen.
Hope this is of some use to you, and thanks for the great idea!! I can't wait to tell my professor that I done my research on an erotic litrature site.

 

[SeXy ReDHeD]

Wow, guys! Thank you so much for the well thought out responses! It means a lot to me that you took time and thought about what you were saying!

These different perspectives have helped me a lot, and have persuaded me to rework my thesis a bit... I don't know how exactly, but I guess we'll see after I write the "final" draft.

Thank you all again!!!