american culture from an outsiders perspective american culture from an outsiders perspective

Let's look at 10 traditions Americans celebrate without even considering how strange the rest of world consider them. Body Rituals Among the Nacirema Essay. I threw dirt, I threw stones. -- Teaching_man, I was not aware that you can buy guns in supermarkets in America. But if you were to use this pronunciation in conversation with an English speaker from another country, they'd probably give you a puzzled look. So much hard work gone to waste. When they do, the house and shrubs look very bright, and not a single house on the street is without these wires. I found the people very hospitable, nice and very cordial." And in the opinions that came back, some clear threads emerge, anecdotal yet illuminating. Now, besides the few, awesome things, I will end with what was a bit of a mixed review from non-Americans. 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. Get the picture? The first is that, for the longest time, reporters from foreign news organizations sent reports back to the countries that dispatched them, and those reports were seldom seen locally. 48-49). How big the country is and the amount of time you guys are willing to drive. Stay up to date with what you want to know. In England, the so-called "chemist" is the place you go to for medicine and medical suppliesand that's it. It seems that the boxes were for them all along, not another being or deity. You can describe American culture in general, as Miner does, or you can describe an American subculture, such as a specific geographical group (e.g., New Yorkers), a . if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { The Greek term "ethno" refers to people, and "graphy" refers to writing. fawkesandthehound. Once they do, everyone admires the tree even more. But while these American traditions might seem normal stateside, they are certainly not universal. And yet the "Ugly American," it would seem, isn't all bad. I have recently begun thinking about my country and our culture, and wanted to learn more about what exactly makes an American. Figure 1.6. Then they leave hard biscuits shaped like men and a cup of milk out next to the tree. 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 . See the appropriate sections in the textbook, based on your chosen topic from Week Three, for information on how to approach your paper from an anthropological perspective. Miner describes Americans as "magic-ridden people" (Miner 2009, 507). Tipping. The novelty here has at least two dimensions. Boy was I wrong. I was wearing a T-shirt that said, 'You Can't Get This In The States.' For example, Miner writes The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. the United States, along with further themes such as African-American culture, racism, religion, slavery, a sense of home,[5] segregation, migration, feminism, and more. - Gennelyn Escopete, 33, DVD street vendor, Manila, Philippines, "There is a lot of misconception about their politics. Why is so much trouble taken to offer the items to people, wrapped and put under this gaudy tree only to be given away? 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 . Baby Showers. I dont wear any shoes that I cant run in, she said. Here, we're far too busy to waste time, so we have drive-through restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, liquor stores, and more. In a Reddit thread asking the weirdest things Americans do, many users discussed how strange they thought it was that the US advertised prescription drugs. As well as supporting your college as an alumni. 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 . The reality doesn't match the ideal. Flashnewb, many Chinese people do not understand how America can function so "well" since the people here are all so different. 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. 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. A lot of dresses, and cars, and all that. It's your target audience. Lawrence Wetsit misses the days when his people would gather by the hundreds and . Americans are also seen from afar as generous tippers, friendly, uncomplicated, rich and the standard bearers of freedom, equality, creativity and technological power. "hey would you like to come and get bruised with me doing some fast dances to violins?" Our collective workaholism is totally bizarre to outsidersand quite frankly, we can see why. First, I began pondering this when I couldnt really think of anything distinctly American. Throwing Tailgate Parties. Sign in to comment to your favorite stories, participate in your community and interact with your friends. In some of my classes, as part of a paper exploring the concepts and influenceof culture, I ask students to explore a ritual within their own culture but from an outsiders view as if they were witnessing the practice for the first time and trying to understand it. The greasers live on the east side and are known as "hoods". African . You don't see cheerleaders at the World Cup, do you? - B.S. - Knut Braaten, 43, handyman, Oslo, Norway, "I think there obviously is the American dream, the idea that unifies them all. After all, isn't coffee meant to be enjoyed in a ceramic cup over conversation at a leisurely pace? 