Does America have a cultural identity?

The Coffee Shop
1

I believe that America has a cultural identity crisis. I believe that cultural identity is not even so much as an afterthough in the US, and I believe that the ailments of our society and the overall poor health of its citizens are a direct result of our lack of cultural identity. So much of what is debated here in the LR, in my opinion, stems directly from our identity crisis, so I thought it worthy of discussion.

To simplify and frame the debate, I’ll use some basic elements as markers to identify culture, specifically: Food, Language, Social/Family Structure, Religion, and Tradition.

Food:
I’ve been reading a good bit on diet and nutrition lately, and one constant theme that runs through the abundance of sources of information is the importance of diet in cultures and how it shapes their families, their health and social structure. In most instances, the dietary traditions go back hundreds, even thousands of years, and could be viewed as the cornerstone of their society. Work, play, education and clothing often evolve around the food systems they have developed, and very little had changed until the agricultural and industrial revolutions. We have no uniquely American food history, except that of reductionist nutrition, industrialized processing of what used to be a natural food source (meat/dairy/produce) and ultimately Fast Food. Hot Dogs and hamburgers are probably the closest thing we have to a cultural food identity in America. Another important function of food in culture has been all but abandoned with the shift from whole foods to fast foods - the family meal. It is the exception to the rule when families actually participate in the preparation and consuming of meals together. Are fast food, poor diets, obesity and gimmicky weight-loss programs our dietary cultural identity, or an symptom of a lack thereof?

Language:
English is slowly but surely losing its grip as the unofficial-official language of the US. Bilingual English/Spanish is on the horizon, and the sun is rising quickly. I’m not making a judgement either way on whether this should or shouldn’t happen, I’m just being realistic. Change is coming.

Social/Family Structure:
This is one of the more troubling trends in American culture. Traditional families are, by and large, disappearing. In the Black community, roughly 7 of every 10 babies is born to a single mother. I suspect the Caucasian population is trending in that direction as well. I won’t go into a rant about the societal problems in America, but it’s pretty clear that when the system breaks down, the symptoms are easy to recognize in the upcoming generation and the type of activities and entertainment they engage in. Youth and beauty have supplanted the elderly and wise in our value system by many measures. What then is our cultural identity when it comes to Family and the individual’s role in their society?

Religion:
This area is easier to identify: America is presently a Christian country, no doubt about it. The ultimate question to ask ourselves is, in our culture, like many other cultures with a strong identity based in religion, has Christianity formed us as a nation in a way that is consistent with Christian values? You could certainly argue that Capitolism far supersedes Christianity in the way our culture has evolved. How important is Religion to our cultural identity really, beyond armsleve affilliation? Probably not as much as we would like to think.

Tradition:
What traditions are uniquely American? There are some very strong images that come to mind: veterans in a 4th of July parade, baseball games, early morning under the Christmas tree, Thanksgiving dinner with family, etc. Here we have what I would consider a very well-established cultural identity.

So these are my questions: Do we have a unique cultural identity in America? Is it a positive or a negative identity? Is it healthy? Is it sustainable, or is it subject to the ailments of a society with brittle roots and no moral compass? Is it wise for other countries to adopt our culture and give up their traditions and cultural identity? Is it reasonable for other cultures to strongly resist our influence? And ultimately, where are the forces that have created our cultural identity leading us?

2

hmmm, i disagree. American is the most integrated nation in the world–none of us are true natives (except for Native Americans). each city has a culture, as does every town. and IMO, the true American spirit is in small towns. there is amazing and inspiring identity in small towns.

if you go to Africa, people speak English. India, people speak English. how is it that since the time our country began, people all across the world know our language? personally, i find that impressive.

again, we are a blend of nations. go to the south, see what you eat there. go north, most cities have speciality cuisine that is uniquely theirs. and saying we don’t have any unique food history is kind of stupid, seeing how farming was integral part of life in the US. not to mention candy makers, and all kinds of individual business owners that brought their native cuisine here.

it strikes me that you know very little about American history. we are not in an identity crisis. work your ass off, over consume, buy a big fucking house with hollow doors, get kids over invovled in everything, and eat until you pop–that is the American way. but it is also the land of opportunity, the land of abundance, creativity, freedom and choice. take it or leave it, that is American culture.

