What Exactly is "American Culture"?

The Berean

Well-known member
IMO there is no one American "culture". That doesn't even make sense. We are one nation with many cultural traditions. I'm a life long Californian and I have visited 15 other states.

Washington
Oregon
New Mexico
Arizona
Nevada
Colorado
Texas
Florida
Maryland
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Kentucky
New Jersey
New York (You're home state, ok doser!)
Hawaii

These states have very diverse and different cultures. And no doubt the other 34 states I haven't visited yet are all very different as well.
 

ok doser

lifeguard at the cement pond
IMO there is no one American "culture". That doesn't even make sense. We are one nation with many cultural traditions. I'm a life long Californian and I have visited 15 other states.

Washington
Oregon
New Mexico
Arizona
Nevada
Colorado
Texas
Florida
Maryland
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Kentucky
New Jersey
New York (You're home state, ok doser!)
Hawaii

These states have very diverse and different cultures. And no doubt the other 34 states I haven't visited yet are all very different as well.

my greatest familiarity is with my home state, new York (with Canada being a close second)

and there are vastly different cultures and values throughout the state, usually driven by economics, often by historical forces and since the civil rights movement, by racial identity and persistent racial poverty

population density also plays a factor - I used to live in Monroe county (home of kodak, Xerox, Bausch and Lomb) - wealthy, densely populated (for upstate), many colleges and universities, a world-ranked teaching hospital - and an inner city that earned the title of "murder capital of upstate New York". That was the inner city school system I taught in.

I now live in northern new York, near the border of Jefferson and st Lawrence counties. SL county is the largest county in the state, and one of the least densely populated, and one of the most impoverished. Very little industry, lots of farming (lots of amish). Jefferson county is an anomaly - it's economy is dominated by Fort Drum Army Base, and tourism - as a gateway to the Adirondacks, but more for the thousand islands

each of these three regions has their own peculiarities, their own histories, their own cultures



and they're each of them distinctly separate from that of NYC

I'm sure the same could be said of California and other states


but there's something common to all of them that foreigners can spot - when I'm in Canada, when i'm in Quebec, when i'm talking to Europeans - they can always tell that i'm an american
 
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ClimateSanity

New member
my greatest familiarity is with my home state, new York (with Canada being a close second)

and there are vastly different cultures and values throughout the state, usually driven by economics, often by historical forces and since the civil rights movement, by racial identity and persistent racial poverty

population density also plays a factor - I used to live in Monroe county (home of kodak, Xerox, Bausch and Lomb) - wealthy, densely populated (for upstate), many colleges and universities, a world-ranked teaching hospital - and an inner city that earned the title of "murder capital of upstate New York". That was the inner city school system I taught in.

I now live in northern new York, near the border of Jefferson and st Lawrence counties. SL county is the largest county in the state, and one of the least densely populated, and one of the most impoverished. Very little industry, lots of farming (lots of amish). Jefferson county is an anomaly - it's economy is dominated by Fort Drum Army Base, and tourism - as a gateway to the Adirondacks, but more for the thousand islands

each of these three regions has their own peculiarities, their own histories, their own cultures



and they're each of them distinctly separate from that of NYC

I'm sure the same could be said of California and other states


but there's something common to all of them that foreigners can spot - when I'm in Canada, when i'm in Quebec, when i'm talking to Europeans - they can always tell that i'm an american

It's that something they recognize in you that is a manifestation of the American culture. Like you said, it cannot be found anywhere else.

It's that "something" that needs to be assimilated to. Otherwise, you have balkanization which is exactly the state of affairs that tyrants flourish in.
 

The Barbarian

BANNED
Banned
my greatest familiarity is with my home state, new York (with Canada being a close second)but there's something common to all of them that foreigners can spot - when I'm in Canada, when i'm in Quebec, when i'm talking to Europeans - they can always tell that i'm an american

These are some of the the American stereotypes citizens of other countries have:
Americans don't do anything but drink, party, and have sex.
Americans are loud, arrogant, and entitled.
Americans don't know any other language but English.
Americans don't know how to dress.

https://www.businessinsider.com/american-stereotypes-travelers-hear-abroad-2018-1

So yeah, I can see how they'd spot fluffbutton right away.
 

ok doser

lifeguard at the cement pond
Ick - the creepy old homo is calling me "fluffbutton" again

Sorry, creepy old homo, i'm not interested


Now eeset, on the other hand :Shimei:
 

ok doser

lifeguard at the cement pond
You taught and influenced children?

yes i did - enjoyed it quite a bit and miss it still

how about you?

ever work as a teacher?

ever work with disabled, disadvantaged, neglected or abused kids?

for that matter, ever held a pound and a half preemie born addicted to crack in your hands?
 
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eider

Well-known member
yes i did - enjoyed it quite a bit and miss it still

how about you?
But you left it....... ?

.....ever work as a teacher?
I might have.......

ever work with disabled, disadvantaged, neglected or abused kids?

for that matter, ever held a pound and a half preemie born addicted to crack in your hands?

........ don't stuff work that you loved down people's throats.
 
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