American Culture

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

I was talking to the wife of a very close friend. He told a joke she didn't get. He said to her he was surprised she did not get the joke, because she grew up in America. She told him I am American, but I grew up in a Spanish household in a Spanish community. So I am basically from a Spanish culture, not an American culture. This statement gave me pause, because I have no idea what an American culture really is.

I grew up on military bases and in military communities. My mother was a nurse. The medical community back then was just one huge extended family. I lived in the home of Filipinos, Koreans, Northerners, Southerners, Indians, Middle Easterners, and a few others. They were all from someplace else, but all were Americans.

The best way I can explain American culture to myself, is that American culture is a hodgepodge of multiple cultures that merge together to form one cohesive culture, based on the members of the community in which you live.

When researching I found this article, "American Culture: Traditions and Customs of the United States".

the United States is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, according to The London School. Nearly every region of the world has influenced American culture, most notably the English who colonized the country beginning in the early 1600s, according to the Library of Congress. U.S. culture has also been shaped by the cultures of Indigenous Americans, Latin Americans, Africans and Asians.

https://www.livescience.com/28945-american-culture.html

I found the article very interesting and brought it here out of curiosity. Please share your own thoughts and ideas about our American culture. I am sure there will be many shared and yet different ideas about just what American culture truly is.

[kdog]

I was talking to the wife of a very close friend. He told a joke she didn't get. He said to her he was surprised she did not get the joke, because she grew up in America. She told him I am American, but I grew up in a Spanish household in a Spanish community. So I am basically from a Spanish culture, not an American culture. This statement gave me pause, because I have no idea what an American culture really is.

I grew up on military bases and in military communities. My mother was a nurse. The medical community back then was just one huge extended family. I lived in the home of Filipinos, Koreans, Northerners, Southerners, Indians, Middle Easterners, and a few others. They were all from someplace else, but all were Americans.

The best way I can explain American culture to myself, is that American culture is a hodgepodge of multiple cultures that merge together to form one cohesive culture, based on the members of the community in which you live.

When researching I found this article, "American Culture: Traditions and Customs of the United States".

the United States is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, according to The London School. Nearly every region of the world has influenced American culture, most notably the English who colonized the country beginning in the early 1600s, according to the Library of Congress. U.S. culture has also been shaped by the cultures of Indigenous Americans, Latin Americans, Africans and Asians.

https://www.livescience.com/28945-american-culture.html

I found the article very interesting and brought it here out of curiosity. Please share your own thoughts and ideas about our American culture. I am sure there will be many shared and yet different ideas about just what American culture truly is.

More of a location based culture. 

Race doesn't play that big of a part in it, in my opinion. 

Living in the city versus living in the country. Living in a cold weather environment versus a warm one. 

I have lived in all those place and had friends of different  colors and sexual orientation. 

It all came down to make the best of it and have a good time. 

That's the jest of it. I just tried to blend in.

[MisterSpock]

American culture is simple, it's about "better", no matter what your background is. That's not said in a flippant manner to disrespect others cultures.

It's about wanting more, having the opportunity, removing obstacles and being able to have the freedoms beyond wherever you came from.

Everyone came from somewhere and everyone(family) when they got here had the opportunity to do so much better than where they came from.

That was possible due to the US constitution, capitalism and a society that(mostly) values the ability of the individual over the mechanisms of a ruling class/government.

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

More of a location based culture. 

Race doesn't play that big of a part in it, in my opinion. 

Living in the city versus living in the country. Living in a cold weather environment versus a warm one. 

I have lived in all those place and had friends of different  colors and sexual orientation. 

It all came down to make the best of it and have a good time. 

That's the jest of it. I just tried to blend in.

I agree with you. Part location, part beliefs, part ideology, part history, part shared experiences.

I agree. Color and sexual orientation have nothing to do with it. Blending I think is at the heart of it all. Having fun is the icing. I think that is why almost all cultures have festivals, music, dancing and fermented drinks.

