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American Culture Essay

As a nation of outsiders, the United States is affected by numerous societies, including different traditions and conventions in religion, craftsmanship, sustenance and substantially more. Relatively every district of the world impacted the American culture, yet as a matter of first importance it was the English, who colonized the nation in the mid 1600s. Additionally, the way of life of Native Americans, Hispanics, Africans and Asians have impacted the nation.

Exiled people

The United States is at times portrayed as a “blend” in which distinctive countries included their own flavor or taste, framing one vast American culture. Similarly as the way of life of the entire world impacted the United States, now American culture influences the entire world. The term Western culture in a wide sense frequently alludes to the United States and Europe.

As the third biggest nation on the planet, with a populace of in excess of 315 million individuals – the United States has the biggest social assorted variety on the planet. North, south, west and east of the nation have diverse conventions and traditions. Underneath we give a short outline of the way of life of the United States.

Dialect

The nation does not have one authority dialect, in spite of the fact that 31 out of 50 states have conceded this status to the English dialect. Over 90% of the US populace talks and comprehends English and most authority issues are directed in this dialect.

American English

While every one of the dialects on the planet can be heard in the United States – Spanish, Chinese, French and German are the absolute most usually utilized (excluding English). Every district of the United States, specifically the south, has its own particular elocution utilizing one of a kind words and expressions.

Religion

All known religions are rehearsed in the United States, since the nation was established on the possibility of religious flexibility.

religion

Over 75% of Americans think about themselves Christians. Around half of them are Protestants, about a quarter are Catholics, and a little rate are Mormons. After Christianity, Judaism is the second most broad religion – around 1.4% of the populace. Around 20% of Americans don’t have religious connection.

American style

The style of attire in the US relies upon the district and the atmosphere, however essentially it’s an easygoing style – easygoing dress, where the principle work is comfort. Style “denim” (coarse denim texture), shoes, cattle rustler caps and boots are a few articles of clothing that are firmly identified with the picture of Americans.

American style

Ralph Lauren, Kelvin Klein, Michael Kors and Victoria Secret are celebrated American brands. Additionally, the American form is unequivocally affected by its big names.

American sustenance

American food was impacted by Europeans and Native Americans in its initial history. To date, there are various items that are typically characterized as American: ground sirloin sandwiches, franks, chips, pasta with cheddar and meat bread. The expression “American as crusty fruit-filled treat” started to signify what is genuinely American.

american sustenance

There are likewise cooking styles and kinds of items that are particular to the district. The southern style of cooking, which is regularly called American “helpful” sustenance, incorporates dishes, for example, broil chicken, cabbage, asparagus beans and chile cake. Tex-Mex – a prevalent sort of food in Texas and in the southwest, is a blend of Spanish and Mexican cooking styles and incorporates components, for example, stew, burrito and contains countless and ground cheddar.

Workmanship

The United States is generally referred to all through the world as a main nation in the creation of media, including TV and film.

workmanship in the USA

Broadcasting ventures started to create in the United States in the mid 1950s, when American TV programs started to be appeared the world over. The US additionally has a lively film industry, focused in Hollywood, and American movies are prominent everywhere throughout the world. New York is the home of Broadway and the Americans have a rich theater story. American music is extremely differing, you can recognize mood and blues, jazz, gospel, nation, rock’n’roll and hip-jump.

Game

The United States is a games arranged nation with a large number of fans following soccer, baseball, b-ball and hockey coordinates notwithstanding numerous different games.

baseball in USA

Baseball, which showed up in pioneer America, turned into an official game in the mid-1800s is as yet known as the Americans’ most loved hobby, albeit now its notoriety has overshadowed football.

American Holidays

Americans praise their autonomy from Great Britain on July fourth. Remembrance Day is commended on the last Monday of May and respects the memory of the individuals who kicked the bucket in military administration. Work Day is commended on the principal Monday of September, and respects the nation’s work drive. Thanksgiving, another unmistakable American occasion, falls on the fourth Thursday of November and backpedals to the pioneer times.

american occasions

On the Day of Presidents praise the birthday celebrations of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln on the third Monday of February. The commitment of veterans to the improvement and flexibility of the nation is respected on Veterans Day on November 11. The commitment of the pioneer of the development for social liberties of Martin Luther King is commended on the third Monday of January.

Yet, the fundamental consideration in this article we need to give the most unordinary and intriguing American conventions that exist right up ’til the present time. Next, you can see the rundown of the ten most weird conventions of the United States.

10 Strange American Traditions

How do you plan to celebrate the New Year this year? Will you run around the neighborhood, smashing the old dishes about the neighbors’ doors? If you live in Denmark, it is very possible. Or maybe you will choose some celebrities who have made a real sensation in the news for a year, make them stuffed, and then set them on fire and watch them burn? Does not sound like you? And if you were from Ecuador, this could well be true.

