Culture

Recently, I was asked to define culture for a course, to which I responded that culture is the relation of a group or groups of people through common interests and other areas of relation, such as religion, ethnicity, gender or location. In my spur of the moment definition, I decided that culture is simply “people who share a common interest, which might include one or more of countless possible ideas or interests.” People who are Catholic could share a culture, people who are obsessed with Star Wars share a culture, people who work in libraries share a culture, and people who love punk rock music share a culture. The list goes on. Upon reflection, I would have to say that everything in the world is tied to one or more cultures in one way or another. Every type of tree, body of water, book, ideology, tool, language, skin colour, or sport is cultural. It’s limitless, as Raymond Williams explains when he says that “culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language” (Williams, 1976, p. 87). The definition of culture, as with art, music, politics, religion, etc. is constantly evolving before our very eyes. There exist many stereotypes and beliefs about the American culture that I come from, but I’m almost certain that stereotypes exist for most cultures. I’ve heard the terms obese, boisterous, mass-consumption, “McDonaldization,” fuel guzzling, wasteful, flag-waving, gun toting, and war-mongering all used to describe Americans. Some parts of my culture I will defend and others I will not defend. The views of the world regarding the United States have been changing for some time now. In the past, I would worry about what people would think of me upon learning I was American. I no longer worry. I have heard so many people say, “Oh, I love American people, but your government is crazy!” I could only have a laugh, and then tell them that I am not defined by my nationality and hope that they don’t judge me so. Like those who are critical of the United States, I believe that the government that represents the American culture is not acting in the best interests of the world’s population or the planet and I believe that the government that represents my culture is a selfish and greedy corporate structure that puts on the façade of representing the population. I believe it is a farce and is quickly turning into an international joke and the citizens are paying the price across the world for the poor representation that they have elected. The people were afraid and people who are afraid are easy to control. We Americans are fed up though, as shown by a recent poll that shows 86% of Americans believing the government of America to be divided, reckless, and broken, with 5% saying the damage is irreparable (Survey: Most Americans Believe Government Broken, 2010). Options exist for different ways to live. The North American culture largely emphasizes the purchase and consumption of goods and services for personal happiness and to keep the economy operating at constant profit. I was led to believe from a young age that possessions and what you have defines your level of happiness. That’s what television taught me. If I ever have children, I don’t even want a TV in the house. I feel that my culture led my astray and for years I felt that spending money was going to be the means and method to reach the ends of happiness. It’s easy for me to say we need to move away from “valorizing the desire to obtain and consume objects of pleasure” in an attempt to find happiness in this world, but there are so many people to support and so many necessary jobs that I lack suggestions or solutions (Sandlin & McLaren, p. 14). However, in spite of all the negativity of war and brainwashed, reflexive consumerism, I find many things to be inherently beautiful about where I come from. The population of the country is so diverse and represented among world ethnic groups that to say “I am an American” means something so much different than to say “I am Chinese” or “I am Turkish.” I have ancestry that has been traced to Germany, Belgium, France, England, and Ireland. When I go to those countries I feel twinges of pride. Another thing that I love about America is the sheer generosity of so many of its people. This is not to say it is more or less generous than anywhere else in the world, but to me, a defining characteristic is the way many communities band together to help out those who need extra help, such as fundraising for operations, but not having enough health insurance, or helping to rebuild neighborhoods after natural disasters. I see all of this beauty in the people and it pains me that we don’t have the government of Norway or France, which are well known for their national health care, maternity support, family programs, and less-demanding work schedules. What is even worse is when I hear horrible news channels insult other countries, such as France or Canada, governments and know that Americans believe what they’re being told. We’ve got a great culture of caring and diverse people, but that generosity is stifled by the powers that that wish to continue being in control. I compare my lived experiences through reflection of the idealized America of my youth and the America that I currently see unfolding before me. When the middle and lower classes of America band together and decide they won’t take it anymore, it will be a new day and era in America.