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African American Culture Essay example
African American Culture
Culture is not a fixed phenomenon, nor is it the same in all places or to all people. It is relative to time, place, and particular people. Learning about
other people can help us to understand ourselves and to be better world citizens. One of the most common ways of studying culture is to focus on the
differences within and among cultures. Although their specifics may vary form one culture to another, sociologists refer to those elements or
characteristics that can be found in every know society as cultural universals. For example, in all societies, funeral rites include expression of grief,
disposing of the dead, and rituals that define the relations of the dead with the living. And on the most...show more content...
Many of our life lessons were often given by our elders in the form of stories, jokes, and the spirituals which serve often song in the fields, as well as, on
Sunday mornings. Yet, as a people, we thought it necessary to hold on these priceless teachings because it has served as the only link to our African
ancestry. African American culture is both part of and distinct from American culture. African Americans have contributed literature, agricultural skills,
foods, clothing, dance, and language to American culture. There are distinctive patterns of language use among African Americans that arose as
creative responses to the hardships imposed on the African American community. Slave–owners forced African Americans to create a language that
allowed them to communicate effectively with one another. Slaves were not allowed the opportunity to read and write because most slave owners
thought they would find a way to buy their freedom if they knew how to read and write. Significant numbers of people still speak some of the Creole
languages they used to communicate so many years ago. Agriculture and food is also a unique aspect of African American culture. The cultivation and
use of many agricultural products, such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, grits, and cotton, can be traced to African and African American influences.
African American foods reflect creative
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Essay on American Culture: Individualism
When most people think about the "American culture," images of Coca–Cola, hot dogs, baseball games, big cars and suburban mansions come to
mind. But there is a deeper side to American culture than Hollywood and Disney World. Underneath the layers of TV advertising and
hyper–consumerism, there is a cultural DNA that makes America what it is. Here is a brief look at several cultural "genes" that influence the way
Americans think and act.
Individualism
Individualism is a way of life by which a person places his or her own desires, needs, and comforts above the needs of a broader community. This does
not mean that Americans have no concern for other people, but it does mean that they give high priority to their personal ambitions. This can...show
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If a person spent 10 minutes in each store it would take 86 hours to go through the entire mall.
It's important to remember that individualism in the U.S. hasn't suffocated the American community spirit. When tragedy strikes–a natural disaster or
terrorist attack–Americans set all differences aside and pool their efforts to help one another. Americans have formed thousands of professional and
recreational associations, groups of people who bond around a common activity aimed at serving the community or just having fun. One of the best
ways to get connected with new friends is to find an activity you enjoy and join a local association.
Work: You are what you do
One of the first questions that Americans ask each other when they meet is, "So, what do you do?" This is a common question because most people
in the U.S. define who they are by the work they do. In other cultures, people might define themselves in relation to family lineage, ethnic heritage, or
religious belief. But for many people in the U.S., "you are what you do." Work is a central part of a person's identity.
Americans work more hours and have fewer vacation days than most Europeans. According to Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor, the average
American worker now spends two weeks more on the job than he or she did 20–years ago. And the average married couple's combined annual
workload is now seven weeks longer than it was just a decade ago.
Needless to say, all this work puts tremendous
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America: A Cultural Mosaic Essay
The United States is a country with a diverse existing population today; this country is known as a melting pot of different cultures, each one unique in
its own respect. Culture; differentiate one societal group from another by identification beliefs, behaviors, language, traditions, Art, fashion styles, food,
religion, politics, and economic systems. Through lifelong, ever changing processes of learning, creativity, and sharing culture shapes our patterns of
behavior as well thinking. The Culture's significance is so intense that it touches almost every aspect of who and what we are. Culture becomes the
telescope through which we perceive and evaluate what is going on around us. Trying to define the perplexing term of culture with...show more
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For instance, when someone stops by your home to visit, you ask them if they want something to eat or drink as a tradition, and if they refuse, you
have to get them something anyway. When we look at fashion as American culture, fashion precedes culture; I believe that culture has more of an
effect on fashion than vice versa, if you consider the designs themselves. For instance, Women's fashion changed a lot in the twenties. The fashion
went from young lady to more daring. The typical woman in the twenties is considered to be a brash teenage girl who no longer confined to home
and tradition. They wore short skirts and dresses exposing their body. People were shocked when women began to dress in clothes that exposed their
skin. This affected the older generation that valued respect and moral that people should not dress in public, in away to show off their body. The older
generation emphasize that the behavior and fashion of the new generation especially the women were unacceptable. The Culture as a fashion should
allow women to adhere with traditional clothing and fashions. The changing morals values towards fashion were unacceptable because women have
changed and their cloths have become a compulsion for daytime wear. They have power suits, favorite black pants, and a special shirt, something
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Essay about American Cultural Myths
The United States and cultural myths pertaining to this country have been a topic of discussion for many years. Stephanie Coontz's "The Way We Wish
We Were", David Brooks' "One Nation Slightly Divisible" and Margaret Atwood's "A Letter to America" are all essays about different American
cultural myths. Each author focuses on a different cultural myth that pertains to the United States. They explain how these myths are thwarting a
realistic view of America. As well as changing the perception of the country as a whole. The major cultural myths of America among the texts are
about "ideal families", "ideal lifestyles, and a "ideal country."
Many couples in the United States idealize the myth of a "tradition family". The idea that a woman...show more content...
Which in terms of society is called immediate family. "Seventy –four percent declaRed, instead that family is any group whose members love and care
for one another." (Coontz, 582). Therefore a "traditional family" cannot be defined, since there isn't a uniformed decision on whom and what is
consideRed "family". Since people and families are changing over time there can never be a "traditional family." However families can be
improved by "getting past abstract nostalgia for traditional family values and taking skills that have worked for past families." (Coontz, 582). The
myth of an "ideal lifestyle" is not realistic when it comes to America. David Brooks dissects the two different types of class in the United States in
which there is a Red America and a Blue America. Blue America are the big cities on the coast, while people who live in Red America reside on
farms or in small towns far away from the coast. Brooks pin points many differences between two Counties, which are included in the two different
types of America. Franklin County is labeled as Red America, while Brooks puts Montgomery County under Blue America. Although we are called the
United Nations, there is nothing united about the distinctly different lifestyles that people in these two Counties' live. Class and values are divided
between the two colors of America as well. Blue America has higher education rates, which in turn
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American Culture
1. How can an understanding of the complexities of culture help us make sense of the day–to–day world which we live? Give an example from your
life to illustrate your answer.
If we understand the complexities of the cultures around us, we can better relate to the people engaged in the other cultures. It also allows us to better
understand why others are acting the way they are. At the hospital I work at, we are taught about how others use the word "yes." For instance, I might
ask if they understand the paperwork they are signing and they will respond with "yes." However, to them the "yes" might not be an agreement with the
understanding the paperwork but they are using "yes" to be respectful. One then must clarify whether they truly understand...show more content...
