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On January 21 2012 16:44 Chro wrote:
America doesn't really have a culture. One of the main parts of culture is how/why you do something. In america the only reason you do something is because of money. Its all about business and efficiency. Its why everyone sees us as jerks and cocky bastards, because that's what our business culture brings us up as when we're young.
Is this a joke? Or do you know NOTHING about the developed asian countries?
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An Asian person wakes up, slushes through his day, and is routinely exposed to thousands of years of culture in his everyday life through his language, the traditions practiced around him, and the demeanour of the people in his surroundings.
An European person wakes up, slushes through his day, and is routinely exposed to hundreds of years of culture in his everyday life through his language, the traditions practiced around him, and the demeanour of the people in his surroundings.
Americans got like what . . . a few decades at most?
Clearly America is the greatest producer and consumer of popular media, professional sports, etc, but America lacks the depth of cultural traditions seen in many other parts of the world. Its language is new. Its traditions are either new or taken from other cultures.
Most Americans will not be able to tell you anything about how their ancestors lived five hundred years ago. What kind of language they spoke. What traditions they practiced.
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It's not that you have no culture, it's just that your culture has lasted less than 300 years at least and is boring comapred to cultures coming from places like Japan, Korea, Italy, France, Spain and many others of the older more culturally defined countries.
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Why Americans may have no Culture.-
In theory when we look at American culture, we need to think, are what so called American cultures actually American.
Some are some aren't.
This comes from the basis that most Americans are more or less "not American" by this I mean they may be Chinese-American like myself Korean Spanish etc.
America is a fusion type society where most of their cultures are based upon other cultures. with the exception of Native American culture
Do I agree? probably not, But I can see where they are coming from
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Culture is just an abstract idea anyways. Culture can pertain to food, rituals, work, basically anything that is typical for people of a certain area. I never really thought about it, but 'culture' is like a nice version of a 'stereotype'. I'm from the South in America. While I believe that it's important to recognize what those before us in our are have done historically, I really don't believe that it's necessary at all to subscribe yourself entirely to the culture if it doesn't fit you.
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On January 21 2012 16:48 groms wrote:Show nested quote +On January 21 2012 16:44 Wombatsavior wrote:
Just gotta say, basketball came from Canada. Correction: from a canadian who immigrated to the US. Always annoyed me that my country tried to take credit for it. He was American...
Nope. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Naismith
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we actually dont have a culture... we are just zombies really.
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Forgive me for any historical errors, American History is not my strong point 
I've had people say this to me before (that Americans have no culture), and when I ask them about it, it seems to come from America as a nation is only 200 (or so) years old. Most cultures use the traditions of their ancestors from thousands of years ago to legitimise their culture in its modern incarnation (even though it probably doesn't even resemble the cultural practices of their forefathers but...).
The second half of it is the well known historical notion that the first Americans (and therefore their descendants) were European in origin. I think the argument is "well even if Americans have a culture, most of it is 'borrowed' from British culture so it isn't real or original."
I don't think that either of these things mean that Americans have no culture, the OP outlined some of the popular / well known cultural elements of America like sports or Thanksgiving. I personally don't have much interest in American culture, but that doesn't mean it isn't important, or that it doesn't exist as the OP argued.
P.S. I realise I said I'm not that interested in American culture, this isn't intended as a sneaky dick move, I'm not particularly interested in Finnish / Chinese / Irish (where I live) culture either. I just mentioned it since it was the point of discussion.
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America has a pretty strong religious culture as well, like it or lump it. The world may not truly be aware of how saturated the "bible belt" really is.
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i've heard that we have no history, but culture? lol. the world revolves around america and everyone else is a jealous hater.
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I'm glad that no American had to build pyramids or Versailles.
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On January 21 2012 16:44 Wombatsavior wrote:
Just gotta say, basketball came from Canada.
Just thought the below was interesting.
The First basketball type game may have been played by the early Olmec people of ancient Mexico as early as 500 years go. The Aztec, and Mayan cultures also had a game similar to basketball, only instead of a rubber ball they used the decapitated skulls of their conquered foes. The First true basketball game as we know it was on January 20th, 1892 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Canadian Doctor James Naismith invented the game for the YMCA to play during the winter months. Naismith wrote simple rules for the game, and nailed up two peach baskets for hoops, most of original Naismith rules are still in place today. Some of the rules have changed a bit, and new rules have been added since then, such as in the original game bouncing the ball was prohibited. Of the 13 rules, nine have been modified and kept in the modern game of basketball, the rest have been disregarded.
http://www.nbahoopsonline.com/Articles/History1.html
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America doesn't have original "ethnic" culture. Because there is no American ethnicity.
