American Culture, Part 3

Do Americans have a "win-lose" mentality?

Of course, it depends on the person, but I think in many cases, yes. One example is the notion of the "American Dream". Is it possible for a poor person--perhaps uneducated, perhaps an immigrant--to achieve success in American society? Most people think that if a person tries hard enough, he or she will win. If not, the person will lose. People that are rich are the winners; people who are poor are the losers. I think this is how may of us deal with the reality of the huge separation between the rich and poor in the U.S.

Similarly, if another country disagrees with us, this country is against us because we are "the winners"--others are jealous of our power; they are the losers. Fortunately, not everyone thinks this way. The people who do feel a greater sense of patriotism for America and generally are more supportive of fighting the "losers" in order to protect our power as Americans.

American Culture: Part 2

Is there a true American culture? Naturally, as a young country, the U.S. doesn't have a long historical tradition. But if culture is family life, work, food, religion, language, sports, etc. then of course every society has culture, including the United States.

Sometimes when people say "America doesn't have its own culture" I think they mean that there are many different cultural influences here. Since Protestant, Western-European influence has been the most powerful in shaping this country's history and lifestyle, it also makes sense when people say that someone like Bill Clinton or George Bush represents American culture. However, doesn't that sound too simplistic?

Let's take African Americans, for example. Is their culture separate from that of other ethnic groups in the United States (the 'salad' idea)? Or does African American culture mix together with the cultures of other ethnic groups to create one American culture that all of us share (the 'melting pot' idea)? I think the answer to both questions is "Yes" In some ways, African American life is very inclusive--in other words, if you're not Black, you are not connected to many important aspects of their culture. On the other hand, if you're not black but you are an American, your culture is affected in many important ways by African American culture (especially language, music, sports, food, and humor).

The 'melting pot' idea sounds good. It says that, as Americans, we all influence each other and we share the same culture. But is George Bush's culture the same as a Black person's or a Jewish person's or an Asian-American person's? If the answer is "No" (and I think it is), then we are not a true 'melting pot'. However, since we do influence each other, we are not a 'salad' either. I guess we're something in the middle---a 'melting salad'? :)