The symbol $ represents an amount of money in the United States dollar.
An example of a value in the USA would baseball. In our culture, baseball is a symbol of family time and fun. In fact, it is sometimes known as
"Americas favorite pastime."
An example of a norm would be that in the South, we will sometimes talk to others in line around us at places like the grocery store. However, in the
North people keep to themselves more. People do not want to talk about the weather while standing in line to buy groceries.
A tradition found in American culture that is not found in other cultures is being engaged before you get married. While in America an engagement is
a sign of an impending marriage, in other cultures, such as that of South Korea, the sign of an impending marriage is when the significant others are
introduced to the family.
3. Anthropologists feel that holism is one of the key aspects of culture because it links together lots of things that people in other disciplines do not
routinely think about. Use an example of an object in daily life to show how it is holistically linked to other aspects of American life. (Consider, for
example, an item you may use in class– such as a book, a pencil and paper, or an iPad– to show how this item is linked to or breaks from our past but
is connected to many other things in our
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Music and the American Culture Essay
Music has played a vital role in human culture and evidence based on archaeological sites can date it back to prehistoric times. It can be traced
through almost all civilizations in one form or another. As time has progressed so has the music and the influences it has on people. Music is an
important part of popular culture throughout the world, but it is especially popular in the United States. The music industry here is, and has been, a
multi–million dollar business that continues to play an important role in American popular culture. This is also a art form and business that is forever
changing as the times and more importantly, technology changes. Technology has changed the way music is made as well as how it is produced,...show
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Many see it as a catchy rap song with a good beat, but the actual message it portrays would have many listeners and parents disgusted. The basic
message of this song is that Fat Joe and Lil Wayne like to throw stacks of money at strippers and make it look like its raining in the club, hence the
title of the song. These rappers are portraying the lifestyles of young, rich, defiant rap artists. A portion of the lyrics in the chorus are, "Got a handful
of stacks better grab an umbrella.
I make it rain, I make it rain (Oh), Make it rain on them hoes". This chorus is repeated multiple times throughout the entire song. This type of
message and song does not fit in with the messages, goals, values and beliefs of the feminists movement and we see a clash between the music
industry, specifically rap music, and the feminist movement before and after this song. Since the beginning of its art form rap music has been subject
to scrutiny throughout its existence. In a Theresa Martinez reading from the semester, the author describes rap music as a resistance. She builds on a
theory of oppositional culture that was composed by Bonnie Mitchell and Joe Feagin (1995). In this article, "POPULAR CULTURE AS
OPPOSITIONAL CULTURE: Rap as Resistance", Martinez explains how African Americans, American Indians, and Mexican Americans draw on their
own cultural resources to resist oppression. She states that this very resistance to the dominate culture in
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Essay On Asian American Culture
Understanding of the different cultural and racial population is important for counselors to recognize and consider in counseling. Due to the various
approaches that should be taken when dealing with different cultures. Our textbook states "Counseling without attention or respect to the critical
differences of diversity will likely not be successful." (Clinton & Ohlschlager pg. 617) It is like you must put their shoes on, within the context of
culture for the counselor to be effective. For example, when dealing with Asian clients they are very likely to have intense familial relationships. This
contrasts with modern day United States American culture; our culture is centered on the self, not the us.
Some of the Cultural psychosocial issues for Asian cultures are. Stress and conflict dealing with the American view of individualism, assumptions
based upon perceived intelligence in math and science, and assimilation in to the American ideal of individualism. Furthermore, there is this wonderful
article that did marketing...show more content...
One of which is the better understanding of math and science in Asian cultures. However, at the same time the PSYC 101 saying "Correlation does
not imply causation" is forever engraved in my mind. Furthermore, some of the personal difficulties I would face when dealing with an Asian
American is. I am so far removed from that culture in Arizona, most of the culture I would have to deal with is Hispanic besides my own White
culture. I understand more about the Hispanic culture, simply because of where I was born and raised for most of my life. The understanding of
culture is extremely important to me as I am also studying to be a Theologian in Biblical text. This requires that I use hermeneutics to grasp the
cultural, political, sociological, time–gap, and many other variables to grasp the full understanding of the Biblical
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Cultural Studies and Diversity
Gina Gomes
Western Governors University
A. Introduction
We have often noticed that cultures have a tremendous impact on our psychology. It affects the way we celebrate, the way we enjoy, the way we
come up with our daily issues, and the way we try to sort out our daily issues.
Cultures provide us with the values and diversity of the world around us. It helps us perceive how people think, how people behave, eat and drink,
how people wear, what language they speak, and what festivals they celebrate (Allen & Turner, 1996). The list is endless. Hence, the thesis of this
paper will be to find out the importance of American culture and its impact on the world.
The United States of America...show more content...
The distribution of students among distinct ethnic groups has also been found consistently over the same period.
Oak Valley has about 1% of Asian students, 4% Black, 29% White, and the highest among all 66% are the Hispanic students (Jackson, 1998). Oak
Valley in the Tulare City School District has a bit higher diversity score than the average diversity score of the state.
Similarly, the language diversification is observed among the students; each of them belongs to different ethnic groups. The students are
communicating in different languages, and hence, it becomes difficult for them in group tasks or activities.
Finally, there is also diversity observed in the socioeconomic status of the students, since some of the families are with economic issues. For this
purpose, it is found that nearly 60% of the students are taking free lunches, whereas the average is around 48% in the rest of the schools.
A1a. Demographics Across the U.S.
If we compare the student: teacher ratio in Oak Valley, we find that it is around 25:1. Whereas for the rest of the other schools in the U.S. remains
around 20:1 to 22:1. The break–up of the students per ethnic groups also varies across the U.S. For example, only 1% of students belong to the Asian
group at Oak Valley. Whereas the rest of the schools in the U.S. being around 10
–15%. Similarly, 66% of the students in the given school belong to a
Hispanic group, which is larger compared to the average of 50–55% in
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Essay on The United States Culture
US CULTURE
The United States of America being the third largest country in the world with more than 315 million inhabitants, consists of multicultural societies
with ethnically diverse population. Since there are a lot of foreigners, the US culture has evolved in such a way accepting and tolerating other foreign
cultures. US is very much influenced by protestant work ethics according to which people believe in themselves and their efforts to attain the goal of
self–actualization and success. The rich diversity in the culture brought by foreigners, prevailing values of protestant ethics, hard work etc. have
helped US to emerge as a superpower in the past years. Nearly every religion had its impact on US culture in one way or the other. The...show more
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It has to do with the fact that a society's inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders
US is low in power distance which implies that there is decentralization in organization in terms of matters like decision making were suggestions
would be taken from employees. The power and authority to do things is also decentralized and distributed among employees. The gap of salary
between employee classes is bot wide unlike in countries with high power distance. This also promotes consultative relationships between superior and
employees which lead to employee satisfaction and better productivity.