+ Show Spoiler +
Except for the Indians we wiped out.
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On January 21 2012 16:51 KimJongChill wrote:
They probably mean to say that America lacks cultural refinement.
This x1000
America fucks up alot and sometimes we get extreme cultural geniuse like the Cohen brothers, Kurt Vonnegut and Hemingway.
Most times we get the burger and Pat Roberston though lmfao
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I was born in Europe and we moved to Canada and my parents always complain how there is no culture here, and I think it's a justified statement.
Like literally there is culture, but I think what it means, is when you go to Europe you have so many historic buildings that are preserved, you have traditional costumes and traditional get together's, some things are done in very inefficient manners just to keep the tradition going, we look upon the old way of life.
That's how I see it at least. In Canada I feel the clothing is very generic, the houses are very generic, and everything is focused around the economy and more material possessions where as in Europe, especially poorer countries like Slovakia for me, it is more social, and their way of life is based around this culture, it has a flavor to it. North America really does feel like a room empty of furniture while other countries are all different, judging by their clothing, the tools they use, etc.
I am in no way insulting the US and Canada, it's a different way of life, but a large degree I agree that we are pretty culture less. Looking back at heritage we have the First Nations which I guess aren't very appealing to me, and the thing is, here in Canada, people don't care about tradition or culture much at all. Quebec however has a lot more culture compared to the rest of Canada, mostly because they believe in those traditional values.
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The USA has no historical culture because it only has 500 years of history. As brain_ said, the culture was wiped out with the indians.
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They are not jelly. OP is insecure and should not have made this thread.
As a short response to the thread I have to say the following:
-USA does have culture. But it is not by the standards of the European or Asian culture who had millenia to develop.
-An average resident of the US (of course there are exceptions, the coastal cities, both pacific and atlantic) has a lower standard of elegance and savoir vivre than the average european. To us (and to the more civilized citizens of the coastal regions) someone may seem almost like a caveman
-Football is something played with the feet only. (aka soccer for you)
Except from the above, there are a few reasons why people outside the US exaggerate and say US has no culture.
Warning: transfering rants about the US. If you don't want to know the truth, don't open the spoiler.
+ Show Spoiler +-The proud usage of the word AMERICAN, in every occasion. At least, try to remember what this name is derived from before using it like almost a spell. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americo_Vespucci -The nationalism AND the low educational standards leading quite a few citizens having no bloody idea what, or where is the rest of the world -The really poor educational system. A huge chunk of US sientists are foreigners, and that is just a sad display of the low stantards of the rest of the population -The fact that there is a bible zone. And the fact that 40% of the US citizens believe the world was created by god in the past 10000 years. (We aren't mass atheists, but we can appreciate the evidence from carbon 14 isotope dating and can see why the bible should at least be taken as something not literal). -The fact that many of you believe that evolution is a theory. This saddens us really really much. -Constant war making and Imperialism, do not help with your image in the eyes of citizens around the world. -Fixation on capitalism. Around the world we discuss politics oppenly. What would happen to me if I said I am of communist ideology, somewhere in texas? -Fixation on terrorism. Get over it. -The cold war. Russia is not the evil empire. -The song "america fuck yeah" is ironic. Some people seem to have trouble understanding that. -Insane obesity rates. -Etc, etc etc
So, you see it's not that you have no culture. Everyone has developed a culture. It's that there are so many things bugging us about your country that we as non US citizens close our eyes to what good you have done and try to focus on the negative side of things.
For me, the bright side is Blues, Jazz, (a small part of) Hollywood and of course the scientific culture the US have developed, driving the whole world forward as a result.
PS: I don't want any answer to the post, I'm merely explaining why europeans refuse to see what good you have done as a country. They just blacklist you as a whole, which is unfair.
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On January 21 2012 17:05 Jerubaal wrote:
I'm glad that no American had to build pyramids or Versailles.
Mmm, we have buildings of comparable scale. We just build more efficiently.
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On January 21 2012 17:03 Terranist wrote:
i've heard that we have no history, but culture? lol. the world revolves around america and everyone else is a jealous hater.
Oh, and as a great example to my post, I quote this guy.
(many weapons + money =/ culture)
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If the United States has no culture because of its age, than neither do Mexico, Brazil or Jamaica.
Notice how the US is different than these places. And also its different from the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, and also Africa, where most US ancestors came from.
Thus the US has a unique culture of its own. It's quite clearly different than anywhere else in the world.
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EPT
