While many love how so patriotic we are as a people, some, to be blunt, find it a bit creepy. People are mostly not concerned with what another (person) is doing. (2) the interlocking nature of oppression; and (3) the importance of Afro-American women's culture. . Families also make sure they get a hold of a rather sizable green tree, butthey go outside of their property to find such a tree. You can describe American culture in general, as Miner does, or you can describe an American subculture, such as a specific geographical group (e.g., New Yorkers), a . Because there is no such ethnicity. To begin, Ill stick with the positives. Figure 1.6. Interpersonal relations among Americans are much more practical, in contrast to the complicated way that we Chinese people treat each other." navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); C. It is important for Asian Americans to learn American culture as quickly as possible so they don't feel like outsiders. In the U.S., every food order requires several decisions. Foreigners are constantly baffled by the volume of stuff Americans seem to think they need, and superstores are a perfect encapsulation of this strange sentiment. We in Europe have smaller things What I liked when I was over there was the service level, it was very high. The culture of the United States includes traditions, regional customs, institutions, art and so much more. It did the same for a story from New Orleans on how murder victims survivors cope with their loss. "A black-and-white look at the world. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.". On my search I was pleasantly surprised to see the opposite view. Lastly, the best part is the toppings. In restaurants in many other countries, your server runs your credit card through a machine table-side. And yet the "Ugly American," it would seem, isn't all bad. Andersen, Margaret L. and Taylor, Howard F. 2008. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Non-Americans of reddit, what aspect of American culture strikes you as the strangest. "hey would you like to come and get bruised with me doing some fast dances to violins?" It's a wonderful country and there is high security, standard of living is very high. American culture, they help younger generations avoid changing their personalities to be accepted. They are big and loud and they are in charge of everything." But, besides the Willy Wonka level of sugar, we use a substantial amount of cheese in everything. - Liu Xiaodan, 30, hotel manager, Beijing, "My impression of Americans is that they uncomplicated. I've seen that many times they are very charismatic, friendly but that does not mean that they share the political thinking of the United States (government)." - Pedro Ivan Gonzalez, 35, juice seller, Havana, "It is a world imperialist power country. The Associated Press sent reporters across the world to ask ordinary people about their views of America. Is this not a national travesty? To examine these facts other cultures are taken into consideration to accurately without prejudices towards African Americans. Sociology in Everyday Life. America stands out because people recognize merit out there." Americans go nuts with air conditioning, cranking it up on hot days to the point that you might actually need a sweater. If we ask for a high price, they don't bargain. This extraordinary insight highlights the power that outsiders have, forcing us to see ourselves from an altogether different perspective. To me a pumpkin spice coffee is so strange!-- TallGrass2, dressing up young girls in short skirts and getting them to dance around and cheer on young men strikes me as odd preparetodobattle, I work at a summer camp and there is nothing funnier than watching the international counselors be totally weirded out by the flag ceremony we have every morning/evening (5-7 camper colorguard raises flag, salutes, 60-90 people recite pledge and girl scout promise in unison, we turn on our heels and file out silently in the morning, in the evening we fold the flag, sing taps, turn on our heels and file out silently to dinner) izzielosthermind, Eating/drinking coffee as you go, to me the best part of eating is sitting down, talking, and relaxing tallgrass2, I know this does not apply to everyone but your attachment to your college/university AFTER you have left. There are no Americans as such. Contents. teach well, it matters. A European, on the other hand, "will launch into a monologue about their health and wellbeing and ask [how are you?] I also like a challenge. At one moment, she is playing the game while addressing viewers, and, standing before us, begins to beat an innocent man with a golf club: fresh, jarring, thought-provoking television. The beliefs, customs, art, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time. All Rights Reserved. To get a better picture, think of 100 percent authentic Italian food and wine, visiting a thousand year old English castle that once held kings, queens, and knights, or the awe-inspired embellished clothing worn in the streets of India. This story deals with issues that are very close to the hearts of teens, whether in the 1960s when this book was written or today. The