american culture from an outsiders perspective

If you want a second soda in a place like Paris, for example, be prepared to dole out some extra cash. Marketing companies that work from outside of your company bring a fresh perspective that doesn't exist from within your company. Their approach is different from ours we do it because we care about others, they do it because they get tips they were raised that way." Eggs are a universal delicacy, but outside of the U.S., they are seldom stored in the fridge. (She believed) that the people's voice should be heard." A journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. paper from an anthropological perspective. Through this process, Asian American parents can be transformed themselves, and maybe shift their own conceptions of education towards the one I hold and do their part in encouraging a cultural shift that will benefit future generations, as this new conception of education becomes the one that is passed down. The only way to properly do this is to be comfortable, because why relax when you could relax? -- Nionvox, and extreme violence/gore is considered normal, and shown regularly on TV. We should not ethnocentrically impose our own beliefs and opinions, which are products of our own enculturation. I mean, for the love of our sacredly majestic Bald Eagle, apple pie isnt even American! 48-49). - B.S. - Ayumi Takeoka, 41, housewife, Tokyo, First published on August 4, 2016 / 5:32 PM. The Internet has changed that. - Antara Rao, 18, economics student, New Delhi, "(America) welcomes all different races." We have black, asians, white, hispanics, indians just to name of few and yet we don't have massive in fighting between races or religions. At another moment, she sits beside an 11-year-old as he plays the game, asking him, simply enough, what he likes in it. The small and thin trees with exposed branches are often not given a second look and are left with the person selling the trees. -- Source, Amount of cheese Americans can intake at a time. A thread on Reddit asks the question: Non-Americans of reddit, what aspect of American culture strikes you as the strangest? There are few countries in which you'll encounter a billboard or bus ad for a divorce attorney or see several personal injury spots while watching half an hour of daytime TV. Ethnocentrism either restricts us to clear-cut, static, homogenous definitions of us-and-them, or . Old charges of Al Jazeeras giving a platform to Islamists resurfaced. To begin, Ill stick with the positives. First off, there are a variety of flavors, from White Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, Mint, Caramel and the list goes on. When Al Jazeera becomes a major U.S. cable channel, as it plans, some Americans are likely to click past it, recalling the alleged anti-American tone by the pan-Arab network during the Iraq war a decade ago, CNN wrote in a not atypical comment. The fish fry, a long-established Friday staple during Lent, is roaring back from COVID with an assist from something decidedly newfangled: an interactive map built by local volunteer coders that points the way to scores of churches, fire halls and other places that offer battered and breaded seafood for the taking. Money rules everything. But there is an ideology that unites them all." So that finally, outsiders will feel they belong. Upon graduating secondary school, many Americans choose colleges and universities outside of and often far from their hometowns. cultural frames of reference" and "learn to step outside of their own thinking in order to examine it and also to acknowledge others' thinking" (pp. Nacirema, that exotic, far-off place where people do strange things is one of the best ways to help students look at Americanculture as an observer rather than as the standard by which all other cultures should be compared. The paper, written by University of Chicago trained anthropologist Horace Miner was originally published in 1956. - Christopher Darroch, 39, actor, Toronto, "Capitalism. They rip up all of the paper covering the boxes, and leave a mess on the floor. DESCRIBE THE COUNTRY AS YOU SEE IT: "The first word that comes to mind when I hear the word America is 'Arrogance.' But, I digress. What is even more confusing is that these items in the boxes are often not kept. These wires are attached to a side of the house and only come on at night. One of the hardest (or at least most expensive) things about being an outsider traveling in the United States is tipping. They simply don't see us as their equal but we are. As is tradition. If not, think of a country or place where youve always wanted to go, and become aware of the images your mind creates when you think of this place and its people. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Obviously (the people) don't have much to do with the government's political decisions but I do think that it is a big, powerful country that has always tried to dominate countries it doesn't favor." To find out, I thought that I should get a view from the outside of the proverbial white picket fenced, good ol Murican home. Lastly, the best part is the toppings. if( 'moc.enilnoefiltseb' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { Now, I am not saying that America doesnt have its own cultural cues and certain ways that we act that makes us unique. This I do not know. . In many instances, the name of a coin will tell you something about how much it's worth. Once the tree is inside, for some reason they put it in the center of the room, and proceed to decorate it with various gaudy balls and gems on strings. Here are 33 "normal" customs and habits in the U.S. that weird out the rest of the world. Americans love their red, white, and blueeven when it's not the Fourth of July or Veterans' Day. Andersen, Margaret L. and Taylor, Howard F. 2008. All Rights Reserved. It was reported to me that the ritual consists of inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth, along with certain magical powders, and then moving the bundle in a highly formalized series of gestures., Now without the photo below (but maybe skewed by the photo above) and in the context of the rest of the paper, many students do not recognize this as our daily habit of brushing our teeth. The beliefs, customs, art, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time. The Reddit user NoDownvotesPlease said: "That was the weirdest one for me. In most European countries, service fees are included in the price of a meal, and tips don't usually go above 8 to 12 percent. In America, the letter Z is, well, zee. Okay, so besides us Americans in general, what about the other stuff, like our food, drink and entertainment? Miner gives an insight on the Nacireman people, which he describes in his essay as an unknown tribe, and the completing of the Nacireman's magical beliefs . It is especially hard for an outsider to gain access to certain private rituals, which may be important for understanding a culture. A European, on the other hand, "will launch into a monologue about their health and wellbeing and ask [how are you?] cota main grandstand; chocolate pudding with 2 percent milk What identifies an American? (New York: Penguin . The etic perspective is data gathering by outsiders that yield questions posed by outsiders. They must be of some great importance or have some great wisdom, which allows them the honor of completing this task. In most other countries, you take the time to at least park the car and walk through the front doors of the place you're patronizingnot in America, though! The most peculiar act, however, has yet to be done. I think it comes from two places: sports, and a sense of community. The Americans are more of a tipper, good tippers. Hinton's young adult novel The Outsiders, stereotyping is a significant issue. We dream of America and they dream about Europe. For example, 84% of those ages 18 to 29 in Taiwan hold this view . An Outsider Looks at Life in America. WHAT IS THE FIRST THOUGHT THAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD "AMERICA"? Anyone can read what you share. Foreigners are constantly baffled by the volume of stuff Americans seem to think they need, and superstores are a perfect encapsulation of this strange sentiment. Search CNNs Web site on the subject, and the links almost invariably carry you to content about beleaguered places like Madagascar. To me a pumpkin spice coffee is so strange!-- TallGrass2, dressing up young girls in short skirts and getting them to dance around and cheer on young men strikes me as odd preparetodobattle, I work at a summer camp and there is nothing funnier than watching the international counselors be totally weirded out by the flag ceremony we have every morning/evening (5-7 camper colorguard raises flag, salutes, 60-90 people recite pledge and girl scout promise in unison, we turn on our heels and file out silently in the morning, in the evening we fold the flag, sing taps, turn on our heels and file out silently to dinner) izzielosthermind, Eating/drinking coffee as you go, to me the best part of eating is sitting down, talking, and relaxing tallgrass2, I know this does not apply to everyone but your attachment to your college/university AFTER you have left. Shopping malls, meals, people, cars. It's the many electronics we have the bridge in San Francisco." Cultural relativism is not the same as moral relativism, however. We in Europe have smaller things What I liked when I was over there was the service level, it was very high. Therapists say it can damage your connection. As we said before, Americans live by the phrase, "The more, the merrier!". All of them wear shorts." If we ask for a high price, they don't bargain. the culture being studied such that he/she can blend his/her etic (outsider) perspective with the emic (insider) perspective of the society being studied. For those who are used to a more leisurely meal with little interruption, all of those check-ins and the waiter's eagerness to bring the bill can be a bit grating. In the process, the new Pittsburgh is helping point the way to the old. Now without the photo below (but maybe skewed by the photo above) and in the context of the rest of the paper, many students do not recognize this as our daily habit of brushing our teeth. Foreigners might not realize right off the bat that those soft-focus commercials featuring happy couples prancing through corn fields are advertising medications for diabetes and back pain. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anthropologists conduct their research in the field with the species, civilization, or groups of people they are studying. This will make any chill session that much more enjoyable. Consider that it was written directly from the perspective of a teenager - experiencing life and writing about it. Loudness. She does a great job of describing the US rituals of the Christian holiday, Christmas. 1. By looking at our own cultures as outsiders we can see that we are under the same influence of the power of culture as others are. So when it is too cold for an ice cream party, you can have a hot chocolate party instead! Here, we're far too busy to waste time, so we have drive-through restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, liquor stores, and more. var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest(); WHAT MAKES AMERICANS AMERICAN? The spectacle of the Tupinamb men in the French court, as described by Montaigne, could be said to be an instance of "reverse colonization," a phenomenon in which those who embarked in a colonial . For example, the view of Northpolians regarding Acimerans is an etic perspective. Why have an 8-ounce steak when you can have a 20-ounce one? Mehta, 34, health insurance worker, New Delhi, "America is a land of opportunities. I'm sure you have left over hot chocolate from November and December, so it's time to finish them off. They are big and loud and they are in charge of everything." Persons from religious perspectives other than Christianity, which emphasizes "individual salvation," may see the individual as equal to all living things, as on a journey toward individual fulfillment, or even as . There's an undercurrent of savagery and violence waiting to be expressed on a grand scale it seems, and I believe it's because American culture is unwittingly pushing for complete atomization of society, people can no longer rely on the elite for virtuous principles and leadership, and that people are starting to realize that . While many Americans feel their nation is divided as never before, a sampling of the rest of the world reflects a more charitable view. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); The book is about observing American culture from an outsider's perspective, and comparing it to other cultures from across the globe. For a country that's the center of the global economy, America's currency is pretty dull. Reducto_Absurdum, Americans are obsessed with straight, white teeth. But, besides the Willy Wonka level of sugar, we use a substantial amount of cheese in everything. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.". The point is that we have many amazing things in this country, but how much of it is concretely ours? People also stop and like to gather around the tree and gaze at it. Such houses, I have observed, draw peoples eyes as they pass by. Al Jazeera America, since going on air on Aug. 20, has worked hard to fight off suggestions of foreignness. But to watch Al Jazeera Americas reports is to discover that the truth lies somewhere in between these visions the network as fundamentally foreign versus the network as all-American. "Sometimes I enjoy ordering freakishly large things over hereit turns consumption into tourism and makes me feel as though I'm at a carnival. What may feel totally normal to Americans is often far from it for outsiders. Bestlifeonline.com is part of the Meredith Health Group, Saying "how are you?" In cultural anthropology, our fieldwork is referred to as ethnography, which is both the process and result of cultural anthropological research. When first reading this analysis, it is not easy to recognize that Miner is talking about American's culture. When a store clerk or acquaintance in America asks, "How are you doing?" Coming from the UK where a university is used to gain your degree then its a case of thanks for the piss ups, bye! The United States of America serves as the global symbol of 'madness' and 'non-stop chaos' in the best and worst ways possible. Families also make sure they get a hold of a rather sizable green tree, butthey go outside of their property to find such a tree. If you're a member of B, then . Not sure whether I actually am ready to move there because it must be a tough country to live in. I hate to put even more pressure on . From our portions to our PTO, here's where we differ from the rest of the world. Ck14, 11. navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); I threw dirt, I threw stones. - Ksenia Smertova, 21, student, Moscow, "America? An odd ritual occurs the night right before Christmas: children hang socks above a structure that houses a fire although they look far too large to be anyones sock. Then they leave hard biscuits shaped like men and a cup of milk out next to the tree. xhr.send(payload); She was a happy person, better than my Chinese roommate there were three of us in the room. Where unity and selflessness or altruism are valued traits in collectivist cultures, independence and . And it's a country with quite advanced technology industries. In fact, Al Jazeera may represent something quite new in the business (though not unprecedented): the