Why Do Some Think America has No Culture?

[Deleted]

That was my point to a tee. Culture doesn't disassociate itself from a population because of time alone. it also doesn't mean you're pretending to be another culture.

And that's my point - in my experience, it's only Americans that seemingly gravitate towards other cultures rather than accept their own.

[Pwellzor]

Mate if you can't distinguish between cartoons and real people voicing opinions then i really don't know what to say :P
Now if you would use the crazy game shows and weird anime to put it that the japanese, in our view, are bonkers and have quite an extreme take on sex etc. then i would agree ^^

(no nation-bashing intended tho)

I'm saying two things I guess.

A. We can't really control what our media face looks like. Extremeism gets ratings. Fox news is OBSCENELY extreme right. Hentai is Extreme tentacles.
B. I bet just as many people gag in disgust at fox as gag at the things presented as the (US) face of Japan.

It was a really extreme example. My bad but it made me laugh a good chuckle.

[Khaza-R]

And ratings.. If they didn't have sufficient ratings there would be changes, but they Have ratings which must mean that a substantial section of Americans watch it and thereby backing them.

Again, im Not saying all Americans are like that or anything, i'm saying that the Face you present to the rest of the world is not what i would call a pretty one.

Its largely representative of the anglo-male, baby-boomer population in the US. But then again, they are the majority and the vast majority of people watching the media. Its not a good presentation of the US as a whole though. Let alone a good cross-generational representation.

But again, analysis and critical thinking are needed to distinguish this. Something many in this thread are lacking.

[Pwellzor]

And that's my point - in my experience, it's only Americans that seemingly gravitate towards other cultures rather than accept their own.

Every time someone mentions rock and roll, the blues, southern hospitality, modern cinema, or america centric cultures everyone seems to ignore it and claim were piggybackers.

[Gozzu]

I'm pretty much calling out the poor logic. The actual opinions of Europeans aren't worth enough here to worry about changing. Basically I'm asking you politely to be a little more rational and if you refuse, oh well.



Backing is measured in dollars, not people.

Now you'll have to explain how that is poor logic? And you seem to be getting quite defensive. Im quite rational, saying that if this is the face you show us, that's the face we'll assume you have, and then you can just stick to your own continent, and get of our lives, politics, problems and as we all know, phones.

Dollars come from people.

[Lunzium]

I'm saying two things I guess.

A. We can't really control what our media face looks like. Extremeism gets ratings. Fox news is OBSCENELY extreme right. Hentai is Extreme tentacles.
B. I bet just as many people gag in disgust at fox as gag at the things presented as the (US) face of Japan.

It was a really extreme example. My bad but it made me laugh a good chuckle.

Made me laugh aswell i'll admit xD

A. Sure it's hard to control and yes extremeism get's rating's. It's just that your extremeism is reeaally extreme. The closest thing off the top of my head would be loud mouths in the middle-east raving on about jihaad.
B. Actually think more ppl gag in disgust at Fox than hentai-tentacle-porn xD

[Gozzu]

That is like saying that Norway, Sweden and Finland are super religious because their flag is a cross.

Our flags are hundreds of years old, you still have insanely strong ties to the church. How are those similar?

[Deleted]

Habits, traditions, art etc. that are common to Americans. For example thanksgiving, super bowl, strong support of "freedom" and liberalism, American music(don't really know anything else but the common pop music made solely for $ so can't really give any examples) and so forth.

Why are so many people in this thread using quotation marks on the word freedom?

[Pwellzor]

Made me laugh aswell i'll admit xD

A. Sure it's hard to control and yes extremeism get's rating's. It's just that your extremeism is reeaally extreme. The closest thing off the top of my head would be loud mouths in the middle-east raving on about jihaad.
B. Actually think more ppl gag in disgust at Fox than hentai-tentacle-porn xD

There ya go. We gained a slight middleground. One of the first times I've been happy about a web argument despite not being the "victor". (With fox news existing there is no victor.)

[Ralikon]

I cant really see it being possible for a country to not have a culture.

[Lunzium]

Its largely representative of the anglo-male, baby-boomer population in the US. But then again, they are the majority and the vast majority of people watching the media. Its not a good presentation of the US as a whole though. Let alone a good cross-generational representation.

But again, analysis and critical thinking are needed to distinguish this. Something many in this thread are lacking.

You seem to completely ignore my second sentence where i say that i know you are not all like that, but that it is the face you present to the world?

[Lunzium]

There ya go. We gained a slight middleground. One of the first times I've been happy about a web argument despite not being the "victor". (With fox news existing there is no victor.)