Traditions vary widely around the world, and the customs of one society often seem completely insane to another. American culture and traditions have become well known in all parts of the world, thanks to the hard work of Hollywood and the media. But this does not mean that all American traditions are calmly perceived by people from other countries. Next, we will consider 10 US traditions, which Americans consider absolutely normal, but in other countries people find them at best strange.

“Tailgate Party” (hangouts near the open rear door of the car)

When Americans attend sports competitions (in particular football matches), it is not enough for them to come and take their seats – they must arrive in a few hours to properly prepare for viewing the game.

American football

Painted with favorite colors of favorite sports teams, people will hang out near their cars in the stadium parking lot, grill food, drink cold alcoholic drinks and play on the lawn, throwing each other soccer balls.

Many “teilgeuters” (as they call people arranging parties near the back doors of their cars) are seriously preparing for such events and even bring with them music centers, TV sets and satellite dishes, giving a sense of globality to the sporting event. How early are fans coming to start a “telegate party”? Limits do not exist. Some of them come at dawn, starting to celebrate, and some even at night to take a decent place!

Because of the size of the country and the multinational “emigrant environment,” the United States is unlikely to single out any single model or style of behavior – despite the increased propaganda of “universal human values,” there is no universal American culture. However, there is a whole set of stereotypes, both imposed by political structures, and natural, which are typical for the whole of American society as a whole.

For example, one such cliché is the assertion that there is a “classless” society in the US. However, this is true only in the sense of a class that is traditionally used in Europe or Asia, where belonging to a particular social stratum at birth still largely determines the social situation in the future. Indeed, in the US, you can “move freely” between social groups only by changing your financial status, because it is the presence or absence of money that determines here belonging to a particular “caste”. It is from here that the “American Dream” begins, and another cliche – about the special democratic nature of American society and “tremendous freedoms.” However, because of the “young aristocracy” formed in the 20th century and the specific model of the development of American society, the inequality in the social and economic status of the rich and poor is no less than that of any other country in the world.

It is also true that US residents are more materialistic and individualistic than representatives of other cultures (although this statement will be true for any other developed society). The level of prosperity and external independence here are turned into a real cult, although signs of well-being are open and not shown (at least, this trait is clearly more modest than in many of our cities). The deterrent here is an excellently developed civil society and a powerful institution of public opinion. It should be borne in mind that public opinion itself is educated on the same ideals of individualism and “great opportunities”, so it does not limit the person in any way in manifesting his desire for prosperity and freedom, condemning only particularly cynical forms of realization of this process.

The specific American legislation has great significance in the formation of a culture characteristic of the country. On the one hand, this is a powerful state apparatus, an archaic elective system of echelons of power, an excellently developed jurisprudence with its complex system of amendments and precedents, a complex set of laws and an extensive system of by-laws that form the “skeleton” of society. On the other hand, a liberal federal system with huge powers of individual states, a developed institution of civil rights and freedoms, free development of various public, political and religious organizations, as well as powerful public control over many aspects of the life of the state. This complex “mosaic” of various freedoms and limitations leads to the formation of a characteristic American mentality, which is so striking to any visitor of this country. However, a single scheme of speech does not go here – each state and often even a separate district has its own distinctive style, which develops both from local laws and from the traditions of the people who inhabit it.

The same is true of the stamp that the United States is one of the most religious of the industrialized countries of the world. Almost all confessions of the planet are represented here, and they act without the slightest restrictions (within the framework of the law, of course), which leads to the formation of a complex mixture of religious cultures, often so interpenetrating into each other that their division “to the root” is simply not possible. Officially, the majority of the US population professes Protestantism (about 52%), Catholicism (24%) and other branches of Christianity, but in fact the overall picture is much more complex and diverse. And respect for the institutions of the church, regardless of their own beliefs (according to some independent researchers, more than 30% of the US population – atheists or to some extent do not adhere to a certain faith) is huge, and its representatives play a significant role in public life.

Few Americans themselves will venture to argue that the characteristic elements of their culture, replicated (and criticized) around the world, are of no importance to him. Passion for cars and excellent road network, mass culture with its Hollywood, country, blues, jazz, rock or rap, craze for basketball and baseball, hockey and golf, beer and Coke, indispensable barbecue on weekends and fast food every day, complex ” ethnic “quarters with their special lifestyle and fashionable rich areas, a special attitude to modern emigrants in the celebration of the cult of the emigration of the first wave – all this takes place. However, these are only external and most vivid manifestations of local life, but as often happens in such cases, they are far from the most important. The life and way of life of Americans is much more complicated and quite distantly correspond to different cliches formed over many years.