foreign gaze for domestic consumption. Adam Schubak Partnerships Editor Adam is a writer based out of New . Boy was I wrong. All the pomp and circumstance surrounding prom, I have cousins who live in the US and just hearing about the number of hoops they had to jump through to ask someone to a dance is hilarious. . Cushman (2009) used an active learning methodology to explore minority students' insider knowledge and make outsiders aware of their lack of knowledge relative to No, this isn't the standard bottle of wine in the States, but it's a common sight at any American supermarket or wine store and something you'd rarely encounter in the wine countries of the world like Italy or France. Why go Tall when a Venti is just a dollar more? Although the insight of an outsider can clearly observe another's culture, I do not agree with him or her criticizing it as if it is his or her own country. Many said they found it to be one of the weirdest things about being in the US. OR WHAT IDENTIFIES AS AMERICAN TO YOU? While I thought this over, I also began to think of why people, myself especially, are so enthralled with other countries. - Liu Xiaodan, 30, hotel manager, Beijing, "America is a country that produces a massive amount of cultural output such as Hollywood movies, music and many other (forms of) entertainment." From the exotic to the ancient, and to the high end cities of the world, we are obsessed. While other countries boast colorful bills with cultural figures, the U.S. seems determined to keep their barely-green dollars as unexciting and indistinguishable as possible. Not only did the geography of precontact America persist, but both the new arrivals and the indigenous inhabitants long retained their respective general characteristics, and it was the fit between . What we know so far about the Chinese spy balloon and other objects shot down by U.S. 3Peter N. Carroll and David W. Noble, The Free and the Unfree: A Progressive History of the United States, 3rd ed. That's because, in America, we put our eggs through a rigorous washing process (which actually isn't even necessary) that removes the egg's protective layer, so harmful bacteria can get in if we don't refrigerate the eggs. We like to eat when we like to eatand if that means going to Denny's at 3 a.m., so be it. Suppose we have two cultures in presence. - Christopher Darroch, 39, actor, Toronto, "I was stunned to see how big everything is over there. They were floored (and clogged probably) -- Marcvsgrippa, Pumpkin flavored things, pumpkin is a vegetable yet it is always in seasonal items in combination with sweet flavors. One problem that anthropologists may run in to is that people tend to act differently when they are being observed. Figure 1.6. - Kenni Friis, 28, computer technology student, Copenhagen, Denmark, "They're generous. [], Your email address will not be published. People are nice but superficial. It has been seen as the land of plenty, freedom and equality where Indian migrants could head behemoths like Google, Microsoft and Pepsi, and a South African could capture the imagination with an electric car. Do people of different nationalities and tongues think of our star spangled flag and hyper-patriotism? We don't know what lemonade is: In many countries, lemonade is not the iconic sugary drink that American kids sell at stands in summer. Through this exercise, students hopefully see both their own and other cultures in a new light one that understands how we are all so embedded in a culture that it is difficult not to see dramatically different rituals as exotic or weird. By the time you've been inside an American establishment in the summertime for just 10 minutes, you'll be freezing cold and eager to get back out into the sweltering sun. You have your hot chocolate made, playlist downloaded, movie set and books chosen. It has gone beyond the usual New York-Washington presence of overseas networks, with plans for bureaus in Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Detroit; Los Angeles; Miami; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans; San Francisco; and Seattle. "My one piece of American culinary advice: order the medium," one New Zealander wrote in a piece for Stuff. "Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is . 600 Words3 Pages. I had a friend who drove for 16 hours to visit family for the weekend . I explained it was a joke, I was from Canada. I prefer it here. jdavem, The way its often described to me is that Americans have a very "open mind", and that we can handle having a lot of different people around, even when we don't agree. - Zhila Gudzueva, university lecturer, Moscow, "My definition of Americans is those who are cheerful, friendly and willing to communicate." Individualism vs. Collectivism. Works Cited. This story deals with issues that are very close to the hearts of teens, whether in the 1960s when this book was written or today. One of the reasons why we see so much of servers in the States is because they are constantly refilling customers' water glasses. [] detailed search help you gain a new perspective on the Nacirema people. While every region of the United States has its own quirks and identity, there are also certain customs