Our collective workaholism is totally bizarre to outsidersand quite frankly, we can see why. A star, or in some cases an angel or other figurine is put on top of the tree, and it seems to be an honor for the person who is allowed to put it there. The growth and diversification of the Asian American population in recent years has been nothing short of phenomenal. As an American this is something I love. The following is an excerpt from one of the excellent papers I received from a student, Emily Ong (used with her permission). - Kenni Friis, 28, computer technology student, Copenhagen, Denmark, "You can easily distinguish an American like here in the restaurant. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.". What does it mean to be an American? The Reddit user NoDownvotesPlease said: "That was the weirdest one for me. Americans are gallant." 5. We dream of America and they dream about Europe. To be fair, most Americans don't either. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); In most countries outside the U.S., vacation time is a highly utilized way to get away from work for a few weeks (or even months) every year. Nacirema, that "exotic", far-off place where people do "strange" things is one of the best ways to help students look at American culture as an observer rather than as the standard by which all other cultures should be compared. Enter Al Jazeera, which recently sent a correspondent to Cleveland, a city it called Americas infant mortality capital. The question it pursued fused the local and the global: why rates of premature birth and infant death in many neighborhoods exceed those of developing nations.. All Rights Reserved. To examine these facts other cultures are taken into consideration to accurately without prejudices towards African Americans. WHAT IS THE FIRST THOUGHT THAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD "AMERICA"? Lawrence Wetsit misses the days when his people would gather by the hundreds and . 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. Once they get home, they have to lift it once again off the car and into their house. In addition, for some reason, the tree must be a rather large tree with lots of foliage. It is more cozy (laughing), less restrictive (made drinking gesture)." Lastly, the best part is the toppings. - Liu Xiaodan, 30, hotel manager, Beijing, "My impression of Americans is that they uncomplicated. Figure 1.6. The book is about observing American culture from an outsider's perspective, and comparing it to other cultures from across the globe. Many posts I read from spoke about not being able to even eat our bread because it was so sugary. In most other English-speaking countrieslike Canada, Ireland, or England, the letter Z is pronounced zed. - Knut Braaten, 43, handyman, Oslo, Norway, "Everything in America is high tech!" Cultural relativism is the idea that the beliefs and practices of a culture should be understood within the context of that particular culture's background, history, and current events surrounding it. Build a pillow fort on your bed in any clear space using four chairs, an abundance of blankets and all the pillows you can find. In fact, Al Jazeera may represent something quite new in the business (though not unprecedented): the foreign gaze for domestic consumption. Saysthingsfromabush, In Scotland our equivalents are ceilidhs and in school you just go and f***ing dance. Few embrace the spread of American culture in the predominantly Muslim nations surveyed, although many Lebanese (41%) do want American ideas and customs. I do not understand the importance of this, as usually the father of the family just eats the biscuits and drinks the milk anyway, and it is always late at night when he does this too. I also like a challenge. Americans can come across as self-interested, aggressive and rude to some outsiders. used by the People to entertain and amuse themselves.". While we face the last couple of weeks of winter there are many things you need to do. Not in America it isn't! 600 Words3 Pages. A good book on a rainy day or with calming music is a wonderful way to take a break from the responsibilities of life and escape into another world. Fenrir89, I get made fun of all the time in Russia for having an attachment to my college. Nor am I saying that we dont have an intricately rich history that has shaped us to what we are today. xhr.open('POST', 'https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', true); Cheese is life people. 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. The culture of the United States includes traditions, regional customs, institutions, art and so much more. Soon, weekends can be filled with park trips and beach adventures, but for now, the weather is temperamental, so a movie night can suffice. What we know so far about the Chinese spy balloon and other objects shot down by U.S. In America, the letter Z is, well, zee. xhr.send(payload); Required fields are marked *. 