What is American culture comprised of? Do we even have a culture?
Being a relatively new country, and being known as a
melting pot has framed the U.S. in such a way that the U.S. may appear to have
no single culture of its own. Of course,
our history of welcoming myriads of diverse people into our country has brought
up the common thought: “Well, the many
cultures we welcome into the U.S. ultimately become our culture.” But is this really true? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between
the lines of the melting pot and a singular culture.
Tackling this issue of U.S. culture, and providing
an answer to the big frequent question about it, is extremely important for the
maintenance of American patriotism and soul.
If we have no clue what our culture is or whether or not one even
exists, how can we parade around celebrating the cultures of others who come
here? It’s like the common phrase “you
can’t love anyone else if you don’t love yourself.” How can we, as a country, appreciate other
cultures if we can’t identify our own?
First we must define culture (though the definition
may vary from person to person). Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet
and Southgate College in London, says that "Culture encompasses religion,
food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we
believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how
we behave with loved ones, and a million other things.” This multitude of components is no wonder
that we have such a difficult time cracking down on one definitive answer to
the American culture question.
Taking this definition into account, we can then
argue that America’s official culture is that of the Native Americans, because they
inhabited this land first. However, pbs.org
states that “In the 21st century, almost two-thirds of Native Americans live in
urban areas, losing contact with their reservations and other members of their
tribe. This makes it harder for these urban Indians to express and reinforce
their cultures. Sometimes the closest they come is at the big city pow wows
where dances and costumes are reduced to pan-Indian stereotypes.” Also, culture on reservations is suffering as
well, since their cultural events have gained publicity and they are struggling
to defend their privacy. Sadly, the
Native American culture doesn’t seem to hold much prevalence anymore.
Our authentic culture may also be British, as they
arrived in around the 1600s to establish their colonies. With colonization probably came cultural
establishment as well. However, what
about current day? America’s authentic
culture may have been English, or Native American, or both, but America’s
modern culture (that is most prominent and visible today) is arguably different. Modern American culture is most likely
influenced by Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and African Americans, as opposed
to Native Americans and Englishmen.
Hispanic Americans have a huge and growing influence
on American culture. One in every six
Americans is Hispanic. Both Hispanics
and non-Hispanics agree that food, music, and sports are the greatest areas of
Hispanic cultural influence. Unlike
Native American culture, which is dying out, Hispanic culture and the
influences of other immigrants is rising.
Another definition of culture is “a set of beliefs
and behavior patterns that are generally shared by the members of a group.” According to this definition, the authentic
American culture could conceivably be just based off the unique values our
country holds. American culture is
freedom – freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press. American culture is rights – women’s rights,
minority rights, rights to own property, rights to bear arms, etc. I personally believe that this is what makes
our country’s culture. Yes, many countries
have deep-rooted, historical, and colorful cultures that were based on the indigenous
peoples, traditions, and foods. However,
America’s culture is based on values and ideas that set us apart from the rest
of the world and give us a strong advantage.
Perhaps American culture is something found in the private
homes of each and every one of us, in our families, or in our country’s
values. Perhaps that is why we are able
to appreciate the integration of outside cultures in our land – because many of
us have a story to tell about how our parents or grandparents or great-grandparents
came to this nation of freedom. If at
the end of the day, American culture is something personal and non-communal, what
does American culture mean to you? Do
you think we have one single culture, or is our culture truly and solely made
up of the many cultures immigrants bring along with them?
Please comment your thoughts!
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