3

"if you go to Africa, people speak English. India, people speak English. how is it that since the time our country began, people all across the world know our language? "

I’m hoping I misinterpreted this comment…the reason they speak English is the colonization of those continents by Great Britain and English Speaking Missionaries…not due to America

4

This is almost the kind of analysis I was looking for, albeit without the insults. I certainly understand the dynamics of how the country was founded and has grown, and the regional influences and their individual cultures. I expect any land mass of this size to have a variety of subcultures and individualities, which we thankfully have in abundance. It’s the bigger picture I’m referring to.

saying we don’t have any unique food history is kind of stupid, seeing how farming was integral part of life in the US.

And what exactly is the state of our farm culture today? I think you missed the point. But then, I don’t know very much about history. Educate me please.

work your ass off, over consume, buy a big fucking house with hollow doors, get kids over invovled in everything, and eat until you pop–that is the American way. but it is also the land of opportunity, the land of abundance, creativity, freedom and choice. take it or leave it, that is American culture.

And this is not a cultural crisis in the making? Specifically, is it healthy? Sustainable? Worthy of export? These are the questions I asked. “Take it or leave it” is not the dialogue I’m looking for.

5

Ever Heard the saying the sun never sets on the british empire…I suspect that the British Colonisation of almost the entire world has far more to do with the fact that English is spoken there than the existence of America…

6

hmmm, i disagree. American is the most integrated nation in the world

I think Canada and Australia may have some reason to argue that point.

7

I think there is a distinct American culture, and it’s based in the can-do attitude. We are a strikingly optimistic nation. We don’t think there’s anything we can’t accomplish, and when we see a challenge, we tend to act on it far sooner than other nations might. This has enabled us to achieve lots, and also at times led us into trouble. (Iraq, for instance.)

As far as the identity crisis goes . . . There’s some truth to that, I think. While people will no doubt argue that we’ve always been a diverse nation of immigrants from many different countries, it used to be that those immigrants were eager to adopt America as their parent nation, eager to adopt the language and culture, such as it is, of America. (Not to say that they abandoned their own cultures entirely, of course.) Now, with the increased emphasis on “multi-culturism,” I think immigrant groups tend to show less inclination to assimilate.

Robert Putnam, author “Bowling Alone,” has recently published work showing that increased ethnic diversity in a society is not, as often said, a strength, but a problem that we have to find a way to manage. It leads to worrisome levels of distrust in society- less “social capital,” in his term. Interestingly, it seems to lead to increased distrust not only between people of different cultural backgrounds, but also between people within the same group.

http://www.limitstogrowth.org/WEB-text/diversity-trust.html

8

Robert Putnam, author “Bowling Alone,” has recently published work showing that increased ethnic diversity in a society is not, as often said, a strength, but a problem that we have to find a way to manage.

I think the emergence of problems with Muslims in France, as one example, would lead credibility to this view.

9

Religion:
This area is easier to identify: America is presently a Christian country, no doubt about it. The ultimate question to ask ourselves is, in our culture, like many other cultures with a strong identity based in religion, has Christianity formed us as a nation in a way that is consistent with Christian values? You could certainly argue that Capitolism far supersedes Christianity in the way our culture has evolved. How important is Religion to our cultural identity really, beyond armsleve affilliation? Probably not as much as we would like to think.

10

Great post and really worthy of debate.

