An interesting topic came up in another discussion and I want to expand on that idea.

So how do YOU think Americans differ from other cultures around the world?

they are one of the youngest cultures in the world. Many cultures can trace what they do and who they are back thousands of years but the US has 230 years or so that it has existed. It also doesn't have a very uniform culture. There are probably 3-5 large ones that could could find pretty easily.... probably more if you were particular.

1) The Northeat
2) the "South"
3) The west coast
4) the midwest

I realize they are very geographical in description but I think everyone can understand the difference between those 4 areas culturally simply based on the geography. And even among those 4 you could break them down further if you wanted to.

That's not to say that other cultures are uniform, but I think the disunity of American culture is a product of it's age. You haven't had a chance for one of these cultures to dominate.


However, when most people think of America there is a picture that comes to mind. The "american dream". The white picket fence, the 2.2 kids. The green lawn, the mailbox, the kids playing. Dad goes to work and mom stays home. You could also look to the American media as a huge part of the American culture. Most of what Americans do, say or think is driven by what the media is doing, saying and thinking.

I'm really not sure where this is going.... I just started typing and this all came out Feel free to scrutinize

geeogree : I agree with some aspects of what your saying, and disagree with others. I believe that the 'American Dream' is universal part of our culture, but geographically speaking I believe there is only slight differences. The differences go about as far as dialect/accent. I believe that the differences that you are noticing are more politically driven. For instance, if you live in a red state (or a predominately republican population) the values are different then those in a blue state (predominately democratic population). The only REAL difference between Americans depends upon cultural divides in the immigrant population and how well they have assimilated into the American culture as a whole. Geographically speaking the only difference is maybe the clothing that you wear. Now, notice that this is not 100% accurate, there are obviously some exceptions to the rule, for instance there may be a slight culture difference in populations that maintain their link to the old world ruling countries (Louisiana maintains some, as in very minor, cultural link to France.) Otherwise most people are the same. I could move to Texas and fit in just fine, even though I was born and raised in the far north.

As for the thread, It was supposed to be a comparison between American culture and other cultures as a WHOLE. Giving some the chance to criticize and spawn debate.

I think main difference is culture itself. We got all kinds of cultures here, we got africans we got mexicans we got chinese we got everybody. Eventhough we don't really get along I think that it has allowed us to progress faster then other cultures who are somewhat stuck in a 1 culture land. It seems to me that when a culture is stuck on its own it somewhat seems to stay that way compared to mixing them up.

Everywhere you go there is a different culture (where I live at least) but in some states its a lot different and it also depends on the area to. But basically within a 5 mile radius we got rich, we got poor, we got multiple races, multiple types of restaurants that have food from other cultures, and at times I am the only one who seems to speak any english cause I am overwhelmed by outside cultures.

I live atleast within 1 mile of the capitol of my state near downtown that would explain the variety of cultures here. But I know this state fairly well, I can easily show you where to go if you want to find only cowboys, or I can show you where to go if you wanna be in the hood

Not trying to be racist but there are a few main roads here that can accurately describe the culture surrounding the area. Colfax = blacks, Arapahoe = Whites, Federal (I think that is it) = mexicans. So basically how I see it, the farther away you get from the center the more likely it is to see cultures split into their own entity.

Now as far as us compared to other countries... I think its obvious that we are way to obsessed with using celebrities, cultures, popularity, and two party systems to drive us in the wrong direction. And people have taken the word freedom and completely misuse the entire logic of it. Our culture is corrupt because of the freedom we have to use other cultures as stepping stones for success.

As geo said, a majority of the US is run by the media, products, or celebrities. People give in to their ideology and that is what makes us different. The American culture is mostly fake, we combine outside cultures to create one universal culture where the main purpose is to use other cultures to get to the top. Ex: Buying things from china and claiming they are ours.

Theres always a politician, or party, or product, or news cast that has or uses other cultures as a means of gaining grounds. That is how I see it... I probably didn't answer the question right but I tried

The American dream syndrome. Resembles to the Potjomkin's village.
I've never been to America though.
We don't have much minorities here, biggest group would be Russians.
Then again, Estonia's WHOLE population is 1.3 million
Some of your cities have more people than we have here haha

One period in my life I lived in Spain, that's more to the multi-cultured side.

Every nation seems to compare themselves with Americans, as you are
considered the universe nation.
Estonians are thought to be remote and distant people, yet Americans warm
and very welcoming.
You are more for the "dream" thing - home, peace, charity.
We are seen as hard labourers throughout history and occupation.
But it's just some stereotypes.

JigSaw : Alright, Let me analyze what is wrong with what you are saying.

First of all the American people are not nearly as controlled by the media as everyone thinks. I believe this is a fallacy. Saying that the United States population is controlled in part by free (mind you free) run media is ridiculous. That like saying that the Canadians are controlled in part by the CBC, or people from the UK are controlled by the BBC. Its just not true. Now, As for buying Chinese products and passing them off as our own is also a fallacy. Everyone knows that some of our products come from China. It says it on ALL of our labels. But do not be mistaken, China oftentimes buys American goods and services. With an ever expanding middle class people can afford to buy American cars, and the moguls in China are even buying up American businesses (Hummer being a good example). We are not the only culture to use others as a stepping stone for progress. Its a natural part of a capitalist society. (Which most of the 1st world belongs to, although some countries are a bit more regulated economically speaking).

Now, Diversity is a huge part of our society, I agree with that aspect. We are a nation of immigrants, but like I said before, it all depends on how these immigrant populations integrate into our society as a whole. That integrated society is what I'm talking about. The social 'norms' that most Americans share is the base for comparison.

aili : stereotypes suck.

DNG : as a joke i always said america where we eat mexican food and play japinese video games but america seems to be um...war hungry

Yes, they do, don't they?
Yet most people take their basis from stereotypes
which also sucks

It's like Max Weber's der idealtypus.

I honestly don't think there are any differences, other than accents. Which I don't get how they are caused .
But really, there are no differences. Just a bunch of over-patriotic people who think they are better cause they live in certain areas, and caused all these "Classifications". Nobody is truly "different", if you put it into perspective. We are all living, we are all humans, we all have goals in life, and we all thrive to survive. Nothing said in that that would make anyone else different from others...

MegaRevolution1 : Accents come from the language of the immigrants who originally populated the area. For instance the Upper Midwest accent, otherwise known as "Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Michigan accent." Is derived from the Scandinavians and Germans who flooded to the area. So some of the same idioms from there languages were passed on. A good example would be if you asked someone a yes or no question in my area, instead of answering 'yes' they would say 'Yah' which is derived from German.

Also, I'm glad you agree with me.

Europe has many different cultures, because there are many different countries, right.
But US is bigger than Europe, and has influences of almost EVERY countries cultures. All US really is, is a bunch of older cultures that have been tweaked, and played with over those some 200 plus years. Heck, the US doesn't even have an official language yet, or will it ever. Or at least at the federal level.