[kdog]

More of a location based culture. 

Race doesn't play that big of a part in it, in my opinion. 

Living in the city versus living in the country. Living in a cold weather environment versus a warm one. 

I have lived in all those place and had friends of different  colors and sexual orientation. 

It all came down to make the best of it and have a good time. 

That's the jest of it. I just tried to blend in.

I agree with you. Part location, part beliefs, part ideology, part history, part shared experiences.

I agree. Color and sexual orientation have nothing to do with it. Blending I think is at the heart of it all. Having fun is the icing. I think that is why almost all cultures have festivals, music, dancing and fermented drinks.

It seems to me that it's the media stirring up crap and that is not how it is. We are more like, come lets get a beer or a coffee or come over for a bbg. I never see the hate and accept the differences and try to bridge that gap.

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

[quote pid='82230' dateline='1649038874']
It seems to me that it's the media stirring up crap and that is not how it is. We are more like, come lets get a beer or a coffee or come over for a bbg. I never see the hate and accept the differences and try to bridge that gap.

[/quote]

I don't trust anything the media says. I live in the heart of Redneck country and I have very close friends of almost every persuasion.

It has never been any other way for me, and I doubt at this late date it will ever change. I feel blessed, enlighten, gifted, and happy, to have learned and shared so much from all of them. Oh, and I have some amazing meals to add to my memory bank.

[Selbiene_Raveren]

 It seems to me that it's the media stirring up crap and that is not how it is. 

I agree with that. It seems the only way they know how to keep themselves relevant is by sowing discord. Cause a few riots here and there so the talking heads will be entertained for weeks. Why is it that it's perfectly acceptable for them to instigate violence?

...And this is why I don't really read or watch the news. It just pisses me off with the blatant pot stirring. I find I am much happier without it.

[BIAD]

 It seems to me that it's the media stirring up crap and that is not how it is. 

I agree with that. It seems the only way they know how to keep themselves relevant is by sowing discord. Cause a few riots here and there so the talking heads will be entertained for weeks. Why is it that it's perfectly acceptable for them to instigate violence?

...And this is why I don't really read or watch the news. It just pisses me off with the blatant pot stirring. I find I am much happier without it.

Yes sadly, the penchant to report negative news is now endemic in the world of Journalism.
Apparently, positive information doesn't drive ratings and yet oddly enough, nurtures viewers and readers to
turn away from the legacy media.

It is strange. I'd have thought the steady breeding of having bad news being a regular diet of the public was based
on evidence that would benefit those who brought it. However, this doesn't seem to be the case. Using the temporary
closing of ATS as a mild example, interest seems to occur in flurries and then dissipates within a short time period.

Maybe today's Journalism is all about bottom-feeding and quick jabs of outrage-generating for their revenue?

[DISRAELI]

Anogther factor is that emigrants, like exiles, are historically prone to try to preserve as much as they can of the culture they have left, even after some aspects of it have since changed in the home country. So words which the English regard as "Americanisms" are often words which have simply gone out of use in England- such as "fall" for the autumn season, and even the word "soccer". The Amish are presumably dressing themselves in the style which used to be fashionable in Germany. And so on.

[Snarl]

American culture = Individual freedom

I have traveled the world extensively too.  There is no other culture like ours.  Citizens from other cultures look to their government for direction ... on everything.  Other places, the government 'tells' people what to do ... and they know they better do it ... or else.

You know why our country feels like it's ready to come apart?  Because our government has started telling us what to do ... or else.

I read an Article today about so many cops being killed.  Know what I thought?  "Boo hoo ... how could you not expect people to start killing you?  You do the bidding of your tyrant masters. Did you forget you were in America?"