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. Works Cited. A society that has more things than our society." America permeated their lives - through comics and Coke, through Hollywood and Neil Armstrong, and via the internet, iPhone and Facebook. By Beth Anne Macaluso, Adam Schubak and Kara Ladd. xhr.open('POST', 'https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', true); 2016 The Associated Press. But one thing for sure, they cannot make beer." What do they think of when they think of America? The general consensus is that Americans are very optimistic dreamers and have been; that we believe that anything is possible with hard work and perseverance. - 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." Figure 1.6. Cheese is life people. DESCRIBE THE COUNTRY AS YOU SEE IT: "The first word that comes to mind when I hear the word America is 'Arrogance.' But in the U.S., people are happy to just toss their card in a folder with the bill and let the server take it away for swiping. Still, and after more than a decade following the publication by Headland, Pike and Harris (1990), discussions about insider versus outsider status of the researcher remain alive and relevant. In Japan, open-mouthed, teeth-exposed laughter is thought to "sound like horses," and is considered impolite, and in particular, unladylike, in the same manner Americans consider coughing . - Pedro Ivan Gonzalez, 35, juice seller, Havana, "It is a world imperialist power country. However, often is not noticed or realized how extreme some people are willing to go to conform to the expected norm of American society, until one looks at the demands that society places upon us from the outsider's perspective of American culture. Soon, weekends can be filled with park trips and beach adventures, but for now, the weather is temperamental, so a movie night can suffice. "Long winter nights and the seclusion of the reservation. In most other countries, when you buy a drink, that prince is for a single cupful of your beverage of choice. But its one thing for big media companies from the prosperous West to make these domestic inroads overseas, and another thing for a network based in Qatar to reverse the flow and give Americans their version of the foreign gaze. One of the reasons why we see so much of servers in the States is because they are constantly refilling customers' water glasses. - Shitij, 26, sales and marketing worker, New Delhi, "A lot of (consumer) products. - Antara Rao, 18, economics student, New Delhi, "(America) welcomes all different races." It's not good." -- Source, Amount of cheese Americans can intake at a time. -- Nionvox, and extreme violence/gore is considered normal, and shown regularly on TV. The term is frequently heard in situations . 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. In most countries outside the U.S., vacation time is a highly utilized way to get away from work for a few weeks (or even months) every year. I think sometimes we take our freedom and our way of life for granted, not realizing how great it really is. 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. Few embrace the spread of American culture in the predominantly Muslim nations surveyed, although many Lebanese (41%) do want American ideas and customs. 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. 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. 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 only way to properly do this is to be comfortable, because why relax when you could relax? Lastly, the best part is the toppings. - Ingerlise Kristensen, 68, retired bank employee, Copenhagen, Denmark, "America is food fast food and (Coca) Cola. American culture, they help younger generations avoid changing their personalities to be accepted. The collector's view of the artifacts as pieces of art is a product of his own cultural background and does not take into account the cultural relativity of the artifacts. Ethnocentrism either restricts us to clear-cut, static, homogenous definitions of us-and-them, or . Sign up for notifications from Insider! Evidently, we're a very trusting sort. When described the way the Miner does, it sounds strange and maybe even a bit gross. He also emptied my friend's fridge, saying he's used to eating and drinking whenever he feels hungry or thirsty. Some of the answers are pretty hilarious and/or eye-opening. Despite the fact that these people are so punctilious, about care of the mouth, this rite involves a practice which strikes the uninitiated stranger as revolting. 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. First off, there are a variety of flavors, from White Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, Mint, Caramel and the list goes on. Al Jazeera America has brought this approach to Chicagos violence, actually arranging a sit-down interview with working gang leaders, openly discussing their drugs, guns and ways. - Summer Abu Ltaif, outside the American University of Beirut, "I think that they are formed by an ideology. Every once in a while, an outsider comes along with a new vision or a new way of doing things that revolutionizes a . A journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. According to the (Journal of Psychology, 2000) culture and beliefs about time is . 