2. Individualism
US has a very high score of 91 in individualism which is one among the reasons for their success. The society is loosely–knit in which the expectation
is that people look after themselves and their immediate families only and should not rely (too much) on authorities for support. Due to this high
individualism factor, employer– employee relationship is a business deal in labor market. Employees are better seen as individuals and so direct
appraisal of these individual employees often help them to improve and it promotes better output.
3. Masculinity
A high score (masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being
defined by the "winner" or "best–in–the–field". This value system starts in childhood and continues
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White American Culture Essay
"What do you think of the class's discussions on culture?"
"Well, it's a bit of a foreign idea to me, really. The town I'm from, my school was 99% white. Literally, we had two black girls and a half
–Peruvian guy
in my class of 140. So the emphasis on diversity is interesting to me, more than anything. Because I can't relate to it. I've never seen it in action, as it
were.
"A friend of mine expressed that he wouldn't marry anybody but another Korean. And of course there's been talk in class about teaching children to
speak Spanish and preserve the culture in that way. And in trying to relate to that, I look at my own family's history. I'm a quarter Polish, a quarter
Irish, a quarter Slovak, and a quarter something else. Don't even know what. Mom likes to think gypsy, but my grandmother has absolutely no idea
where her ancestors were from...show more content...
And I had to think, as they danced and sang, what would an American culture show look like? And then, what would a white American culture show
look like? You could, to some extent, put on a black American culture show with rap, jazz, and blues. And you could, in some sense, do a Hispanic
American culture show using the sort of Passion play we saw in the video (though that might be in bad taste; although the Indian dances and the
Japanese taiko drums were originally religious, too). But it would seem more pretentious and racist than anything to start putting together a European
American culture show with traditional music like Beethoven or whoever. And maypoles and whatever festivals were held in the Old Country haven't
got any connection to modern Americans. Religious traditions are really no good, we've got Gregorian chant, not dancing. But I really think "white"
culture is ultimately indistinguishable in that sense. Maybe you could point to certain outlooks on life (the boogeyman individualism) but there's
nothing that presents a visible connection in the same
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Essay on American Consumer Culture
As a country, Americans love to shop. Whether in malls, grocery stores, on the Internet, or elsewhere, the culture of buying is deeply ingrained in
American culture. Fueled largely by advertising and the current credit system, America's consumer culture is depleting our planet's finite natural
resources and polluting our environment. Consumerism has instilled in Americans an artificial, ongoing, and insatiable desire for mass–produced and
marketed products, and the money with which to buy them, with little regard to their actual usefulness or necessity. This constant desire to acquire
more possessions is poisoning the planet, as it can never be sated and thus results in the never–ending exploitation of the Earth's natural resources, and
...show more content...
One of his famous expressions is, "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the opinions of the masses is an important element in a democratic
society. It is the intelligent minorities which need to make use of propaganda continuously and systematically" ( ). The idea behind this statement has
been widely used ever since for commercial profits, through the manipulation of public opinion and the power of mass marketing.
Consumerism often causes people to identify with a product or brand on a personal level. Certain products have come to represent different levels of
society, with swankier products like muscle cars indicating high class and such products as generic "store brand" shampoo indicating low class. People
feel that they have relationships with their favorite brands and products and define themselves by what they buy and own. The mass production of
cheap products uses precious fossil fuels at an alarming rate. This has an obvious negative impact on the environment.
In her biography of North Carolinian "mountain man" Eustace Conway, Elizabeth Gilbert explains ways in which Conway rejects consumerism. He
lives self–sufficiently off of his Appalachian mountain land– making his own clothes, hunting and gathering his food, starting fires by rubbing sticks
together, bathing in icy streams, living in a
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Cultural Diversity in America Essay
America is greatly influenced and enhanced by the many versatile cultures which inhabit it. Cultural diversity has added to our economy in such a way
that it brings innovated ideas and contact structures throughout the world. International cuisines have come to America through subcultures, have
expanded the food industry, and have allowed English Americans to try new foods and flavors. Immigrants have brought with them religious values
that greatly differ and vary from those at which were natural in the main stream American culture. The educational development through foreign
nationals has led America, as a nation, to excel and be deemed one of the most intelligent nations in the world! Consequently, the subcultures have kept
our...show more content...
Foreign nationals bring with them the tastes and delights from their own country. Presently, Americans have such a wide selection of foods to choose
from including but not limited to Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Greek, Thai, and Japanese. In the agricultural industry, researchers have taken domestic
plants and bred them with international plants to create a more desirable embryonic plant which grows to have only the best characteristics of the two
plants. This idealistic technology wouldn't have been deemed possible if it wasn't subject to the vast array of cultural diversity to challenge the
standard characteristics of domestic vegetations. Along with any nation in the world, comes a variety of religions. The English founded this nation on
Christianity; however, numerous people today denounce this monotheistic belief and instead have put their faith in beliefs brought to this country by
foreigners. This assorted variety allows believers to choose a religion which better suits their beliefs and practices, and gives individuals a choice on
spiritual fulfillment in their lives. These religious beliefs combined with the democratic state of the nation have led to public displays of religious
celebration in America. Ramadan, Yom Kippur, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Cinco de Mayo, and Hanukkah have been a few of the celebrations brought to
America via immigrants. Some of the most celebrated and famous revels include St. Patrick's Day and Mardi Gras (see Figure 1 and
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American Culture Essay
One could say that America has changed all other cultures around the world. America brought the world, cars, computers and the assembly line. But
one of the most important things that "America has given all other cultures is music" (Crawford, 58). From the jazzy tunes of New Orleans to the
soulful Native American Music, they have all changed the way others due business. Without America's additions to these cultures, music would be
very different compared to the multitude of music that America has today. A lot of people have been exposed to music, whether it be on a commercial
or a music video. Music is bound to pop–up somewhere. America invented so many musical genres, beats, and lyrics that most people listen to today.
America wrote the...show more content...
According to Fleming(345), the public also believed that these elements of music could only be heard in cabaret houses and dancing was completely
forbidden. America changed these believes around the mid–19th century. The first citedjazz performances were reported by a man named Roger Prayer
Dodge. This New Yorker opened the world to this new type of music that was often low–key and unheard of. Jazz opened the doors to dancing to
music. In the past it was harder to dance to an orchestra or get your groove down to the latest church music. Base on the book of Fleming (214),
Mr. Dodge was different from other people at the time, he looked at music as music and not as something that was proper. He rose awareness to
jazz by the end of the 19th century with the death of Beethoven and the ending of a western music phase. So by then people were looking for
something new and different. By 1920 the music began to be accepted as a musical practice and Dodge had accomplished what he dreamed of doing.