material items that are kept, though, seem to consume all the time of the children. They simply don't see us as their equal but we are. It is especially hard for an outsider to gain access to certain private rituals, which may be important for understanding a culture. What do they think of when they think of America? in /nfs/c05/h04/mnt/113983/domains/toragrafix.com/html/wp-content . Once they get home, they have to lift it once again off the car and into their house. They're calm and kind and friendly and they like to smile." The fish fry, a long-established Friday staple during Lent, is roaring back from COVID with an assist from something decidedly newfangled: an interactive map built by local volunteer coders that points the way to scores of churches, fire halls and other places that offer battered and breaded seafood for the taking. You see, I even have two iPhones." The American was easy to talk with and we had a lot of things in common. - Christopher Darroch, 39, actor, Toronto, "Capitalism. cota main grandstand; chocolate pudding with 2 percent milk The United States of America serves as the global symbol of 'madness' and 'non-stop chaos' in the best and worst ways possible. The biggest thing I found was that non-Americans are almost disgusted by the sheer amount of sugar in almost all our food. I can imagine that persons evaluation would be something like the following: During this holiday called Christmas, families take great care to ensure that they decorate their houses and various shrubs with wires. Not only did the geography of precontact America persist, but both the new arrivals and the indigenous inhabitants long retained their respective general characteristics, and it was the fit between . Grab a blanket and a glass of hot chocolate, and do these five warm indoor activities for those rainy winter days. You get a vision of their culture and their way of life. cultural frames of reference" and "learn to step outside of their own thinking in order to examine it and also to acknowledge others' thinking" (pp. (She believed) that the people's voice should be heard." Many posts I read from spoke about not being able to even eat our bread because it was so sugary. When described the way the Miner does, it sounds strange and maybe even a bit gross. - Ksenia Smertova, 21, student, Moscow, "America? One child was given a circle with a hole in it, which was in a rectangular case, and he put this circle into a box and proceeded to stare at the screen and hold a device attached to the box by a wire. There are few countries in which you'll encounter a billboard or bus ad for a divorce attorney or see several personal injury spots while watching half an hour of daytime TV. the culture being studied such that he/she can blend his/her etic (outsider) perspective with the emic (insider) perspective of the society being studied. You don't see cheerleaders at the World Cup, do you? Read more, CC Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike, The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. if( 'moc.enilnoefiltseb' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { The spectacle of the Tupinamb men in the French court, as described by Montaigne, could be said to be an instance of "reverse colonization," a phenomenon in which those who embarked in a colonial . African . They rip up all of the paper covering the boxes, and leave a mess on the floor. Instead, their purple Skittles taste like blackcurrantand while this fruity flavor used to be popular in America, legislators banned the fruit itself in the 20th century because it served as a vehicle for a wood-destroying disease known as white pine blister rust. First off, there are a variety of flavors, from White Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, Mint, Caramel and the list goes on. To find out, I thought that I should get a view from the outside of the proverbial white picket fenced, good ol Murican home. but don't tell them (laughing)." Native Americans believe that the beating of the drum is a uniting force, bringing together people of different tribes, as well as uniting a person's spirit to their body and mind. And what do you think of when you think of a typical American? And they are a people that like having a lot of fun and their brands: McDonald's, all of that, makes the American identity or North American we call them North Americans rather than Americans, because we all are Americans." Therapists say it can damage your connection. In most other countries, however, an A/C unit is used sparingly, if at all. While we do have some American comfort food, especially here in the South, what is there that we created ourselves? Sure, fried chicken is hardly a foreign conceptbut try explaining chicken-fried steak or deep-fried Oreos to a non-American. Americans really love their ice. When Al Jazeera becomes a major U.S. cable channel, as it plans, some Americans are likely to click past it, recalling the alleged anti-American tone by the pan-Arab network during the Iraq war a decade ago, CNN wrote in a not atypical comment. We don't know what lemonade is: In many countries, lemonade is not the iconic sugary drink that American kids sell at stands in