Is the American Culture dying?

[Marshall_McDaniel]

I see the merit in that argument, in fact I anticipated it when I mentioned

Or someone could maybe argue that Globalization is simply the spread of American culture to the world, and not vice versa. It should be asked what was it, culturally, that made America unique as a nation… and has that spread so that America , as a nation, no longer has a culture that is unique?

I also think one could argue, based on the sheer number of folks in the prison population, that America’s brand of Exceptionalism does hint at a mighty strand of indifference. Be that either to the commission of crime or the causes thereof.

What do you expect from a nation who owes it’s inception to the criminals of Europe

I don’t know, American know-how, self reliance, capitalism [i.e. pragmatism]? But you’re right, it is a question that should be asked. I don’t think that other nations are ‘Americanized’ to the extent where comparisons are no longer valid. I’m not sure, however, that we owe our exceptionalism to the commission of crime, we rather owe our commission of crime to our exceptionalism. Ortega makes the point that America has not yet suffered and thus is not worthy to lead the World. Let’s face it, we have come through two World wars virtually unscathed. A lot of people here feel that we are favored by God, but might never makes right and our arrogance and ignorance will one day destroy our freedom and power and we’ll find ourselves eclipsed by yet the next super power, perhaps China. When that happens, and the pressure increases, maybe this lump of coal will become a diamond.

On the subject of prison populations, i’m not sure if that is due to our many arcane laws like the war on drugs or other factors like gun ownership. Who was it who said that when a country has many laws it is headed for a fall?

[ShadowandLight]

American culture is a blending of uncountable cultures from around the world. The issue with American culture is that it is always changing. I mean look, since the 90’s alone we have had the countries obsession with grunge, the urbanization of music and culture, the so called ‘Latin Invasion’ and now the countries interest in religious matters appearing in everything from books. movies, music, plays… (And im sure im missing many others).

Its the shift in beliefs and ethnic influences and the people’s reaction to them which create American culture. I mean yesterday I picked up a newspaper and it read that where I live, Texas, white is now the minority and hispanics are now the majority. Im sure that will eventually have an impact on Texan culture and perhaps on the country as a whole.

Although I have to say that Amerian culture is very…uncultured.

[hermes_the_thrice_gr (hermes the thrice great)]

@trix

gentleman, very few times in life have i seen a de facto example of what a Harvard scholar cited in a colliquium. that is why i do so ever love this little thread. according to this american studies professor, the typical response to the layman when asked to describe american culture is either: a) that there is no culture or (b) that is incredibly low brow. the response generally depended on the soci-economic position of the person; the upper class picked the latter, the lower classes the former.

while a sound arguement can be constructed for the post-colonial aspect of american culture, as america is a post-colonial nation, no sound arguement can be constructed for a culture having no culture. it’s redundant and stupid and illogical. honestly peeps, let’s remember first year logic class. further, there is a study of americn exceptionalism that is a hot topic among scholars. if america has no culture, then that would be american culture, wouldn’t it?

while american culture is changing, in a world increasingly facing globalization what fucking culture isn’t having to adapt to this new world order?? further, perhaps the old definitions of culture itself is changing – this article suggests that classical music is changing: denverpost.com/Stories/0,141 … 26,00.html. maybe we should include music videos, or the personalization of the local wal-mart/mcdonalds (b/c each one in every town is different) to elements of culture.

Trix, Lovely observations. how would you characterize American culture?

[xanderman]

Will globalization continue to erode, not just American culture, but all national cultures into a new planetary culture?

Part of what make a culture remain distinct from other culture is the impact of solid borders. Ideas and mass media have fewer and fewer limits. The only limitation is how far you can transmit your info. Think of how we take the idea of global box-office profits for granted. America’s motion picture fantasies now display across the entire globe. Not in every country, but in the most influential ones.

What nation could close all of its borders and be effectively self-sufficient?

Culture used to depend upon an interaction between people and their environment. The new planetary culture would have none of those traditional features.

America, once one of the active forces pushing towards globalization is now caught up in the momentum towards globalization. No nation will be able to fully retain is distinctive qualities. There will be something lost and something gained in the new culture. The ingroup will no longer be any particular geographical area but the entire planet.

[Marshall_McDaniel]

I made this point earlier, that culture derives its power from difference and that globalization leads to uniformity. Perhaps cultures will begin to be defined more in economic terms. I know this sounds Marxist, but i really can’t see any more powerful influence than that for our cultural future.

[trix]

Gate control theory:

Quote:
no sound arguement can be constructed for a culture having no culture. it’s redundant and stupid and illogical. honestly peeps, let’s remember first year logic class.

I agree, and would point out this discussion is asking if (and if so, what) culture exists in America, as a nation.

if that is what this discussion is asking, is has been poorly worded. not only does the first post state:

First I should ask, is there such a thing as American culture?

but to assume that a culture is dying means that it is becoming extint. i maintatin that so long as a people exist, that group must have a defining culture. even a cosmopolitan culture (like the multi-ethnic canada, for instance) has a culture. this is an arguement about what constitutes a culture, however, but a simple dictionary definition will do to illuminate my point:

The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=culture

let’s not be silly as to ask if america will soon loose its culture, because we might as well be asking if america will stop being a nation or have a people.

Consider it a questioning of the presupposition. For example, I submit that America, as a nation, has a culture that is, by and large, Euro-Centric.

and i’ve already argued, as have marshall mcdaniel pointed out, that america is POST-COLONIAL. do you know what post-colonial means? this is redundant.