Jazz spawned off into blues which spawned off with a combination of both making R&B. Jazz opened the doors for plenty of types of music and
without its inclusion many styles of music would not be around today.
America's music also served in defining people who were "commonly looked over. America incorporated many African
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Film And American Culture Essay
The relationship between film and the American culture is one, which is highly complicated and dynamic. Movie director in Hollywood are constantly
influenced by world events to create movies, which entertain, and at times shed light on certain events. Film is also an integral part of our culture
because it provides a medium, which can reflect our public's concerns, attitudes, and beliefs. This report will briefly discuss the interplay between film
and the American culture, which is represented in said film.
During the late 1940's and into the 1950's, film reflected the conservatism, which dominated the sociopolitical arenas of the time. America was at war
with the axis powers in Germany, Italy and Japan. War films during this era depicted a "we versus them" attitude. These films simply involved an
antagonist and a hero. Until the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, American films generally reflected, "the neutral, isolationist stance that prevailed in
politics and culture" (Lordbucket.org, 2012) Films like Casablanca which was directed by Michael Curtiz, painted an image of ill effects of fascism. It
also illustrated the values of heroes...show more content...
Baby boomers were expanding our country and businesses were flourishing. The 1960's presented a reactionary youth culture, which was against the
dominant institutions in America. The civil rights movement was in full effect and many of the films of this era displayed the antiestablishment
views of times. In Mike Nichol's 1967 film The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman entered into a romantic affair with the wife of his father's business partner.
Many young viewers during this era believed the film perceived the social codes established by elders of the past generation. Keeping with rebellious
attitude of America, films like Bonne and Clyde's violence provided examples of film directors testing the limits of permissible on screen material. This
generation ushered in the MPAA rating
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The Culture of Food in America Essay
The Culture of Food in America
ANT 101
Abstract
Food is an essential part of any culture and it serves to show the diversity and unique aspects of different cultural beliefs. In the United States, there are
people from diverse cultural groups and many different cultures. These groups possess unique culinary cultures, which add to diversity. This paper
explores the different cultural groups present in the United States and their traditional foods. These cultures enable us to understand the concept of
cultural diversity. The paper also explores divergence towards the "fast food" culture and its effects of the health of Americans. Two journal articles are
used to further...show more content...
Different cultures of Hispanic origin consume different types of beans with Southern Mexicans, Cubans, Venezuelans, and Central Americans using
black beans while Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Northern Mexicans use pinta beans or pinto. Hispanic Caribbean, Central, and South Americans
prefer red kidney beans, while Brazilians and Venezuelans use garbanzo or chickpeas (Devine et. al., 2002).
Native Americans Native Americans consume traditional American dishes such as crab cakes, beef barbecue, pizza, and slow cooked pork. However,
these diets emerged after being introduced by Europeans (Wellman & Friedberg, 2002). Before they came into contact with Europeans, they ate Indian
corn, squash, pumpkins, wild rice, sweet potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, papayas, avocadoes, and peanuts (Wellman & Friedberg, 2002).
General Eating Habits of the American Population Although the American population has different culinary tastes, there is a convergence towards the
culture of fast foods at present in the U.S. Many Americans have adopted an eating culture that involves consumption of fast foods in large
quantities. This has been seen as the American dietary culture and has been embraced by most cultural groups. For instance, $6 billion was spent on
fast foods in 1970, but this figure increased to $110 billion by 2000 (Wellman & Friedberg, 2002). Most of these fast foods are junk foods and they
include pizza, french fries, candy, hamburgers, hot dogs and
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Reflection On The American Culture
Reflection on Class Sources
American culture refers to the traditions and practices of the people of the United States. Culture comprises of the nature of buildings, religion, music
language and marriage. The population of the United States is more than 320 million people making it the most culturally diverse country in the globe.
Books such as Crabgrass Frontier, Manifest Destination and Muscular Christianity are important sources of information about Americanculture. This
paper is a reflection on the methods that these books use in providing information about the evolution of the US culture. The paper examines the
relationship between these three sources and ways they challenge or inform an understanding of the American society during the late 19th and early
20th century. There is an analysis of the efficiency of the issues tackled by these books in influencing the contemporary discourse surrounding American
culture. The major argument of this paper is that Crabgrass Frontier, Manifest Destination and Muscular Christianity provide reliable information about
the evolution of the US culture and they supplement each other through the use of relevant examples.
Manifest Destination uses the concepts of urbanization and tourism to explain the evolution of American culture. Gruen (2014) identifies Chicago as
the center of urbanization in the US and this attracts domestic and international tourists to the city. The intention of these tourists was to explore the
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Culture Vs American Culture Essay
Culture is defined as the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another (Staff, 2015).
Culture effects the way a person perceives, communicates and behaves in the world, what is "socially" acceptable in one culture is not necessarily
acceptable in another. Common language, gestures and signals are used to communicate within each culture and are therefore an extension of culture
and how you speak is effected by what you were taught and how you view the world. Communicating is a give and take process and it is an
experience that you share with someone.
As humans we communicate constantly, using both verbal and nonverbal communication and what we understand is determined by...show more
content...
Americans seem to not really bother with their language, while France has The Académie Française which was established in 1635 to act as the
official authority on the usages, vocabulary, and grammar of the French language, and to publish an official dictionary of the French language. Also
when leaving as store, Walmart or the local 7/11 I have to say good bye and thank you. This is a custom in France and if you don't do it the next time
you go to the local butcher, lets you know about it, I think that the Butcher or the Baker must have given me a lot of hard times as a child because try
as I might to not say thank you when leaving a store it just don't happen.
Americans are known to be familiar, you meet them once now your friends. Well for me it is not like that there are stages and boundaries and
levels of friendship and while if I know everyone I can be funny and charming if I don't I have to watch, observe, assess and learn about who I am
surrounded by. On the same note, it seems that Americans love everything and everybody, in France the word love is saved for your partner, parents,
and children everything else you can like a lot but you would never love pizza in
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The American Culture of the 1950s Essay
As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded
cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post–war era. Teenagers were starting to
become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that
was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people.
While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the...show
more content...
According to Daily Life... (Kaldin, 2000) the population of suburban areas during the 1950s had started to double from 36 million to 74 million.
This rise in suburban residents had continued from 1950 to 1970.When more families had started to move to suburban areas, they came together by
adding things such as playgrounds, libraries, and schools to the neighborhood to benefit their kids. This "flight to the suburbs" was difficult for
blacks because of the racism in society at the time. Many black people were ignored and shunned at this time in society, so it was hard for blacks to
move into suburbs knowing that they could be ridiculed in these areas because of their skin color. Once working citizens had started to receive higher
salaries, they could afford more and nicer items than they would have otherwise. According to Daily life... (Kaldin, 2000) the average working man
could buy a split–level house on display. In one year, the overage woman bought nine dresses and suits and 14 pairs of shoes. New appliances had
also been invented during the 1950s. These appliances were simple in design with basic designs that reflected a new style of European modernism.