summer. Our collective workaholism is totally bizarre to outsidersand quite frankly, we can see why. No, this isn't the standard bottle of wine in the States, but it's a common sight at any American supermarket or wine store and something you'd rarely encounter in the wine countries of the world like Italy or France. For those who are used to a more leisurely meal with little interruption, all of those check-ins and the waiter's eagerness to bring the bill can be a bit grating. When done well, this is in the finest tradition of foreign correspondence: a genre that soars when offering sharp, deeply reported answers to seemingly dumb questions dumb because they are so basic and self-evident that the smugly well settled never think to ask them, any more than fish inquire about the water. And in the opinions that came back, some clear threads emerge, anecdotal yet illuminating. For example, we can look at Christmas from the perspective of someone who is not a part of American culture. It is a great country and would love to live there. In S.E. America gave birth to these two soulful genres and in my personal opinion from my search that is that the world is very glad, as these genres gave birth to rock, pop, rap, and hip-hop. It has gone beyond the usual New York-Washington presence of overseas networks, with plans for bureaus in Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Detroit; Los Angeles; Miami; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans; San Francisco; and Seattle. I believe they should understand the values that we have as Arabs, embrace them and try to go to a more local level to comprehend why we think and why we live the way we live." WHAT MAKES AMERICANS AMERICAN? "My one piece of American culinary advice: order the medium," one New Zealander wrote in a piece for Stuff. - Ingerlise Kristensen, 68, retired bank employee, Copenhagen, Denmark, "America is food fast food and (Coca) Cola. I think sometimes we take our freedom and our way of life for granted, not realizing how great it really is. I was wearing a T-shirt that said, 'You Can't Get This In The States.' I have recently begun thinking about my country and our culture, and wanted to learn more about what exactly makes an American. Anthropologists conduct their research in the field with the species, civilization, or groups of people they are studying. How big the country is and the amount of time you guys are willing to drive. To outsiders, Blacks may appear terse or disinterested. A thread on Reddit asks the question: Non-Americans of reddit, what aspect of American culture strikes you as the strangest? Some of the answers are pretty hilarious and/or eye-opening. [] detailed search help you gain a new perspective on the Nacirema people. The general consensus is that Americans are very optimistic dreamers and have been; that we believe that anything is possible with hard work and perseverance. That's because, in America, we put our eggs through a rigorous washing process (which actually isn't even necessary) that removes the egg's protective layer, so harmful bacteria can get in if we don't refrigerate the eggs. This will make any chill session that much more enjoyable. After searching the web, I have found a few answers to my questions and quandaries about what makes usus. - Ziva Meizels, retiree, Jerusalem, "I think their patriotism, you know, God bless America. NEW YORK Al Jazeera wants to make its name as American as pizzaburgers. I don't understand why other cultures are all so primitive. Holidays are integral parts of different cultures and by looking at them through the eyes of an outsider, we can see how culture influences perspective. BANGKOK -- The rest of the world may think Americans eat a lot of burgers, have huge shopping malls and are ruled by an arrogant government.And yet the "Ugly American," it would seem, isn't all . Especially if you have school work to do, background music can help fill the silence of late night studying. The authors' research uncovered four factors: (1) The outsiders were not. Sometimes we are even better than them . Cultural relativism can be seen with the Chinese culture and their process of feet binding. Uhh, that's a huge country. Loudness. "Body Rituals Among the Nacirema, " by Horace Miner, is an essay written about the Nacirema, or American people, from an outsider's perspective. She does a great job of describing the US rituals of the Christian holiday, Christmas. I thought you had to go to a dedicated gun store for that. There is, of course, diverse reporting on health care and the stock market and climate change on Al Jazeera America, but there is unmistakably in its coverage a hint of this thesis Americas bountiful callousness. These kind greetings can catch foreigners by surprise, and usually it takes a few "hellos" before they trust that it's not some kind of scam. - Marren Cahilig, 21, bartender, Manila, Philippines, "It is powerful." Driving everywhere. used by the People to entertain and amuse themselves.". One problem that anthropologists may run in to is that people tend to act differently when they are being observed. jdavem, The way its often described to me is that Americans have a very "open