Do these differences qualify the consideration of the American version as being its own entity?

yes, its a post-colonial culture. for fuck’s sake.

does the mass consumerism reflected in politics, media, entertainment, religion, etc mean that the culture in America (as a nation, to avoid your confusion on the topic) is dying?

hmmm…profound. ah, does this also mean that the price of tea of china have something to contribute to it, you think?

i cannot cannot cannot stand people who ask inane questions as if they were the first people ever to do so, come up with half-assed answers that really just restate the question, and then attempt to defend the position as if no one else has answered the question. buddy, millions of people prior to you have answered the question. all have answered it only about a million times better than you have.

here are some names for you look into: kingdon, huttington, de touqueville, etc.

hermes 3 the great, key elements of american culture include freedom, individulaism, religion and belief in small government.

and no my peons, these elements do not look like they will be threatened by globalization anytime soon. the current conduct of america in foriegn affaris should indicate this, one would think.

[GateControlTheory]

Been up for over 24 hours, so pardon the typos.

but to assume that a culture is dying means that it is becoming extint. i maintatin that so long as a people exist, that group must have a defining culture. even a cosmopolitan culture (like the multi-ethnic canada, for instance) has a culture.

So, lets say every culture has a beginning, and therefore, should have some kind of markable end. I admit cultures evolve (as it were), so did mammals… you can look through the fossil record and see the steps. I dunno why you are having such a hard time with this, I think it pretty obvious where the line of thought was going, but okay. Tell me, is the culture the Same in Canada as it was 100 years ago?

I am sure some is and some isn’t.

Now tell me, if tomorrow everyone in Canada woke up and spoke japanese, ate rice and fish, strated building shinto shrines, gave up hockey for video games, etc… would your culture still be “Canadian”?

this is an arguement about what constitutes a culture, however, but a simple dictionary definition will do to illuminate my point:

The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. dictionary.reference.com/search?q=culture

Fine, now tell me:

let’s not be silly as to ask if america will soon loose its culture, because we might as well be asking if america will stop being a nation or have a people.

At what point does a Nation’s culture become unique from others to the degree that it can be called a/an “X culture” ? And if these points evolve into something else, or something resembling something else… wouldn’t that mean that the other culture has “died”?

and i’ve already argued, as have marshall mcdaniel pointed out, that america is POST-COLONIAL. do you know what post-colonial means? this is redundant.

So are quite a few nations in Africe, South America, etc… yet all are not alike. Being Post Colonial doesn’t make something innate. And all of this is a matter of ‘was’. Past tense. I am asking if whatever it is today will be changed so significantly as to be something else, and would that constitute as having died?

yes, its a post-colonial culture. for fuck’s sake.

Well, if it is Post Colonial is it its own seperate entity from other post colonials? I think so… so do please explain in detail how you can generalize something and pretend that makes it seperate from other things that go in the same category.

hmmm…profound. ah, does this also mean that the price of tea of china have something to contribute to it, you think?

i cannot cannot cannot stand people who ask inane questions as if they were the first people ever to do so, come up with half-assed answers that really just restate the question, and then attempt to defend the position as if no one else has answered the question.

I cannot stand people who pretend to have some understanding they do not possess, and seek to derail discussion by posting meanding, ignorant bullshit which accomplished nothing. That’s right, kiddo… you have yet to add a single thing to this thread, except my beautiful replies i suppose.

Added anything? No
Clarified any questions? No, in fact I believe you are still confused as to where we were headed with this. Not that I think I am being brilliant, but if there is such a thing as a Global culture, and if America is fastly joining it… wouldn’t that mean that America (the nation) will no longer have a unique American culture?

buddy, millions of people prior to you have answered the question. all have answered it only about a million times better than you have.

Argumentation by enumeration is still a fallacy I think. Billions have answered whether or not God exists… their answers are still open to debate.

here are some names for you look into: kingdon, huttington, de touqueville, etc.

oh we went from millions to three in the span of one paragraph. ahh I forgot the dreaded “etc” Rats! foiled again.

hermes 3 the great, key elements of american culture include freedom, individulaism, religion and belief in small government.

Can’t argue that, though i would point out that America is more Egalitarian now then when it first won it’s independence (women and minorities get to vote, run for office, go to the same schools if they want.) American exceptionalism is on the decline, oddly enough, with the increase of individualism. It is almost as if the spread of equality increases mediocrity… well thats Plato’s argument anyway.

and no my peons, these elements do not look like they will be threatened by globalization anytime soon. the current conduct of america in foriegn affaris should indicate this, one would think.

I want to thank you for this. If nothing else, you have proven my point. America used to be a country that rarely interefered in foreign affairs. Consider it a part of the American culture of the past to not want to get involved militarily with the outside world. I suppose being the lone super power, those days are over.

And my point to all of this was… the world itself is becoming more Americanized. Not just Westernized, but Americanized. (To make it easier for you… the entire world is becoming “post colonial”).

Still I ask, as one culture slowly seeps across borders and injects itself into the arteries of other nations… at what point is there anything distinctive or unique about America to qualify it as having an American culture when other nations have much of the same?

Think of it as Vampirism wherein the Vampire is changed by his victims. That, my dense Canadian friend, is what i want to know… is it possible, if so, is it happening, and if so, what do we have to look forward to?