The 1950s brought a "populux age "to America– a time when every appliance had handles or was easy to lift. Because of this, most appliances and
technology could be moved around the house. This was just one of the advances in
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African American Culture Essay Example

  • 1. African American Culture Essay example African American Culture Culture is not a fixed phenomenon, nor is it the same in all places or to all people. It is relative to time, place, and particular people. Learning about other people can help us to understand ourselves and to be better world citizens. One of the most common ways of studying culture is to focus on the differences within and among cultures. Although their specifics may vary form one culture to another, sociologists refer to those elements or characteristics that can be found in every know society as cultural universals. For example, in all societies, funeral rites include expression of grief, disposing of the dead, and rituals that define the relations of the dead with the living. And on the most...show more content... Many of our life lessons were often given by our elders in the form of stories, jokes, and the spirituals which serve often song in the fields, as well as, on Sunday mornings. Yet, as a people, we thought it necessary to hold on these priceless teachings because it has served as the only link to our African ancestry. African American culture is both part of and distinct from American culture. African Americans have contributed literature, agricultural skills, foods, clothing, dance, and language to American culture. There are distinctive patterns of language use among African Americans that arose as creative responses to the hardships imposed on the African American community. Slave–owners forced African Americans to create a language that allowed them to communicate effectively with one another. Slaves were not allowed the opportunity to read and write because most slave owners thought they would find a way to buy their freedom if they knew how to read and write. Significant numbers of people still speak some of the Creole languages they used to communicate so many years ago. Agriculture and food is also a unique aspect of African American culture. The cultivation and use of many agricultural products, such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, grits, and cotton, can be traced to African and African American influences. African American foods reflect creative Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 2. Essay on American Culture: Individualism When most people think about the "American culture," images of Coca–Cola, hot dogs, baseball games, big cars and suburban mansions come to mind. But there is a deeper side to American culture than Hollywood and Disney World. Underneath the layers of TV advertising and hyper–consumerism, there is a cultural DNA that makes America what it is. Here is a brief look at several cultural "genes" that influence the way Americans think and act. Individualism Individualism is a way of life by which a person places his or her own desires, needs, and comforts above the needs of a broader community. This does not mean that Americans have no concern for other people, but it does mean that they give high priority to their personal ambitions. This can...show more content... If a person spent 10 minutes in each store it would take 86 hours to go through the entire mall. It's important to remember that individualism in the U.S. hasn't suffocated the American community spirit. When tragedy strikes–a natural disaster or terrorist attack–Americans set all differences aside and pool their efforts to help one another. Americans have formed thousands of professional and recreational associations, groups of people who bond around a common activity aimed at serving the community or just having fun. One of the best ways to get connected with new friends is to find an activity you enjoy and join a local association. Work: You are what you do One of the first questions that Americans ask each other when they meet is, "So, what do you do?" This is a common question because most people in the U.S. define who they are by the work they do. In other cultures, people might define themselves in relation to family lineage, ethnic heritage, or religious belief. But for many people in the U.S., "you are what you do." Work is a central part of a person's identity. Americans work more hours and have fewer vacation days than most Europeans. According to Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor, the average American worker now spends two weeks more on the job than he or she did 20–years ago. And the average married couple's combined annual workload is now seven weeks longer than it was just a decade ago. Needless to say, all this work puts tremendous
  • 3. Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 4. America: A Cultural Mosaic Essay The United States is a country with a diverse existing population today; this country is known as a melting pot of different cultures, each one unique in its own respect. Culture; differentiate one societal group from another by identification beliefs, behaviors, language, traditions, Art, fashion styles, food, religion, politics, and economic systems. Through lifelong, ever changing processes of learning, creativity, and sharing culture shapes our patterns of behavior as well thinking. The Culture's significance is so intense that it touches almost every aspect of who and what we are. Culture becomes the telescope through which we perceive and evaluate what is going on around us. Trying to define the perplexing term of culture with...show more content... For instance, when someone stops by your home to visit, you ask them if they want something to eat or drink as a tradition, and if they refuse, you have to get them something anyway. When we look at fashion as American culture, fashion precedes culture; I believe that culture has more of an effect on fashion than vice versa, if you consider the designs themselves. For instance, Women's fashion changed a lot in the twenties. The fashion went from young lady to more daring. The typical woman in the twenties is considered to be a brash teenage girl who no longer confined to home and tradition. They wore short skirts and dresses exposing their body. People were shocked when women began to dress in clothes that exposed their skin. This affected the older generation that valued respect and moral that people should not dress in public, in away to show off their body. The older generation emphasize that the behavior and fashion of the new generation especially the women were unacceptable. The Culture as a fashion should allow women to adhere with traditional clothing and fashions. The changing morals values towards fashion were unacceptable because women have changed and their cloths have become a compulsion for daytime wear. They have power suits, favorite black pants, and a special shirt, something Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 5. Essay about American Cultural Myths The United States and cultural myths pertaining to this country have been a topic of discussion for many years. Stephanie Coontz's "The Way We Wish We Were", David Brooks' "One Nation Slightly Divisible" and Margaret Atwood's "A Letter to America" are all essays about different American cultural myths. Each author focuses on a different cultural myth that pertains to the United States. They explain how these myths are thwarting a realistic view of America. As well as changing the perception of the country as a whole. The major cultural myths of America among the texts are about "ideal families", "ideal lifestyles, and a "ideal country." Many couples in the United States idealize the myth of a "tradition family". The idea that a woman...show more content... Which in terms of society is called immediate family. "Seventy –four percent declaRed, instead that family is any group whose members love and care for one another." (Coontz, 582). Therefore a "traditional family" cannot be defined, since there isn't a uniformed decision on whom and what is consideRed "family". Since people and families are changing over time there can never be a "traditional family." However families can be improved by "getting past abstract nostalgia for traditional family values and taking skills that have worked for past families." (Coontz, 582). The myth of an "ideal lifestyle" is not realistic when it comes to America. David Brooks dissects the two different types of class in the United States in which there is a Red America and a Blue America. Blue America are the big cities on the coast, while people who live in Red America reside on farms or in small towns far away from the coast. Brooks pin points many differences between two Counties, which are included in the two different types of America. Franklin County is labeled as Red America, while Brooks puts Montgomery County under Blue America. Although we are called the United Nations, there is nothing united about the distinctly different lifestyles that people in these two Counties' live. Class and values are divided between the two colors of America as well. Blue America has higher education rates, which in turn Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 6. American Culture 1. How can an understanding of the complexities of culture help us make sense of the day–to–day world which we live? Give an example from your life to illustrate your answer. If we understand the complexities of the cultures around us, we can better relate to the people engaged in the other cultures. It also allows us to better understand why others are acting the way they are. At the hospital I work at, we are taught about how others use the word "yes." For instance, I might ask if they understand the paperwork they are signing and they will respond with "yes." However, to them the "yes" might not be an agreement with the understanding the paperwork but they are using "yes" to be respectful. One then must clarify whether they truly understand...show more content... The symbol $ represents an amount of money in the United States dollar. An example of a value in the USA would baseball. In our culture, baseball is a symbol of family time and fun. In fact, it is sometimes known as "Americas favorite pastime." An example of a norm would be that in the South, we will sometimes talk to others in line around us at places like the grocery store. However, in the North people keep to themselves more. People do not want to talk about the weather while standing in line to buy groceries. A tradition found in American culture that is not found in other cultures is being engaged before you get married. While in America an engagement is a sign of an impending marriage, in other cultures, such as that of South Korea, the sign of an impending marriage is when the significant others are introduced to the family. 