I think one of the fundamental issues facing our country right now is one of values. What they are, who drives them, how we decide what is important. I sat in church yesterday and listened to the prayers of the people recited by our incredibly devout yet liberal deacon and was reminded of the tag line from Law and Order the TV series. “Ripped from the Headlines”. We prayed out loud for Darfur, for Gaza, for the innocent in Iraq. Nowhere did we pray out loud for the homeless in America or the mentally ill, or the elders too poor or lonely to thrive, or the teenagers lost to their families through drug addiction or crisis. It is all the headline of the week disguised as caring.

Often I read on this forum about the dangers of the evangelical church in the political arena but even worse is the danger of the political arena inside the church. Churches and Temples used to mean something in America. It is not an accident that the Quakers were leaders in the peace movement during the Vietnam war, nor that the civil rights movement was led by Baptist ministers and many Jewish leaders from the Northeast. The Underground railroad was ministered by many devout church leaders and church followers all along the road from the South to the North. What is missing now is the understanding of social justice. If churches stand for justice then politics will follow but too often our church leaders confuse politics with justice.

Having said that, there is good being done in small and large churches all across America they just don’t make the headlines. Within 20 miles of my home a temple and a church provide free medical care once a week to anyone who asks. Two churches provide community suppers to all comers regardless of cost and these are just a microcosm of the work that is being done. At Ironman LP in 2005 the Northern Baptist Ministries provided breakfast to all participants. In talking to one of the workers there they described their operation and how they worked at Ground Zero for something like six to nine months providing meals to the workers. Can you imagine the committment that took?

All we hear about though are the Ted Haggards and the evils of the Christian right. Politics trumps religion and social work. For those of us for whom Christianity is important it is not an affiliation or a practice. It is a way of life that I believe is slowly dying in America mainly because politics is to often trumpeted from the pulpit in both liberal and conservative churches and social work is left undone in the pursuit of riches.

11

They have their knocks as well. Canada has that whole French-Canadian split off issue. And Australia doesn’t have a good track record for how it treats or integrates Aboriginis, and the recent weird issues with racism/Muslims shows that they aren’t as integrated as a cursory glance would present.

Though I’m not necessarily saying we are more integrated as a nation. America is a combination of various groups, we self-define ourselves into so many little pieces. You’re not just American (though rarely did people ever truly see this as their defining characteristic). We’re like Starbucks, you can order a coffee almost any which way you want (based on regional origination, then by major city, then include religion, sports teams, ethnicity, political leanings, etc).

12

**For those of us for whom Christianity is important it is not an affiliation or a practice. It is a way of life that I believe is slowly dying in America mainly because politics is to often trumpeted from the pulpit in both liberal and conservative churches and social work is left undone in the pursuit of riches. **

My wife and I were talking about this on the weekend. For all the knocks Christians take, I wish people would take a good look around the world and see who is largely responsible for so many of the relief programs, orphanages, food banks, free medical clinics etc. It is by and large Christian organizations. In fact, I can’t think of many aid organizations run by Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or even Atheists.

I wonder why more people don’t point that out, in their rush to demonize a few fallen Christian men.

I agree with your post 100% and find that politics often enter the church, particularly the large ones in my experience.

13

it used to be that those immigrants were eager to adopt America as their parent nation, eager to adopt the language and culture, such as it is, of America. (Not to say that they abandoned their own cultures entirely, of course.) Now, with the increased emphasis on “multi-culturism,” I think immigrant groups tend to show less inclination to assimilate.

I wonder when the shift occurred, from when becoming American was the goal to the current ostensible trend of becoming a reluctant expatriate living off the bounty of American prosperity. There must have been a paradigm shift in preception of American culture that spurred the change. I agree that stressing multiculturalism is somewhat of a threat to the American Identity, because of the fundamental message it promotes. There is no push for American Assimilation equal to those of Tolerance and Multiculturalism.