True dat, as long as Fox is a major media player the world looses :P
It's not about a winner and a looser, it's about seeing what the other side has to say and what their understanding is. Nothing more

[Finnio]

When could you have gained culture ? the native guys that didn't die from diseases spread by europeans when they first arrived we're almost wiped out anyway by 1900 or live in reservations ... Sure you had a great constitution but today you can wipe your ass with it for what it has become. Less then 300 years vs thousands of years for europe asia and africa... Keep screaming freedom or culture maybe someday you'll believe you have it too.

[Gozzu]

Besides reverence for the Constitution and veterans. You're quite wrong. None of that permeates itself into daily American culture or is a common theme among US citizens. Quite honestly, I don't care what you read or see on the internet. If you cannot make the distinction between the media's portrayal and actuality, then I'm afraid you have bigger problems than I can address.

Regardless, this is thread on culture. Not on political policy. I suggest you make another thread if you wish to discuss that.

I have said time and time again that i do realize not all americans are asshats like that, but this is both what your media shows us, and what alot of you show us on the internet, which is about the only ways anyone could get an opinion of you as a country without actually flying there.
In this globalized, constantly online world, that's a pretty good way to get an opinion too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwEGSe_upuQ
That is not a thing that exists in other countries. NRA is not a thing that exists in other countries.

This isn't about politics, this is the way i percieve your culture, and I'm not alone.

[Deleted]

Every time someone mentions rock and roll, the blues, southern hospitality, modern cinema, or america centric cultures everyone seems to ignore it and claim were piggybackers.

Except they don't

[Khaza-R]

You seem to completely ignore my second sentence where i say that i know you are not all like that, but that it is the face you present to the world?

And if the "world" can't use rationale to distinguish between the two then I don't really care for the "world's" irrational opinion.

- - - Updated - - -

I have said time and time again that i do realize not all americans are asshats like that, but this is both what your media shows us, and what alot of you show us on the internet, which is about the only ways anyone could get an opinion of you as a country without actually flying there.
In this globalized, constantly online world, that's a pretty good way to get an opinion too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwEGSe_upuQ
That is not a thing that exists in other countries. NRA is not a thing that exists in other countries.

This isn't about politics, this is the way i percieve your culture, and I'm not alone.

I'm sorry you feel that way. But the internet and the media are not a good way gain an opinion of an entire nation, let alone one as large and diverse as the US. You are only shown what people want to show you. And hence, stereotypes and generalizations are born from it. Its not reality, but someone else's paradigm.

[Pwellzor]

Except they don't

"Americans gravitate towards other cultures rather than accept their own."

Does it look like we're trying to pawn off the blues to the ivory coast?

[Lunzium]

And if the "world" can't use rationale to distinguish between the two then I don't really care for the "world's" irrational opinion.

Okay i can see you're not going to see it from anyone's PoV other than your own.
Good day to you sir.

[Zoldor]

We have a culture, in fact a few different types. Mainly people say we have no culture because its better than saying what our major cultural philosophical ideals are. We value wealth and power above the group. We don't mind oppressing our own people to gain what our heart desires. We favor competition over cooperation. We worship false ideals put in place by those with wealth and power. This would probably be what our main stream cultural identity is in a broad sweeping stroke.

We also have subcultures that greatly diverge from these ideals. We are one of the few countries that actually has a strong counter culture that opposes the main stream culture. Sadly we are all burdened by the greatest cultural phenomenon in our country which is widespread fear. We have some fantastic art movements and artists in our country. Look at game design, behind the Japanese most games you play are designed and created in the US. Music (Jazz, Rock and Roll etc), movies, etc are movements that were polished and really exploded in the US. Like a lot of things these movements may have been created or founded in another country but the US really took them to the next level.

We are a new country so our cultural identity is really developing and borrows from the rest of the world, which is where all our people are from for the most part. We are the casserole of culture. It takes 100s of years to develop the cultural identities that most countries have, especially the ones that don't embrace the outside world as much. They are the ones that claim they have true culture, but in reality they've just stayed frozen in time. The US culture is very in the moment ever evolving and changing. In a constant state of flux. Some ideals are stagnant and sweeping and stereotypical. Which makes them easy for people to attack or make fun of, but what country doesn't have that. It just that making fun of Americans and American culture isn't considered racist in any fashion or bigoted. We can laugh at ourselves maybe, who knows the reason for it.

TLDR; yes, America has no culture and people who think we don't are just hung up on the idea that culture has to be exactly what they think it is and that it can't always be changing.

[jugzilla]

You know, this could be a discusion comparing John Williams to Beethoven, or the Cohen brothers to Shakespeare, something like that. But no, the wonderful community of mmo-champion has decided that American culture is inferior because of white males, Fox news, and the NRA.

Why do i bother reading this garbage? Im glad I live in the really real world, safe small town USA, and protected from the haters that are here in overwhelming numbers.