3. Anthropologists feel that holism is one of the key aspects of culture because it links together lots of things that people in other disciplines do not routinely think about. Use an example of an object in daily life to show how it is holistically linked to other aspects of American life. (Consider, for example, an item you may use in class– such as a book, a pencil and paper, or an iPad– to show how this item is linked to or breaks from our past but is connected to many other things in our Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 7. Music and the American Culture Essay Music has played a vital role in human culture and evidence based on archaeological sites can date it back to prehistoric times. It can be traced through almost all civilizations in one form or another. As time has progressed so has the music and the influences it has on people. Music is an important part of popular culture throughout the world, but it is especially popular in the United States. The music industry here is, and has been, a multi–million dollar business that continues to play an important role in American popular culture. This is also a art form and business that is forever changing as the times and more importantly, technology changes. Technology has changed the way music is made as well as how it is produced,...show more content... Many see it as a catchy rap song with a good beat, but the actual message it portrays would have many listeners and parents disgusted. The basic message of this song is that Fat Joe and Lil Wayne like to throw stacks of money at strippers and make it look like its raining in the club, hence the title of the song. These rappers are portraying the lifestyles of young, rich, defiant rap artists. A portion of the lyrics in the chorus are, "Got a handful of stacks better grab an umbrella. I make it rain, I make it rain (Oh), Make it rain on them hoes". This chorus is repeated multiple times throughout the entire song. This type of message and song does not fit in with the messages, goals, values and beliefs of the feminists movement and we see a clash between the music industry, specifically rap music, and the feminist movement before and after this song. Since the beginning of its art form rap music has been subject to scrutiny throughout its existence. In a Theresa Martinez reading from the semester, the author describes rap music as a resistance. She builds on a theory of oppositional culture that was composed by Bonnie Mitchell and Joe Feagin (1995). In this article, "POPULAR CULTURE AS OPPOSITIONAL CULTURE: Rap as Resistance", Martinez explains how African Americans, American Indians, and Mexican Americans draw on their own cultural resources to resist oppression. She states that this very resistance to the dominate culture in Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 8. Essay On Asian American Culture Understanding of the different cultural and racial population is important for counselors to recognize and consider in counseling. Due to the various approaches that should be taken when dealing with different cultures. Our textbook states "Counseling without attention or respect to the critical differences of diversity will likely not be successful." (Clinton & Ohlschlager pg. 617) It is like you must put their shoes on, within the context of culture for the counselor to be effective. For example, when dealing with Asian clients they are very likely to have intense familial relationships. This contrasts with modern day United States American culture; our culture is centered on the self, not the us. Some of the Cultural psychosocial issues for Asian cultures are. Stress and conflict dealing with the American view of individualism, assumptions based upon perceived intelligence in math and science, and assimilation in to the American ideal of individualism. Furthermore, there is this wonderful article that did marketing...show more content... One of which is the better understanding of math and science in Asian cultures. However, at the same time the PSYC 101 saying "Correlation does not imply causation" is forever engraved in my mind. Furthermore, some of the personal difficulties I would face when dealing with an Asian American is. I am so far removed from that culture in Arizona, most of the culture I would have to deal with is Hispanic besides my own White culture. I understand more about the Hispanic culture, simply because of where I was born and raised for most of my life. The understanding of culture is extremely important to me as I am also studying to be a Theologian in Biblical text. This requires that I use hermeneutics to grasp the cultural, political, sociological, time–gap, and many other variables to grasp the full understanding of the Biblical Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 9. Cultural Studies and Diversity Gina Gomes Western Governors University A. Introduction We have often noticed that cultures have a tremendous impact on our psychology. It affects the way we celebrate, the way we enjoy, the way we come up with our daily issues, and the way we try to sort out our daily issues. Cultures provide us with the values and diversity of the world around us. It helps us perceive how people think, how people behave, eat and drink, how people wear, what language they speak, and what festivals they celebrate (Allen & Turner, 1996). The list is endless. Hence, the thesis of this paper will be to find out the importance of American culture and its impact on the world. The United States of America...show more content... The distribution of students among distinct ethnic groups has also been found consistently over the same period. Oak Valley has about 1% of Asian students, 4% Black, 29% White, and the highest among all 66% are the Hispanic students (Jackson, 1998). Oak Valley in the Tulare City School District has a bit higher diversity score than the average diversity score of the state. Similarly, the language diversification is observed among the students; each of them belongs to different ethnic groups. The students are communicating in different languages, and hence, it becomes difficult for them in group tasks or activities. Finally, there is also diversity observed in the socioeconomic status of the students, since some of the families are with economic issues. For this purpose, it is found that nearly 60% of the students are taking free lunches, whereas the average is around 48% in the rest of the schools. A1a. Demographics Across the U.S. If we compare the student: teacher ratio in Oak Valley, we find that it is around 25:1. Whereas for the rest of the other schools in the U.S. remains around 20:1 to 22:1. The break–up of the students per ethnic groups also varies across the U.S. For example, only 1% of students belong to the Asian group at Oak Valley. Whereas the rest of the schools in the U.S. being around 10 –15%. Similarly, 66% of the students in the given school belong to a Hispanic group, which is larger compared to the average of 50–55% in Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 10. Essay on The United States Culture US CULTURE The United States of America being the third largest country in the world with more than 315 million inhabitants, consists of multicultural societies with ethnically diverse population. Since there are a lot of foreigners, the US culture has evolved in such a way accepting and tolerating other foreign cultures. US is very much influenced by protestant work ethics according to which people believe in themselves and their efforts to attain the goal of self–actualization and success. The rich diversity in the culture brought by foreigners, prevailing values of protestant ethics, hard work etc. have helped US to emerge as a superpower in the past years. Nearly every religion had its impact on US culture in one way or the other. The...show more content... It has to do with the fact that a society's inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders US is low in power distance which implies that there is decentralization in organization in terms of matters like decision making were suggestions would be taken from employees. The power and authority to do things is also decentralized and distributed among employees. The gap of salary between employee classes is bot wide unlike in countries with high power distance. This also promotes consultative relationships between superior and employees which lead to employee satisfaction and better productivity. 