mind", and that we can handle having a lot of different people around, even when we don't agree. Romances and horrors are great genres to cozy up to in the dark. Water, whiskey, sodaif it can be sipped, we put ice in it. OR WHAT IDENTIFIES AS AMERICAN TO YOU? Starting off your day this way could increase your odds of cognitive decline. A journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. } By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider But there is an ideology that unites them all." Americans go nuts with air conditioning, cranking it up on hot days to the point that you might actually need a sweater. Views differ considerably, however, among the country's religious communities - 72% of Lebanese Christians say the spread of these ideas is a good thing; only 23% of Sunni and 13% of Shia . 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So what does this foreign gaze, as presented on Al Jazeera America, reveal? What one culture does and believes to benormal, others may see as unusual. In Japan, open-mouthed, teeth-exposed laughter is thought to "sound like horses," and is considered impolite, and in particular, unladylike, in the same manner Americans consider coughing . While every region of the United States has its own quirks and identity, there are also certain customs that are commonplace nationwide. A society that has more things than our society." Nacirema, that exotic, far-off place where people do strange things is one of the best ways to help students look at Americanculture as an observer rather than as the standard by which all other cultures should be compared. We dream of America and they dream about Europe. I hate to put even more pressure on . 1) Outside Marketing Firms Bring Fresh Thinking. 600 Words3 Pages. when we mean "hello", Carding people who are obviously not under 21, Shopping at pharmacies that are mini shopping malls, And prescription drug makers that advertise, Pronouncing the last letter of the alphabet as "zee". Despite the fact that these people are so punctilious, about care of the mouth, this rite involves a practice which strikes the uninitiated stranger as revolting. Sometimes it doesnt fit very easily through the entrance to their house, and many members of the family have to help get the tree through the doorway. The novelty here has at least two dimensions. And for more on why we pronounce this letter differently, check out Why the World Pronounces "Z" as "Zed" And Americans Don't. I kind of like doing some things that I know I cant do in real life, the boy replies. Bestlifeonline.com is part of the Meredith Health Group, Saying "how are you?" Do they think of our wide range of geography and national wonders? I explained it was a joke, I was from Canada. And so Al Jazeera Americas recent three-part series on Grand Theft Auto V, a much-heralded new video game, went further and harder than many rivals reports. -- Source, Amount of cheese Americans can intake at a time. The Greek term "ethno" refers to people, and "graphy" refers to writing. Covering the United States this way means, for starters, reporting on subjects like infant mortality. This might be less surprising these days thanks to the ubiquity of Starbucks, but Americans originated the practice of ordering coffee to go, and it still strikes many Europeans as bizarre behavior. In most other countries, however, an A/C unit is used . It was reported to me that the ritual consists of inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth, along with certain magical powders, and then moving the bundle in a highly formalized series of gestures., Now without the photo below (but maybe skewed by the photo above) and in the context of the rest of the paper, many students do not recognize this as our daily habit of brushing our teeth. Some even sell fresh fruit and prepackaged mealsbut if you're visiting the States from another country, we recommend getting your sushi elsewhere. Search CNNs Web site on the subject, and the links almost invariably carry you to content about beleaguered places like Madagascar. Let's move to the music, more specifically, blues and jazz, which are two personal loves of mine. If you're a member of B, then . The culture can largely be referred to as Western culture, as much of it is shared with the Western world, but there are still influences that come from Asia, Africa and Latin America. They just don't get the idea of loyalty to the school. Many said they found it to be one of the weirdest things about being in the US. Due to the individuals moulding as an anthropologist and as a person by society, ethnographies can be clouded by researchers views on subjects as active agents through upbringing, sex . In most other countries, when you buy a drink, that prince is for a single cupful of your beverage of choice. 20 American Habits That All Other Countries Think Are Crazy. 33 "Normal" Things in the U.S. That Freak Everyone Else Out, Why the World Pronounces "Z" as "Zed" And Americans Don't. That . The particular Skittles flavor we call "grape" is an American curiosity of its own, but for those in the United Kingdom and Australia, this flavor doesn't even exist. 