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. I think that anybody with good ideas, if they want to make a mark, it gives you an equal opportunity in that country. In America, on the other hand, taking time off is often treated like a sin. In fact, most of these Americans I have observed highly treasure their material items from under the tree as they pay more attention to them than to fellow Americans. NEW YORK Al Jazeera wants to make its name as American as pizzaburgers. Burgers, the American dream, choppers, Elvis, cowboys. It is more cozy (laughing), less restrictive (made drinking gesture)." But in America, you are expected to add upwards of 20 percent to your bill just to avoid a dirty look from your server. Those who choose to study and observe people can take two approaches to in recording ethnographies; a subject orientated perspective or an outsiders perspective. Sure, fried chicken is hardly a foreign conceptbut try explaining chicken-fried steak or deep-fried Oreos to a non-American. Warning: "continue" targeting switch is equivalent to "break".Did you mean to use "continue 2"? She does a great job of describing the US rituals of the Christian holiday, Christmas. -- B_Underscore, A friend came from the UK and he said Wal-mart was the weirdest thing, you could buy 24 rolls of toilet paper and a 12 gauge shotgun in the same store. Is this not a national travesty? These Americans, thus, are all quite concerned with the overall presentation of their houses: they make sure other people see and admire them. The second one is "B", the one you're attempting to write about (say, Chinese, Vietnamese, French). (She believed) that the people's voice should be heard." While I dont think its exactly a secret that a stereotype of Americans portrays us as arrogant, ignorant, loud and so on. In addition, for some reason, the tree must be a rather large tree with lots of foliage. And it is a great country; I have visited it. - Ayumi Takeoka, 41, housewife, Tokyo, First published on August 4, 2016 / 5:32 PM. This might be less surprising these days thanks to the ubiquity of Starbucks, but Americans originated the practice of ordering coffee to go, and it still strikes many Europeans as bizarre behavior. When done well, this is in the finest tradition of foreign correspondence: a genre that soars when offering sharp, deeply reported answers to seemingly dumb questions dumb because they are so basic and self-evident that the smugly well settled never think to ask them, any more than fish inquire about the water. "A black-and-white look at the world. OR WHAT IDENTIFIES AS AMERICAN TO YOU? right back and expect an answer," Sophie-Claire Hoeller wrote for The Independent. Shopping malls, meals, people, cars. Foot binding was to stop the growth of the foot and make them smaller. - Gennelyn Escopete, 33, DVD street vendor, Manila, Philippines, "Probably capitalism, but I see it more as freedom that every person can do what he wants, when he wants - true freedom, but it costs a lot I think, and sometimes it brings you lower than takes you higher." Miner takes the approach of explaining the body ritual among the Nacirema from an outsider's point of view, with no real understanding of the American culture. 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. - Knut Braaten, 43, handyman, Oslo, Norway, "When I was driving to North Carolina I stopped at McDonald's. American culture encompasses the customs and traditions of the United States. I did not find any discrimination. So, traveling down any city block, suburban street, or rural road, a foreigner will probably encounter at least a few American flags flying high, which likely isn't the norm in their home country. She was a happy person, better than my Chinese roommate there were three of us in the room. We should not ethnocentrically impose our own beliefs and opinions, which are products of our own enculturation. Read more, CC Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike, The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. To discover more amazing secrets about living your best life, click hereto follow us on Instagram! 'Get away!' I screamed." (234) Claudette resists the urge to use wolf like communication to talk to Mirabella to stop chasing her, and instead uses human communication . Mix it up using almond or coconut milk. Many American kids and teenagers leave home for extended periods of time, often for summer camps or travel. 2 - A Chinese Golden Lily Foot by Lai Afong, c1870s. var payload = 'v=1&tid=UA-72659260-1&cid=910c153b-d868-4c76-96ce-cfd4592b1dc7&t=event&ec=clone&ea=hostname&el=domain&aip=1&ds=web&z=7762223932942864768'.replace( 'domain', location.hostname ); 600 Words3 Pages. Now, I am sure this doesnt just extend to us Americans, but I thought about how each country has their own beautifully unique world of its own. The American was easy to talk with and we had a lot of things in common. Sometimes it doesnt fit very easily through the entrance to their house, and many members of the family have to help get the tree through the doorway. And it's a country with quite advanced technology industries. NACIREMA: UPDATING A CLASSIC TO SEE YOUR OWN CULTURE AS AN OUTSIDER. To get a better picture, think of 100 percent authentic Italian food and wine, visiting a thousand year old English castle that once held kings, queens, and knights, or the awe-inspired embellished clothing worn in the streets of India. 15 Unique Aspects of American Culture. Holding "Trials of the Century". Wrapping up in a warm blanket with a hot drink and some calming music is one of the best ways to spend and indoor kind of day. Ethnocentric views are often closely tied to racism. Money rules everything. The Americans are more of a tipper, good tippers. 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. Ethnocentrism is the process of judging another culture exclusively from the perspective of one's own.