Is American Culture Dead?
- Karen McGinnis
- Jul 29, 2021
- 4 min read
Is American Culture Dead?
Recent trends in media reporting by some networks and interviews of some people on the street might lead one to believe that America is losing its culture. As frightening as that might sound on the surface, a deeper examination of American culture is required. Following this inquiry, everyone should consider the question for themselves. Culture involves us all.
Interesting enough—individual consideration reflects our American culture!
Culture is in a large part considered to be the customs and traditions of a country or region. Therein lies the challenge of considering the culture of the United States! We are a large country that encompasses many regions, each with a unique history, current conditions, and ongoing experiences.
Culture is a shared understanding of shared experiences. It becomes obvious that since we all have varied cultural traditions and characteristics, culture has differences depending on where you look for it. Despite these differences, the goal of shared culture is actually uniform. Culture can help people to get along despite differences. It can give a population commonality and shared identity. Certainly, these are valuable goals. Some of this sense of commonality may have been lost as our culture changed in recent years. As much as it has changed, elements have stayed the same.
The United States is culturally diverse. This is nothing new. Despite our differences in origin, many factors are shared across the population. Immigrant and ethnic groups have preserved their languages to some extent. 90 percent of the country speaks and understands English. Yet, there is no official language. This diversity is not new in our history. Our past is filled with French, Native languages, Spanish, German, Chinese and many other languages. To expect that everyone speaks English all the time, is to misunderstand our history.
Besides a high use of English, what else do the people of the United States share that helps to make up our culture?
Clothing style
While the dress code of the world is changing, typically an American can be pictured to dress in a certain way. Jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, and baseball caps are typical. Think of a cartoon drawing of a global crowd. If one couple was dressed this way, you would pick them out immediately.
While traveling in Europe and South American, tourists from the United States stand out from the crowd. Sandals, shorts and tank tops also indicate a US traveler. Cowboy hats and boots are just not common dress outside the ranching areas of the US, and draw attention. How we dress is part of our unique American cultural identity.
Food
How we eat is uniquely American. Hot dogs as we think of them, only exist in the United States. Sausages and bread may be widespread outside our borders, but hot dogs are unique. The hamburger patty may have roots in Germany, but the use of especially sized and shaped bread to hold patties, make them a part of America. While its influence and occurrence is spreading, potato chips, mac and cheese and old fashioned meat loaf are typically American.
Beside what we eat, how we eat it reflects American culture. On-the-go food, drive through restaurants and food trucks reflect our aggressive, individualized, forward and rushed culture. Don’t waste time. Eat to survive, it is not recreational. This is not an attitude shared internationally. Compare our American eating styles to what happens in other parts of the globe. This trait becomes typically American. That makes it cultural.
Music
Music and fine art hold a special place in America. From ukuleles and slat key in the Pacific to Zydeco and Jazz in the American South, American music is culturally innovative. Pop art and performance art are unique. Musical theater, ubiquitous movies and even hip-hop are with us every day. Culture is not dead; it is just morphing into an ever-growing variety of expressions!
Sports
Baseball is a unique American sport. Almost as soon as players can walk, they fill the diamonds. Parents root from the stands! It is cultural! Sports fans have adopted soccer, created basketball, morphed football and pack stadiums locally, and nationally. Even if you are not a sports fan, the place it plays in American culture is undeniable.
Holidays
Perhaps the most identifiable among our cultural indulgences are our holidays. No one in Brazil celebrates Thanksgiving! I remember fixing a Thanksgiving dinner in England to the amazement of the residents! Absolutely American. What we call Christmas, goes by many other names in other cultures and is celebrated differently by different religions and traditions. Holidays unique to American history are culturally celebrated with flag laying, picnics, fireworks, and parades. Most of them are totally unknown outside the United States. They are fully expressive of our culture.
While culture is alive and well in the US, there have been changes. The existence of spreading cities has created a decline in “small town Main Street” both in mentality and in function. Over-population may increase the stress level of many and has limited their ability to indulge in some cultural activities on the local and regional level. Over capitalization may increase the drive to monetize American Culture. Think of how early Christmas decorations appear in stores!
The decline of membership in religious and community groups may weaken the sense of commonality that is so integral to the vitality of culture. Schools face economic pressures and many electives such as music, folk dancing and art exploration have decreased. They are replaced by directed subjects such as coding and computer science. Even architecture has decreased our exposure to culture. The “front porch” no longer exists as a common front-facing feature of individual homes. High rise living due to necessity and economics has helped to erode a sense of commonality.
Culture is convoluted, and constantly evolving . The rise of global economies, pandemics and climate change have made culture all the more important. Our culture is what makes us unique. While individuals, what we share holds us together as a group. It is alive and flourishing in our country. Celebrate it. It is a part of us all.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explore more and appreciate you own part in American culture:
“The American Heritage Dictionary: Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston
And many other books and articles on the subject
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your personal interaction with our culture is appreciated. Share it at
Karenmac1999@hotmail.com
Comments