1. Red Solo Cups are the symbol of college keggers and backyard barbecues alikeand yet, they're rarely seen outside of the U.S. At Slate, Seth Stevenson gave a good explanation of the appeal of the plastic cup: Its opaque color makes it impossible for authorities to casually tell what's in the cup; its sturdy design makes it virtually spill-proof; and its newly created square bottom makes it easy to hold. As we said before, Americans live by the phrase, "The more, the merrier!". This writing helped me understand others' perceptive of the things that I find normal. In a moments answer, a culture is revealed anew. Fenrir89, I get made fun of all the time in Russia for having an attachment to my college. Now, Im not talking about Bud Light and the like, Im talking about the large amount of micro-breweries and craft beers we make. document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', function() { They are taken to a store where, when presented with a slip of paper, can be exchanged for currency. It's pretty infuriating to live somewhere where something as natural and beautiful as the human body is viewed as taboo and "corrupts" our youth, but a guy getting his head cut off or getting beaten to death is perfectly okay for kids to watch. In most European countries, service fees are included in the price of a meal, and tips don't usually go above 8 to 12 percent. Why is so much trouble taken to offer the items to people, wrapped and put under this gaudy tree only to be given away? Upon graduating secondary school, many Americans choose colleges and universities outside of and often far from their hometowns. In some of my classes, as part of a paper exploring the concepts and influenceof culture, I ask students to explore a ritual within their own culture but from an outsiders view as if they were witnessing the practice for the first time and trying to understand it. Scouring forums and blogs, I found that most found Americans very friendly, caring, welcoming, and open people who live in a geographically diverse nation! Not sure whether I actually am ready to move there because it must be a tough country to live in. Their approach is different from ours we do it because we care about others, they do it because they get tips they were raised that way." In most other countries, you take the time to at least park the car and walk through the front doors of the place you're patronizingnot in America, though! Once they do, everyone admires the tree even more. In most other English-speaking countrieslike Canada, Ireland, or England, the letter Z is pronounced zed. As is tradition. I prefer it here. What does it mean to be an American? fawkesandthehound. - Kanti, 74, travel agency owner, New Delhi. After all, isn't coffee meant to be enjoyed in a ceramic cup over conversation at a leisurely pace? By Beth Anne Macaluso, Adam Schubak and Kara Ladd. You can describe American culture in general, as Miner does, or you can describe an American subculture, such as a specific geographical group (e.g., New Yorkers), a particular ethnicity (e.g., African Americans), or an agerelated category of Americans (e.g., millennials). There's the American way and then there's everybody else. What am saying, or asking rather, is what makes us American to non-Americans? 15 Unique Aspects of American Culture. Old charges of Al Jazeeras giving a platform to Islamists resurfaced. I threw dirt, I threw stones. Here, we're far too busy to waste time, so we have drive-through restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, liquor stores, and more. Baby Showers. Shopping malls, meals, people, cars. )After you find more information about the Nacirema and gained a new perspective, then complete []. In this book, American culture refers to pattern and behavior of the mainstream. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Todd Beer, PhD, is a faculty member in the department of Sociology and Anthropology at Lake Forest College, a wonderful liberal arts college north of Chicago. BANGKOK -- The rest of the world may think Americans eat a lot of burgers, have huge shopping malls and are ruled by an arrogant government. Foreigners, on the other hand, aren't even familiar with the concept. And it is a great country; I have visited it. Go to many other countries and the smallest differences in culture, language, and background will almost automatically cause some major issues. They look super fake. So that finally, outsiders will feel they belong. To discover more amazing secrets about living your best life, click hereto follow us on Instagram! If you want a second soda in a place like Paris, for example, be prepared to dole out some extra cash. For a country that's the center of the global economy, America's currency is pretty dull. It's your target audience. Everything else, I do not understand.. The cultural norms and values surrounding the artifacts are relative to the Native American culture and cannot be understood or appreciated from an outsider's perspective. 3Peter N. Carroll and David W. Noble, The Free and the Unfree: A Progressive History of the United States, 3rd ed. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. These wires are attached to a side of the house and only come on at night.