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. The foreign gaze makes Al Jazeera America treat nothing as obvious. Coming from the UK where a university is used to gain your degree then its a case of thanks for the piss ups, bye! I came to realize how many things are truly American and what makes us great people of a great nation. For example, 84% of those ages 18 to 29 in Taiwan hold this view . - Ingerlise Kristensen, 68, retired bank employee, Copenhagen, Denmark, "I had a roommate a Californian, when I was in Korea as a college exchange student. 'Get away!' I screamed." (234) Claudette resists the urge to use wolf like communication to talk to Mirabella to stop chasing her, and instead uses human communication . What is Ethnocentrism? 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". American culture, they help younger generations avoid changing their personalities to be accepted. As the stage moves on, Claudette has managed to separate a little more of herself from wolf culture by saying "I used my new motor skills. And after 9/11, the world grieved with America. - Zhila Gudzueva, university lecturer, Moscow, "My definition of Americans is those who are cheerful, friendly and willing to communicate." I'm sure you have left over hot chocolate from November and December, so it's time to finish them off. After all, isn't coffee meant to be enjoyed in a ceramic cup over conversation at a leisurely pace? Do people of different nationalities and tongues think of our star spangled flag and hyper-patriotism? A lot of dresses, and cars, and all that. Guide to US and American culture, society, language, etiquette, customs, manners and protocol. I did not find any discrimination. Cushman (2009) used an active learning methodology to explore minority students' insider knowledge and make outsiders aware of their lack of knowledge relative to Remembering that practices are driven by the culture someone is situated in, including our very own practices, is key to avoiding ethnocentrism the mistaken belief that your culture is the standard by which others should be compared. So that finally, outsiders will feel they belong. 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. 33 "Normal" Things in the U.S. That Freak Everyone Else Out, Why the World Pronounces "Z" as "Zed" And Americans Don't. (2) the interlocking nature of oppression; and (3) the importance of Afro-American women's culture. As is tradition. - Summer Abu Ltaif, outside the American University of Beirut, "I think that they are formed by an ideology. Sociology in Everyday Life. Countries whose intellectuals have long protested the Wests tendency toward Orientalism in its presentation of foreigners now have an opportunity to engage in a bit of Occidentalism.. I prefer hanging out with Canadians or students from Europe, because at least they are quite polite." Despite the fact that these people are so punctiliousabout care of the mouth, this rite involves a practice which strikes the uninitiated stranger as revolting. All Rights Reserved. Like, for example, in real life, you cant kill people. - Knut Braaten, 43, handyman, Oslo, Norway, "When I was driving to North Carolina I stopped at McDonald's. An outsider can clearly observe behavior but they cannot understand it while conversely an American would not be able to observe an attitude but they would be able to understand the . If movies aren't your style or you need a quieter way to relax, pick up a good book. -- Teaching_man, I was not aware that you can buy guns in supermarkets in America. Let's look at 10 traditions Americans celebrate without even considering how strange the rest of world consider them. This works in making work more enjoyable too. 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. In America, however, these advertisements are everywhereand unsurprisingly, they confuse foreign visitors. In this book, American culture refers to pattern and behavior of the mainstream. Extra-Large Food Portions. In this game you can.. paper from an anthropological perspective. In fact, most of these Americans I have observed highly treasure their material items from under the tree as they pay more attention to them than to fellow Americans. Foreigners, on the other hand, aren't even familiar with the concept. All the pomp and circumstance surrounding prom, I have cousins who live in the US and just hearing about the number of hoops they had to jump through to ask someone to a dance is hilarious. - Karin Cohen, 25, bookshop worker, Jerusalem, "The first thing I think when I hear United States is a world power." And it is a great country; I have visited it. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. They simply don't see us as their equal but we are. What identifies an American? Mix it up using almond or coconut milk. But if you were to use this pronunciation in conversation with an English speaker from another country, they'd probably give you a puzzled look. Fair enough! It's cars. - Marren Cahilig, 21, bartender, Manila, Philippines, "A friend had an American friend over and he was surprised to see how laid back we are. Foot binding was to stop the growth of the foot and make them smaller. He clearly thought that was more important than spending time with his family or friends. 