America has no culture, huh?

[erisi236]

You know I see that statement crop up from time to time and I swear it leaves me perplexed every time. Maybe some of our non-murrican members can shed some light on this, but why do people make this accusation?

Honestly if anything I would think that the American culture is so globally omnipresent that everyone would be sick of it as opposed to denying it's existence.

[Deleted]

I've never heard that generalization before....

[Baixo Astral]

I've never heard that... I've heard plenty about cultural imperialism, though.

[AFN: Judge Shred]

I have heard it many times, it is usually in reference to art and literature(and these days movies more and more). It is a way of belittling what taste we have, more so than the content.

[Hassan bin Sober]

We have culture and it is mimicked.

[FUNK_US/BRODUS]

Thats interesting.

Speaking as a non-American. Jazz, Rock and Roll, Denim Jeans, fast food to name a very small few would like a word.


America has a culture. Just because it isnt deep poetry and fine art, it doesnt mean its not culture.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

We just don't have as much of it to draw on as other nations, due to our youth. Much of their culture is also our culture.

Our pop culture contributions are simply to massive to be ignored though. It is probably our biggest export besides agriculture.

[Legion]

America has a culture, that culture just tends to be based around commercialism rather that art or history, so it tends to get ridiculed or looked down at.

Generally it's one of those arguments used to try and bring down America because the only thing the 'old world' (Europe) still has is it's history and the cultural identities that that history gives them, which is used to counter the modern American 'in your face, big and better' arrogant stereotype.

[Hit Girl]

The Maestro was American

Is that not culture?

[VenomFang]

When I hear that America has no culture sure places like Boston, Chicago, and New York have plenty of culture but I think they are refering to places like Orlando, FL for example. Basically places with lots of strip malls and waffle houses = no culture. If the best restaurant in your town is a KFC then I'd say yeah thats an example of lack of culture.

[Red Impact]

I've never heard that before. I've heard of people not liking American culture, but never anyone claiming that we have none.

To me, what they're really saying is that we dont' have antiquities. Every culture in the world has it's annoying pop-culture, Americans just export more. What we don't have are 2000 year old buildings and 500 year old works of art.

We have culture here, even high culture. We also have a lot of small towns with their own unique culture. Culture is simply the representation of what's important to a community, end every place has it's own. It may not all be to your liking, but it's there.

[Paco]

I like old school Country Music.
America!

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

Nov 10, 2011 14:40:49 GMT -5 Red Impact said:

I've never heard that before. I've heard of people not liking American culture, but never anyone claiming that we have none.

To me, what they're really saying is that we dont' have antiquities. Every culture in the world has it's annoying pop-culture, Americans just export more. What we don't have are 2000 year old buildings and 500 year old works of art.

We have culture here, even high culture. We also have a lot of small towns with their own unique culture. Culture is simply the representation of what's important to a community, end every place has it's own. It may not all be to your liking, but it's there.

We certainly do have a lack of appreciation for the finer arts in general though, but I'm not sure how to compare that effectively. We also have a larger rural population than most European countries I would think, and that demographic probably isn't interested in ballet or opera as a wealthy city dweller.


One might compare the amount of government funding of the arts, since that is an expression of the people (ideally). On that front, the US is laughable compared to other places.


www.osborne-conant.org/arts_funding.htm

Germany’s public arts funding, for example, allows the country to have 23 times more full-time symphony orchestras per capita than the United States, and approximately 28 times more full-time opera houses. [1] In Europe, publicly funded cultural institutions are used to educate young people and this helps to maintain a high level of interest in the arts. In America, arts education faces constant cutbacks, which helps reduce interest.


It is a very interesting article.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

I've never that, and it's a ridiculous suggestion. Musically alone the culture is boundless.

[zeez]

To any country that says that, here's what I and the rest of America say: "F*** 'em." Don't tread on us. America bitches.

[Mac]

[Cela]

I've heard it. This is still a relatively young country, and our national heroes have been pretty cobbled together. But, we have pretty much taken over the current culture and sent it to the darkest corners of the world so that sadly even pygmies know who Khloe Kardashian is.

[Shamar James]

Whenever I hear this I usually just say "Still better than your country".

[Hurbster]

This is the funniest thread ever.

[Vice honcho room temperature]

From a CM Punk GQ interview

It's (pro wrestling) truly, I believe, one of the only art forms that America has actually given to the world, besides jazz and comic books

Honestly if you want to bring up classical music, literature or art that's hundreds of years old yes the US doesn't have much of that yet but for every Shakespeare play I'm sure there is 100 plays or art from back then that was just as fluff as much of what we get today. Plus the US is so huge with so many different types of life from the farms of the heartland to the cities to southern culture its hard to pin down alot that's true all of America