that are commonplace nationwide. Stay up to date with what you want to know. From an etic perspective, American practices probably seem just as strange or unusual to outsiders as other cultural practices sometimes appear to us before we understand the cultural context behind them. The foreign gaze makes Al Jazeera America treat nothing as obvious. One child was given a circle with a hole in it, which was in a rectangular case, and he put this circle into a box and proceeded to stare at the screen and hold a device attached to the box by a wire. } Anyone can have a good idea, so you could expect the distribution of U.S. patents to resemble the demographics of the workplace. teach well, it matters. Is this not a national travesty? The following is an excerpt from one of the excellent papers I received from a student, Emily Ong (used with her permission). Required fields are marked *. I dont wear any shoes that I cant run in, she said. The background. The Greek term "ethno" refers to people, and "graphy" refers to writing. There's the American way and then there's everybody else. fawkesandthehound. Whether you're heading into a bar or buying a six-pack at the grocery store, there's a good chance you'll be asked for your ID in the United Stateseven if you're well into your 50s. To be fair, most Americans don't either. I believe they should understand the values that we have as Arabs, embrace them and try to go to a more local level to comprehend why we think and why we live the way we live." It has hired big-name stars, including Soledad OBrien and Ali Velshi, from American networks. "hey would you like to come and get bruised with me doing some fast dances to violins?" 1 - A Chinese woman with her feet unbound. northern resident killer whale catalogue; incredibox character creator; peugeot 3008 panoramic roof problems. when we mean "hello", Carding people who are obviously not under 21, Shopping at pharmacies that are mini shopping malls, And prescription drug makers that advertise, Pronouncing the last letter of the alphabet as "zee". They are also unified in the sense that the dream isn't really a real thing anymore. While I dont think its exactly a secret that a stereotype of Americans portrays us as arrogant, ignorant, loud and so on. But when Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based television empire that has long broadcast to . An etic view of a culture is the perspective of an outsider looking in. AMS 111: American Culture, Values and Traditions: American Outsiders Section D301 T-Th., 12:30-1:45, Carman Hall, Room 233 Instructor: Kathleen Brennan Kathleen.Brennan@lehman.cuny.edu, Kbrennan@gc.cuny.edu Office hours: Tuesdays, 3:30 - 4:30, Room 292 Google Documents: Sign In: LehmanAMS111@gmail.com Password: Carman233 This course is designed to investigate issues of American citizenship . - B.S. In every public surveyed - including the U.S. - people ages 18 to 29 are more likely than those ages 65 and older to rate U.S. entertainment as above average or the best. - Gennelyn Escopete, 33, DVD street vendor, Manila, Philippines, "There is a lot of misconception about their politics. This works in making work more enjoyable too. As well as supporting your college as an alumni. You see, I even have two iPhones." African . Americans are also seen from afar as generous tippers, friendly, uncomplicated, rich and the standard bearers of freedom, equality, creativity and technological power. Americans love their free refills. While many love how so patriotic we are as a people, some, to be blunt, find it a bit creepy. Cheese is life people. I can imagine that persons evaluation would be something like the following: During this holiday called Christmas, families take great care to ensure that they decorate their houses and various shrubs with wires. I read on several different forum sites how things such as the pledge of allegiance and how our flag is plastered everywhere you go is quite strange to outsiders. Don't get me wrong, dental hygiene is important, but not everyone needs a perfect Hollywood smile. I do not understand the importance of this, as usually the father of the family just eats the biscuits and drinks the milk anyway, and it is always late at night when he does this too. Red Solo Cups are the symbol of college keggers and backyard barbecues alikeand yet, they're rarely seen outside of the U.S. At Slate, Seth Stevenson gave a good explanation of the appeal of the plastic cup: Its opaque color makes it impossible for authorities to casually tell what's in the cup; its sturdy design makes it virtually spill-proof; and its newly created square bottom makes it easy to hold. Independence. I also like a challenge. )After you find more information about the Nacirema and gained a new perspective, then complete []. - Pedro Ivan Gonzalez, 35, Havana, "Technology makes Americans American." Now that you have you hot chocolate, it is time to relax. Non-Americans of reddit, what aspect of American culture strikes you as the strangest. In addition, for some reason, the tree must be a rather large tree with lots of foliage. Romances and horrors are great genres to cozy up to in the dark. Supersizing Food. 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