1. In America, on the other hand, taking time off is often treated like a sin. And for more on why we pronounce this letter differently, check out Why the World Pronounces "Z" as "Zed" And Americans Don't. I had a wonderful time doing my book report on "American Cultural Patterns: A cross-cultural Perspective". Ethnocentrism is the process of judging another culture exclusively from the perspective of one's own. Yet, America's admirers have felt betrayed by other shades of the American character: the military interventions in Vietnam, Iraq and elsewhere; the gun violence; the right (inexplicable to many) to carry weapons; the deep and angry racial divisions; and, lately, a presidential nominee calling for harsh restrictions on Muslims and Mexicans. as well as other partner offers and accept our. White or wheat? They are also unified in the sense that the dream isn't really a real thing anymore. Yes, we Americans admittedly like to go big or go homeand when foreigners come to visit, this is a concept that they quickly notice. But people expect to be tipped so that is why they are so services-minded. [] https://thesocietypages.org/toolbox/nacirema/ (Links to an external site.) Included 600 grams of cheese. 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). Now, besides the few, awesome things, I will end with what was a bit of a mixed review from non-Americans. You get a vision of their culture and their way of life. Reducto_Absurdum, Americans are obsessed with straight, white teeth. Still, and after more than a decade following the publication by Headland, Pike and Harris (1990), discussions about insider versus outsider status of the researcher remain alive and relevant. In anthropology, folkloristics, and the social and behavioral sciences, emic (/ i m k /) and etic (/ t k /) refer to two kinds of field research done and viewpoints obtained.. Like so much else in the United States, we go big with our roads, which are a huge contrast to the tight city streets of most European towns and winding mountain roads found in much of the rest of the world. However, young people both in and outside the U.S. are particularly fond of American popular culture. The novelty here has at least two dimensions. Scouring forums and blogs, I found that most found Americans very friendly, caring, welcoming, and open people who live in a geographically diverse nation! Foreign tourists might be surprised to find out just how many other destinations in the U.S. have restaurants that are open around the clock. The second one is "B", the one you're attempting to write about (say, Chinese, Vietnamese, French). How big the country is and the amount of time you guys are willing to drive. -- B_Underscore, A friend came from the UK and he said Wal-mart was the weirdest thing, you could buy 24 rolls of toilet paper and a 12 gauge shotgun in the same store. A society that has more things than our society." Read more, CC Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike, The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. Why is so much trouble taken to offer the items to people, wrapped and put under this gaudy tree only to be given away? When described the way the Miner does, it sounds strange and maybe even a bit gross. I read on several different forum sites how things such as the pledge of allegiance and how our flag is plastered everywhere you go is quite strange to outsiders. Finding creative ways to fry things that probably shouldn't be fried is an American specialty and something that definitely confuses tourists. Scouring forums and blogs, I found that most found Americans very friendly, caring, welcoming, and open people who live in a geographically diverse nation! Now, Im not talking about Bud Light and the like, Im talking about the large amount of micro-breweries and craft beers we make. Americans are also seen from afar as generous tippers, friendly, uncomplicated, rich and the standard bearers of freedom, equality, creativity and technological power. I created a Chill Pill playlist on YouTube for some relaxing vibes. At another moment, she sits beside an 11-year-old as he plays the game, asking him, simply enough, what he likes in it. In the United States, pharmaciesthe closest things we have to chemistsdouble as convenience stores, with aisles upon aisles of food, cleaning supplies, and even makeup products. The report reflected the networks seeming vision of the United States more generally: as a nation dynamic and promising and, at the same time, brutal in ways that distinguish it from its rich-country cousins. Using an etic perspective, we can gain an outsiders view on our cultural practices that we deem "normal" in comparison to other cultures. 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. While other countries boast colorful bills with cultural figures, the U.S. seems determined to keep their barely-green dollars as unexciting and indistinguishable as possible.