2. Individualism US has a very high score of 91 in individualism which is one among the reasons for their success. The society is loosely–knit in which the expectation is that people look after themselves and their immediate families only and should not rely (too much) on authorities for support. Due to this high individualism factor, employer– employee relationship is a business deal in labor market. Employees are better seen as individuals and so direct appraisal of these individual employees often help them to improve and it promotes better output. 3. Masculinity A high score (masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the "winner" or "best–in–the–field". This value system starts in childhood and continues Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 11. White American Culture Essay "What do you think of the class's discussions on culture?" "Well, it's a bit of a foreign idea to me, really. The town I'm from, my school was 99% white. Literally, we had two black girls and a half –Peruvian guy in my class of 140. So the emphasis on diversity is interesting to me, more than anything. Because I can't relate to it. I've never seen it in action, as it were. "A friend of mine expressed that he wouldn't marry anybody but another Korean. And of course there's been talk in class about teaching children to speak Spanish and preserve the culture in that way. And in trying to relate to that, I look at my own family's history. I'm a quarter Polish, a quarter Irish, a quarter Slovak, and a quarter something else. Don't even know what. Mom likes to think gypsy, but my grandmother has absolutely no idea where her ancestors were from...show more content... And I had to think, as they danced and sang, what would an American culture show look like? And then, what would a white American culture show look like? You could, to some extent, put on a black American culture show with rap, jazz, and blues. And you could, in some sense, do a Hispanic American culture show using the sort of Passion play we saw in the video (though that might be in bad taste; although the Indian dances and the Japanese taiko drums were originally religious, too). But it would seem more pretentious and racist than anything to start putting together a European American culture show with traditional music like Beethoven or whoever. And maypoles and whatever festivals were held in the Old Country haven't got any connection to modern Americans. Religious traditions are really no good, we've got Gregorian chant, not dancing. But I really think "white" culture is ultimately indistinguishable in that sense. Maybe you could point to certain outlooks on life (the boogeyman individualism) but there's nothing that presents a visible connection in the same Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 12. Essay on American Consumer Culture As a country, Americans love to shop. Whether in malls, grocery stores, on the Internet, or elsewhere, the culture of buying is deeply ingrained in American culture. Fueled largely by advertising and the current credit system, America's consumer culture is depleting our planet's finite natural resources and polluting our environment. Consumerism has instilled in Americans an artificial, ongoing, and insatiable desire for mass–produced and marketed products, and the money with which to buy them, with little regard to their actual usefulness or necessity. This constant desire to acquire more possessions is poisoning the planet, as it can never be sated and thus results in the never–ending exploitation of the Earth's natural resources, and ...show more content... One of his famous expressions is, "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the opinions of the masses is an important element in a democratic society. It is the intelligent minorities which need to make use of propaganda continuously and systematically" ( ). The idea behind this statement has been widely used ever since for commercial profits, through the manipulation of public opinion and the power of mass marketing. Consumerism often causes people to identify with a product or brand on a personal level. Certain products have come to represent different levels of society, with swankier products like muscle cars indicating high class and such products as generic "store brand" shampoo indicating low class. People feel that they have relationships with their favorite brands and products and define themselves by what they buy and own. The mass production of cheap products uses precious fossil fuels at an alarming rate. This has an obvious negative impact on the environment. In her biography of North Carolinian "mountain man" Eustace Conway, Elizabeth Gilbert explains ways in which Conway rejects consumerism. He lives self–sufficiently off of his Appalachian mountain land– making his own clothes, hunting and gathering his food, starting fires by rubbing sticks together, bathing in icy streams, living in a Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 13. Cultural Diversity in America Essay America is greatly influenced and enhanced by the many versatile cultures which inhabit it. Cultural diversity has added to our economy in such a way that it brings innovated ideas and contact structures throughout the world. International cuisines have come to America through subcultures, have expanded the food industry, and have allowed English Americans to try new foods and flavors. Immigrants have brought with them religious values that greatly differ and vary from those at which were natural in the main stream American culture. The educational development through foreign nationals has led America, as a nation, to excel and be deemed one of the most intelligent nations in the world! Consequently, the subcultures have kept our...show more content... Foreign nationals bring with them the tastes and delights from their own country. Presently, Americans have such a wide selection of foods to choose from including but not limited to Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Greek, Thai, and Japanese. In the agricultural industry, researchers have taken domestic plants and bred them with international plants to create a more desirable embryonic plant which grows to have only the best characteristics of the two plants. This idealistic technology wouldn't have been deemed possible if it wasn't subject to the vast array of cultural diversity to challenge the standard characteristics of domestic vegetations. Along with any nation in the world, comes a variety of religions. The English founded this nation on Christianity; however, numerous people today denounce this monotheistic belief and instead have put their faith in beliefs brought to this country by foreigners. This assorted variety allows believers to choose a religion which better suits their beliefs and practices, and gives individuals a choice on spiritual fulfillment in their lives. These religious beliefs combined with the democratic state of the nation have led to public displays of religious celebration in America. Ramadan, Yom Kippur, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Cinco de Mayo, and Hanukkah have been a few of the celebrations brought to America via immigrants. Some of the most celebrated and famous revels include St. Patrick's Day and Mardi Gras (see Figure 1 and Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 14. American Culture Essay One could say that America has changed all other cultures around the world. America brought the world, cars, computers and the assembly line. But one of the most important things that "America has given all other cultures is music" (Crawford, 58). From the jazzy tunes of New Orleans to the soulful Native American Music, they have all changed the way others due business. Without America's additions to these cultures, music would be very different compared to the multitude of music that America has today. A lot of people have been exposed to music, whether it be on a commercial or a music video. Music is bound to pop–up somewhere. America invented so many musical genres, beats, and lyrics that most people listen to today. America wrote the...show more content... According to Fleming(345), the public also believed that these elements of music could only be heard in cabaret houses and dancing was completely forbidden. America changed these believes around the mid–19th century. The first citedjazz performances were reported by a man named Roger Prayer Dodge. This New Yorker opened the world to this new type of music that was often low–key and unheard of. Jazz opened the doors to dancing to music. In the past it was harder to dance to an orchestra or get your groove down to the latest church music. Base on the book of Fleming (214), Mr. Dodge was different from other people at the time, he looked at music as music and not as something that was proper. He rose awareness to jazz by the end of the 19th century with the death of Beethoven and the ending of a western music phase. So by then people were looking for something new and different. By 1920 the music began to be accepted as a musical practice and Dodge had accomplished what he dreamed of doing. Jazz spawned off into blues which spawned off with a combination of both making R&B. Jazz opened the doors for plenty of types of music and without its inclusion many styles of music would not be around today. America's music also served in defining people who were "commonly looked over. America incorporated many African Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 15. Film And American Culture Essay The relationship between film and the American culture is one, which is highly complicated and dynamic. Movie director in Hollywood are constantly influenced by world events to create movies, which entertain, and at times shed light on certain events. Film is also an integral part of our culture because it provides a medium, which can reflect our public's concerns, attitudes, and beliefs. This report will briefly discuss the interplay between film and the American culture, which is represented in said film. During the late 1940's and into the 1950's, film reflected the conservatism, which dominated the sociopolitical arenas of the time. America was at war with the axis powers in Germany, Italy and Japan. War films during this era depicted a "we versus them" attitude. These films simply involved an antagonist and a hero. Until the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, American films generally reflected, "the neutral, isolationist stance that prevailed in politics and culture" (Lordbucket.org, 2012) Films like Casablanca which was directed by Michael Curtiz, painted an image of ill effects of fascism. It also illustrated the values of heroes...show more content... Baby boomers were expanding our country and businesses were flourishing. The 1960's presented a reactionary youth culture, which was against the dominant institutions in America. The civil rights movement was in full effect and many of the films of this era displayed the antiestablishment views of times. In Mike Nichol's 1967 film The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman entered into a romantic affair with the wife of his father's business partner. Many young viewers during this era believed the film perceived the social codes established by elders of the past generation. Keeping with rebellious attitude of America, films like Bonne and Clyde's violence provided examples of film directors testing the limits of permissible on screen material. This generation ushered in the MPAA rating Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 16. The Culture of Food in America Essay The Culture of Food in America ANT 101 Abstract Food is an essential part of any culture and it serves to show the diversity and unique aspects of different cultural beliefs. In the United States, there are people from diverse cultural groups and many different cultures. These groups possess unique culinary cultures, which add to diversity. This paper explores the different cultural groups present in the United States and their traditional foods. These cultures enable us to understand the concept of cultural diversity. The paper also explores divergence towards the "fast food" culture and its effects of the health of Americans. Two journal articles are used to further...show more content... Different cultures of Hispanic origin consume different types of beans with Southern Mexicans, Cubans, Venezuelans, and Central Americans using black beans while Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Northern Mexicans use pinta beans or pinto. Hispanic Caribbean, Central, and South Americans prefer red kidney beans, while Brazilians and Venezuelans use garbanzo or chickpeas (Devine et. al., 2002). Native Americans Native Americans consume traditional American dishes such as crab cakes, beef barbecue, pizza, and slow cooked pork. However, these diets emerged after being introduced by Europeans (Wellman & Friedberg, 2002). Before they came into contact with Europeans, they ate Indian corn, squash, pumpkins, wild rice, sweet potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, papayas, avocadoes, and peanuts (Wellman & Friedberg, 2002). General Eating Habits of the American Population Although the American population has different culinary tastes, there is a convergence towards the culture of fast foods at present in the U.S. Many Americans have adopted an eating culture that involves consumption of fast foods in large quantities. This has been seen as the American dietary culture and has been embraced by most cultural groups. For instance, $6 billion was spent on fast foods in 1970, but this figure increased to $110 billion by 2000 (Wellman & Friedberg, 2002). Most of these fast foods are junk foods and they include pizza, french fries, candy, hamburgers, hot dogs and Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 17. Reflection On The American Culture Reflection on Class Sources American culture refers to the traditions and practices of the people of the United States. Culture comprises of the nature of buildings, religion, music language and marriage. The population of the United States is more than 320 million people making it the most culturally diverse country in the globe. Books such as Crabgrass Frontier, Manifest Destination and Muscular Christianity are important sources of information about Americanculture. This paper is a reflection on the methods that these books use in providing information about the evolution of the US culture. The paper examines the relationship between these three sources and ways they challenge or inform an understanding of the American society during the late 19th and early 20th century. There is an analysis of the efficiency of the issues tackled by these books in influencing the contemporary discourse surrounding American culture. The major argument of this paper is that Crabgrass Frontier, Manifest Destination and Muscular Christianity provide reliable information about the evolution of the US culture and they supplement each other through the use of relevant examples. Manifest Destination uses the concepts of urbanization and tourism to explain the evolution of American culture. Gruen (2014) identifies Chicago as the center of urbanization in the US and this attracts domestic and international tourists to the city. The intention of these tourists was to explore the Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 18. Culture Vs American Culture Essay Culture is defined as the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another (Staff, 2015). Culture effects the way a person perceives, communicates and behaves in the world, what is "socially" acceptable in one culture is not necessarily acceptable in another. Common language, gestures and signals are used to communicate within each culture and are therefore an extension of culture and how you speak is effected by what you were taught and how you view the world. Communicating is a give and take process and it is an experience that you share with someone. As humans we communicate constantly, using both verbal and nonverbal communication and what we understand is determined by...show more content... Americans seem to not really bother with their language, while France has The AcadГ©mie FranГ§aise which was established in 1635 to act as the official authority on the usages, vocabulary, and grammar of the French language, and to publish an official dictionary of the French language. Also when leaving as store, Walmart or the local 7/11 I have to say good bye and thank you. This is a custom in France and if you don't do it the next time you go to the local butcher, lets you know about it, I think that the Butcher or the Baker must have given me a lot of hard times as a child because try as I might to not say thank you when leaving a store it just don't happen. Americans are known to be familiar, you meet them once now your friends. Well for me it is not like that there are stages and boundaries and levels of friendship and while if I know everyone I can be funny and charming if I don't I have to watch, observe, assess and learn about who I am surrounded by. On the same note, it seems that Americans love everything and everybody, in France the word love is saved for your partner, parents, and children everything else you can like a lot but you would never love pizza in Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 19. The American Culture of the 1950s Essay As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post–war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people. While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the...show more content... According to Daily Life... (Kaldin, 2000) the population of suburban areas during the 1950s had started to double from 36 million to 74 million. This rise in suburban residents had continued from 1950 to 1970.When more families had started to move to suburban areas, they came together by adding things such as playgrounds, libraries, and schools to the neighborhood to benefit their kids. This "flight to the suburbs" was difficult for blacks because of the racism in society at the time. Many black people were ignored and shunned at this time in society, so it was hard for blacks to move into suburbs knowing that they could be ridiculed in these areas because of their skin color. Once working citizens had started to receive higher salaries, they could afford more and nicer items than they would have otherwise. According to Daily life... (Kaldin, 2000) the average working man could buy a split–level house on display. In one year, the overage woman bought nine dresses and suits and 14 pairs of shoes. New appliances had also been invented during the 1950s. These appliances were simple in design with basic designs that reflected a new style of European modernism. The 1950s brought a "populux age "to America– a time when every appliance had handles or was easy to lift. Because of this, most appliances and technology could be moved around the house. This was just one of the advances in Get more content on HelpWriting.net