[EndtheMadnessNow]

My entire childhood was in an all white (predominantly Catholic) community, all American apple pie & baseball country white boy with all white schools and I didn't see a black person until I was in 9th grade. My grandfather leaned heavily toward white supremacy and had no use for any other color. Grandson he'd say, "never trust a black or a Jew, they'll stab you in the back every chance they get." Luckily, that never wore off on me. My parents were always neutral on the subject, but favored pro-white whenever a choice arose for whatever.

Shortly after graduation I moved to Texas, just outside of Dallas and thought I died and went to heaven. Wow, whole different world for me. Girls, girls, girls and loved their twangy drawl accent & long legs in cowboy  boots. That life didn't last long and decided the oil field business was not my thing and joined the Navy, much to the dismay of my church congregation, but most understood. Now, the adventure begins and my little closed off world was about to change forever. After 3 arduous years of Naval schooling my first duty station was Japan. Whoa, talk about culture shock!!! From there it was all over Southeast Asia, even more culture shock. From there the Middle-East, holy shit, WTF is going on here! And from there came back west and spent 6.5 years living in Hawaii, a cultural melting pot. I tan dark so after my first year I blended right in with the locals and never had a problem, with anyone. Learned the lingo and had a great time. I was even offered a job with the FAA by the local Hawaiian director in Oahu before I even exited the Navy.

Once I left the Navy I wanted to move to Thailand or Malaysia, but my recent new wife said 'over my dead body' we are, hell no, we're going back to the mainland and that is final! Ok, fine. She got her dream house and I got my dream job, which just so happened to be with a diverse mix of Americans, Chinese, & east Indians...we were all techno nerds, so things worked out well.

So, I learned that race/skin color really does not play a role for me and more so it's all political kabuki theater BS to keep us divided. I got a helluva mix of culture over 10 years and never felt negatively influenced/affected by it all. Whew, times sure have changed or maybe I'm getting older.? Nah, these times suck, period. Goes against my personal morals & values which I never had a problem with xyz crowd up until the last 4-5 years because of big daddy gov't over reach!

It's when the gov't over reach goes hyper ballistic and forces xyz ideology, sexual orientation, religion, jabs, can't do this or that for bogus reasons, trust the 'experts' etc. on the populace I take very big issue with. Now we have big gov't, the presstitutes, and Big corporate media all in collusion jamming us all this senseless crap 24/7 because they are trying to change our culture to fit their image for easier control. Before my time, but I've wondered about any parallels with the 60s counter-culture days. The crap that is going on now will continue through this decade. Most people will eventually give up & submit due to exhaustion, which is part of their sadistic plan. In my travel experience the US has the best cultural mix, but unfortunately it's being rapidly eroded away and subverted in favor of a Marxist clown cult of morons. We're all one day going to pay dearly for it when that pendulum decides to swing the other way.

IMO, after 2015 the world became unmanageable & uncontrollable due to the constant doubling of information every second...from distorted facts, new ageisms to cults, cancel culture & censorship madness, dis/mis-info to domestic & foreign psyops within psyops in the Noosphere which became a digital battlefield of avatars & AI bots and some ended up taking on a life (form) of their own, bleeding into the consciousness resulting in loss of control...leading to worldwide anxiety & uncertainty.

"The main thing that I learned about conspiracy theory is that conspiracy theorists actually believe in a conspiracy because that is more comforting. The truth of the world is that it is chaotic. The truth is, that it is not the Jewish banking conspiracy or the grey aliens or the 12 foot reptiloids from another dimension that is in control. The truth is far more frightening, nobody is in control. The world is rudderless."
- From the docu "The Mindscape of Alan Moore" (2003)

Given Biden-Harris clown show I'd say he's probably right.

Almost every morning when I check the news and see the talking heads shouting Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine / Russia, Russia, Russia, or whatever,  or whomever their daily target happens to be, I think of this clip from Adam Curtis "HyperNormalization" docu.



"It is becoming harder and harder to know what is true."
― Lex Fridman (Mar 14, 2022)