“The average American” is often quite welcome and hospitable, with great interest in life in other countries and their customs, but he is an ardent patriot of his country. However, one should also take into account the complex multinational composition of the local society – often even within one quarter there are kind of ethnic mini-communities, often not only reverently honoring the customs of their ancestors, but often intensively cultivating them. Therefore, the requirements for clothing, food, behavior in society and just the attitude towards others can be noticeably different even within the same district. However, the tremendous general tolerance of the local society, the special respect of Americans to family and historical values, to the rights and freedoms of the citizen, the eternal craving for something new, and the tremendous confidence of the US residents in the fact that it is their the nation has all the best and most advanced features in combination with the ongoing struggle for its rights and freedoms or for the preservation of traditional values. Such a complex combination of features creates this unique “figure” of the local mentality and way of life.

It’s easy to see that a country whose history counts barely three hundred years, supports many historical monuments, and their number often exceeds the number of those in several countries of Europe or Asia combined. The belonging of this or that local monument to the category of historical can be argued, but the attention and respect for the Americans themselves is indisputable. Equally great attention is paid to the protection of nature and the support of international environmental organizations (and this is despite the fact that the United States is the largest “supplier” of environmentally hazardous substances in the world), the desire to participate in the political life of the country and social activities (the United States ranks first in the world in number all kinds of committees and public organizations), wide participation in all sorts of “projects” – from international humanitarian programs and research works to some local public works, such as cleaning ponds Whether street landscaping.

Another important feature of Americans, directly stemming from their individualism, is the “privacy”. The concept of private life and the rights of independent existence here are as unshakable as the right of private property. And this is manifested not only and not so much in protecting your home or business from the attention of others – most Americans are just the opposite – very sociable and hospitable, friendly and open. But only up to a certain limit, which is established not by laws (although by them too), but by the established way of life and the balance of interests in relation to each other (“do not bother me, and I will not disturb you”). Hence the beginning of many such striking features in behavior, such as the absence of queues (even if they occur, people often stand at a very great distance from each other, as if trying not to intrude into the sphere of others’ interests), an abundance of empty seats in restaurants and cafes with a fully occupied room (it is not accepted to sit down at someone else’s table without an invitation even if there are plenty of available places behind it), complete indifference to someone else’s appearance or habits, and even the absence of full fences between the neighboring E buildings or sites (and why should they, if anyone, and do not enter without an invitation?), and many other options. From here follows also some dislike of many Americans to casual acquaintances or unexpected interlocutors, actively hidden however for the general friendliness of behavior.

Americans appreciate punctuality and literally “live on schedule”, do not concede to anyone a place in public transport, do not take off their headdress and shoes at the entrance to the premises, do not give gifts when visiting someone else’s house, but must first agree on their visit, even if the owner and the guests are very familiar. Although many customs and traditions differ noticeably among representatives of different ethnic groups, it is not forbidden to show something of their own in the foreign company, the “people’s one” -the Americans are extremely tolerant to the manifestation of foreign cultures (although this does not, of course, relieve the questioning and discussion of this fact after – it is no longer an American, but a completely human trait). Also, the typical habit of US residents in communicating is the reduction of all the names of the interlocutors to their American counterpart, regardless of the status of the interlocutor and his views on this process (in general, the Americans adhere to a rather panicky tone in dealing with any person with whom they are more or less familiar, but rarely allow themselves “liberties” with strangers).

Many are confused by the American tradition of putting a comma between every three decimal digits of integers and a dot instead of a comma between the integer and fractional parts in decimal fractions (some prices therefore take on a very unusual look for the European).

Despite the fact that US cooking and the local fast food system as a whole, a lot of stinging arrows have been released, the overall level of cuisine in the country is quite high, and in good restaurants does not concede to the best international traditions. Behavior at the table here fully corresponds to the typical European norms. And in most cases, an American will pay a lot of attention to the proper table setting and its design, set of dishes and drinks, the interior of the institution and its reputation, but it remains incredibly indifferent to observance of any canons in case he alone or considers himself so. However, it is considered extremely indecent to publish with food any sounds (for example, noisily sipping or blowing food, talking on the phone, loudly calling for a waiter, etc.), much attention is paid to etiquette (the bases of it are taught in many schools), napkins and other hygiene items are on every table (even in fast food establishments), and cleanliness in the rooms (and in the toilets!) is ideal. In the US, the so-called American style of using cutlery with food is used – unlike in Europe, the fork is held not in the left hand, but is shifted to the right.