14

i cannot educate you on a triathlon forum all there is to know about American history. but to create dialogue that you were seeking, i’ll answer a few questions.

is it worthy of sustaining? i don’t know, how can you know. people that want a new job tell me their number one reason for looking is to find better work life balance. people are pressured, but alot of that is self created…people get themselves far into debt, buy huge houses, and live at or above their means. that in and of itself creates pressure. the sadness in that IMO is that often times these possessions are based on quantity, rather than quality. like i mentioned–big box houses that have a Home Depot interior. (Home Depot special my husband and I call it, and it is basically so people can have more. more space, more stuff, more presence).

but, it doesn’t have to be like that. people can choose in America. there are plenty of millionaires next door–they drive old cars, live in the same house for 40 years, etc. this is why i mentioned smaller town America. you see alot of this there, where people don’t kill themselves working too much, and they do not over-consume, yet they are loaded or doing well financially. so, even though American is a consumerism country, when someone isn’t caught up in that, they can be free of the chains that materialism creates. (the bigger the city, the more the consumerism it seems)

having grown up in a small town, i’m honestly blown away at the consumerism that exists in a bigger city, and the attitudes that come with it. people really are valued at their “cargo” (posessions), what they do for a job, etc. i have gotten caught up in that myself at times.

consumerism makes us work harder and gives us little options. i do not think it’s healthy from a personal standpoint (by way of stress, etc), but from what i can see, people are trying to get themselves into situations where they have better balance as i mentioned.

i hear this everyday in the job market “i just want to be happier”, or “money isn’t my driver, i need better balance so i can see my family”, etc. but what that seems to boil down to is coming home at 6 or 7pm instead of 9 or 10pm, and a pay raise to change jobs. (so more money, supposedly less work.) that doesn’t really seem like better balance to me, but to them it is. and working like that isn’t new–men were doing it in the 50’s, but now both men and women are doing it in this country.

but i’m not going to complain about consumerism, it’s good for the economy. i want people to spend themselves into oblivion. that is better than the contrary, as a true cultural crisis would be if people stopped consuming. as of now, i think we’re running stronger than ever, war and all.

when people can blow their wad of cash, or credit, things are fine in America. it’s capitalism, which is a race to be better, a competition to have, and whoever can do whatever the fastest or the best wins. that is the culture. it’s been that way since the pioneers raced horses to stake their ground out West, and it will be that way until the government regulates and taxes us to death.

the American dream was created after WWII, come home from the war, have a house, start a family, etc. it is the same vision today. except the house is bigger, both parents try to pull down over 100K, and the kids are in the best private schools they can afford. so, it’s the American Dream times two.

is it healthy? i think what is unhealthy, is not hard work, but the immediate gratification that people seek. there is little patience, people want everything now. and if they cannot afford it now, they will get credit so they can. this is the case for driving, communicating, buying things, and even relationships, etc. but impatience and instant gratification isn’t everywhere, there are pockets of smaller pace. again, smaller town America is where true American spirit lies, IMO. and sometimes small town American is where you fine true quality (like artisan crafts, music, etc, things that were originally American–craftsmanship)

as for the food, it used to mean something. it was a time for “family” and people farmed all over the country, it was a way of life. but now families are fragmented, because everyone is too busy achieving–ie, working late, going to soccer practice, whatever.

additionally, with technology and industrialization, and travel, that food isn’t farmed as much, but there is still cuisine and growing culture of fine food, wine, etc. there is a reason Starbucks is successful. people like the experience, they like the expensiveness of it.

here in Cincinnati you couldn’t find anything beyond Velveeta 20 years ago. but now there are cheese shops, etc. quality things are coming around, but it is in pockets.

and mostly the bridge between the have’s and the have nots is greater. and i blame that on taxation. the poorest people have opportunity to come up out of poverty, the rich people certainly get richer, but the middle class is in trouble.

so, no i don’t think identity is the problem. i think the problems stem from over-extension of financial situations, gross consumerism which causes people to have to work harder/better/causes more stress, and the govenment is taxing the hell out of us and regulating what we do.

that’s all.

Kitty