Does the United States Have Culture?
“I mean, does America have its own culture, really?”
This was a question that was posed jovially to me by a friend. She was joking, but it distinctly felt like one of those jokes that had real merit behind it to some degree.
This query arose after I had asked my friend about a million and own questions about Japanese culture as she had grown up in Japan. I had lost myself in this genial investigation as we were beginning to try to make comparisons between Japanese and American culture when this fateful question was asked. After she asked it, a moment passed and then we looked at each other meekly laughing. I could tell she felt like she might have said something impolite or slightly offensive, but I didn’t mind or think these things at all because to some extent this was a very justifiable question. Not only that, but I enthusiastically invite questions that have me analyze culture in any way! Besides this, it was not the first time a non-native of the United States has asked me this question. However, this was the first time that I ever really felt the weight of it, and has left me wondering since - does America have its own culture, and, if so, what is it?
The easy and fast answer to the first part of the question is yes, of course. The second part takes a little more thought. The United States clearly has its own personality that people of other nations think of when regarding America, even if it might not be in such a kind light sometimes. Americans aren’t robots who walk around and make vanilla conversations with one other about the weather because we have nothing else to discuss. We have common social behaviors, social norms, varying belief systems, customs, arts, and our own cuisine (cheeseburgers?). These aspects of American culture may just be less cohesive and occur in a different way than in other cultures.
That being said, I think this question arises a lot with foreigners of the United States and for some Americans (like me!) because we are a nation with lots of immigrants. In any major city that you visit there are communities of groups of people with origins from around the globe. To a small degree you can get to know that culture when you visit these neighborhoods.
To some extent, I at one point in time believed this theory, as well. Perhaps subconsciously at least. I used to love to travel to different countries, in part, due to experiencing their cultures. I still enjoy traveling to new places for their cultures, but now I am just more aware of why I am so fascinated with experiencing new cultures. When I was about sixteen years old, my family and I decided to visit England for my sister’s graduation from high school. It was amazing. We visited the theatre district, ate the different cuisines (I distinctly remember enjoying the varied types of breakfast food at our hotel), went to the different tourist attractions like the Tower of London and the Globe Theatre, and I loved being a part of the pub culture. I was in awe of the minute differences between our two cultures, although both being a part of the Western world. For example, I liked learning about the different cereals that they had. It’s these tiny parts of different peoples ways of life that I get most enthusiastic about.
A few years later, I really began to understand what American culture was like through non-Americans’ eyes. Through great fortune, I had the opportunity to move to Paris for a few months to live with a wonderful Parisian family. As I got closer to the family, I was able to learn not only about American stereotypes, but real aspects of American culture which had not occurred to me before because I had taken these identifiers for granted due to having lived with them for so long.
Some of the stereotypes I was not fond of, like that all Americans are overweight and have a terrible diet. Albeit not the nicest stereotype to have, but our fast-food practices really reflect the type of society we have moved into. We have a fast-paced society that appreciates convenience so we can continue our expeditious ways without disturbance. One of the nicer stereotypes us Americans were given was the characteristic of friendliness. Granted, I don’t know if this was intended to be a compliment considering who was giving out the stereotype, however I rather like this attribute to our culture. Although it is not true of all parts of the United States, most Americans are really friendly and enjoy helping others out. Even in New York City, I have found that people are generally nice and accommodating. I wish we were all a bit more welcoming to foreigners at the moment, but that's a whole other discussion that deserves its own weight. The flip side of this chummy nature is that it makes us prone to nosiness and wanting to get involved in things that we sometimes shouldn’t get involved in. Apparently, we can’t help it, we have to meddle.
On top of these qualities, we take part in a variety of religious beliefs and theologies, we have our own celebration for the arts, and cuisines that are specific to the distinct regions of the country. People practice Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and so many others. Or on a different spectrum, we also have many people who don’t subscribe to a certain religion at all, enjoying a sense of spirituality or atheism. There have been visual artistic movements that originated in the United States like American Regionalism. One could find shrimp po-boys if they visit New Orleans or Cheesesteaks in Philadelphia. Like many nations, we have our own micro-cultures, too! A person’s values may differ from the South to the Northeast. The same thing could be said for each city or state.
We are a highly individualistic nation. We appreciate and encourage others to be their unique selves. However, that also means that we cater everything in mind for each distinct person. Community is important to us, but in our Capitalistic world, this means that we encourage a sense of selfishness so that we can contribute our own original gadget to the Capitalist machine. This sense of individuality celebrates innovation because we are all taught to have our own opinions, but it also sometimes makes us forget about us as a collective. That being said, community is very important for many of us. We love activities that make us feel connected! Like going to a baseball game and getting to support your team with like-minded strangers. It's an interesting, juxtaposed phenomenon.
One aspect that is integral for American culture, and one that I think makes it a flourishing culture is our diversity. We wouldn’t have become the country or the society we are today without it. We are a beautiful assortment of ethnicities, sexualities, genders, and races. We are not one thing, which makes us thrive. We are open to discourses and individuality that may not make everyone comfortable. This is how although we are a youthful nation, we have been able to make rapid progress.
So, yes! America does have culture! Is it unique? Not always. Like every culture, it has its nuances and some regions don’t subscribe to the same attributes as others. Having such a varied culture is part of why it is so interesting to learn about and experience it. I appreciate a lot of the aspects of American culture. I know that even having grown up here, that I have not encountered every aspect of it. Personally, I look forward to being able to participate in more of it someday. I hope others give it a chance too, and with an open mind.