In many restaurants and cafes to leave something on the table is not accepted – most often all the uneaten will be packed in a package or box and handed to the client’s hands (sometimes such bags are coquettishly called a “bag for a dog”, meaning that all leftovers will go “to the table “a pet). Therefore, it is not a violation of etiquette and the request of the client himself to collect from the table everything that is paid for, and pack for take-away. In view of the huge variety of fast food establishments with their various sandwiches, rolls, pizza, cakes and so on, the packaging infrastructure is very developed, allowing all these products that are completely allowed to be eaten by hand, to use “civilized” (used packaging should be thrown into special containers).

The rules of alcohol consumption in the US are just as different as the laws of states or the traditions of ethnic groups. The single for the whole country is only the minimum allowed age of drinking – 21 years. Many bars and nightclubs do not allow anyone younger than this age to enter their territory, even accompanied by their parents, and children will be admitted and served in restaurants, but alcoholic drinks will be served only according to the “age qualification” (that is, if at the table there is a minor, a glass of beer, for example, served, and the jug – no longer). Due to local laws, when buying alcohol and even entering the bar where it is sold, you may need a passport with a photograph showing the age of the owner. A foreign passport or other identifying document for this procedure is quite appropriate, but it should be borne in mind that most waiters or security guards have never seen any documents other than American, and therefore can show some stubbornness in this aspect.

Sale of alcohol is usually prohibited after a certain time (usually after 02.00) or on weekends (usually on Sundays), but each state has its own framework. Even in supermarkets, which usually work on Sundays, all access to the shelves with alcoholic beverages is stopped at this time. In some states, most stores have the right to sell only beer, and wine, liquors and other strong drinks can only be purchased at specialized outlets. Some “dry districts” (mainly in the southern states) prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages in their territory by a fortress over a certain percentage at all (exceptions are made only for private clubs and closed institutions).

In some areas alcoholic beverages can be drunk only in restaurants or bars (often snacks in these establishments have a very limited assortment), and in many cafes, alcohol is not sold at all. In all states it is forbidden to drink any (!) Alcoholic beverages in public places and on the street, but to circumvent this law, the bottle is covered with a special paper bag that does not allow to see the contents. However, if the policeman decides to show interest and find out that alcohol is being drunk, the package will not save.

“Pure” alcohol does not enjoy special respect – it is much more often used various cocktails or “mixed” with ice, cola and juices. But in the event that a simple bourbon or vodka is ordered, portions are frankly small (in many places the tradition of pouring “on the thickness of the finger” or “per inch” has been preserved). At the same time, beer is practically not considered an alcoholic beverage and is sold everywhere, moreover, along with specific American varieties, including domestic ones, there are more and more European brands. Even in institutions of a fairly serious level, it is not forbidden to use this drink “from the bottle,” but when you go out with it, you will also need a paper bag (however, there are a lot of requirements here in different states).

Wines are for the most part considered an attribute of a festive table, and this refers both to first-class Californian, Chilean or European varieties, and to the “budget” products of local vineyards. Sparkling wines can usually be found only in high-class restaurants or on holidays. However, almost every meal is accompanied by an aperitif, and no one thinks shampooing salads with beer or chicken as red wine is shameful – everyone does what they like.

Driving in a drunken state (DUI) is considered one of the most serious offenses, for which very imposing fines and even imprisonment for several days or months are reputed (it does not save fines). In different states, the norms for determining the degree of intoxication are different, but on average the maximum permissible alcohol content in the blood of the driver should not exceed 0.08 ppm, and 0.05 ppm can already cause a serious warning from the police. In most states, it is simply forbidden to have any open bottle of alcohol in the cabin of the car. Police checkpoints and patrols assessing the level of alcohol in the blood are quite often, especially on the days of some mass holidays, but in different states the relationship between a drunken driver and guardians of the order is built differently. Somewhere a policeman has the right to conduct a survey of a suspicious driver on the spot, in other states he can only write a summons to the court, which sets a measure of guilt. Whatever it was, arguing with the local guards of order in this matter is useless and even dangerous – if the court recognizes the driver’s fault in refusing to assist the police, the punishment can be very significant, especially for a foreigner who can be deported from the country and in the future simply refuse in the entry visa.

Practically in all states, smoking is prohibited in all public places, including hospitals, airports, train stations, bus stops and even in offices (airports and railway stations have specially equipped smoking rooms), as well as in all catering establishments, regardless from their level and form of ownership (the exception is only the casino, actively lobbying the right of smoking on its territory). Americans quit nicotine and prohibit smoking in their homes, only in the province it is still possible to smoke almost everywhere, but even in the most remote towns there are zones where smoking is banned completely (all the same transport and public buildings, for example). Before smoking, it is recommended first to clarify whether this is prohibited in this place at all, and then ask permission from others.

Works Cited

Zimmermann, Kim Ann. “American Culture: Traditions and Customs of the United States.” Live Science Contributor, July 2017, https://www.livescience.com/28945-american-culture.html.

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