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American Attitudes (foreigners welcome)

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I only call everyone else foreigners cause I guess technically...this particular thread is American soil. Anyway, I have this sociology class and there's an assignment due Friday, interviews with people on their reaction to American "attitudes." We're supposed to interview someone older than us, but super bonus points for a person from another culture, and this forum I felt was the best way to reach other "peoples." Anyway. This little sheet here might be kind of enlightening to some people, clarifying to others...who knows. Just post your reaction to each number.

For example (foreigners): how this differs or not from your country's overall attitudes, how that's lame that American's think that, how you can see that in what we do worldwide...I dunno whatever the hell you want.

For example (citizens): how this differs from you as an individual, how you've received clarification on how super cool we are, stuff you think is outdated, changed, been corrupted by the Bush administration...etc.

Post as much or as little as you want, on whatever you want. All will be read in a public forum, I hope to get some foreign perspective, but anyone's free to do it. Just keep writing, the more the better, no fear of garrulity, just keep going. I hope you take the time. =) Finish off with your age, what country you are from, and forum signature.

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So, let me get this straight...

Whomever designed this assignment, using decidely xenophobic generalizations and anti-American jargon, with questions and statements full of assumptions and typically arrogant European disdain expects your opinion, which, to be fair leaves no room for disagreement? These statements are what are called "loaded questions."

This is just another excercise in some liberal minded, pseudo-intellectual wank-fest. Expect someone else to come along and fix your problems through socialist policies and programs, rather than standing up to be counted and taking respsonsibility for your own actions.

Hey kids! Let's all gather 'round and bash America and look down our noses at the country which has provided us with all of the necessary economic and social tools to enjoy this charmed lifestyle of ours.

Tell your esteemed professor something for me, would you? Tell them the Earth shattering revelation that not everyone hates America, some of us actually love the country, the culture, and their way of life. The fact is that wrong or right, they won't take it up the ass like some snot nosed Eastern European academic.

Oh, and by the way - tell the genius that devised this little ruse that they spelled exceptions wrong.

Name - Cassidy
Age - 33
Country - Canada
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Yeah, this seems like a pretty lame assignment. It's almost as if they want you to talk about how "American" viewpoints on the rest of the world are somehow inferior. Although, a lot of these viewpoints extend boundaries, such as the one that deals with wanting to cheer up your buddy who is feeling down. That's good, but human nature, not culture.

Even so, I do agree with these: 2, 3, 9, 10

Americans do (at least try to some degree) want egalitarianism. Sure, there are the upper class elitist fucks who don't want it, but by far the vast majority of Americans are all for it. When I lived in Europe for a year I did notice some (not a lot) class differences. And asian countries are far worse about this even today. So I guess this survey isn't all bad.

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I'm not foreign to the US, but I don't believe #12 is the most common view in the US. Among successful professionals it might be, but when you look at the amount of money this country wastes on giving out substandard/dumbed-down, "higher" educations to absolutely everyone and the amount of time the average person wastes on TV/movies, you could almost argue that the most popular viewpoint is the opposite of #12. It probably just isn't voiced in a conscious way or a truly appreciative way. (Though I will say that it is strange how the educational/aesthetic standards are often so low despite being such high demand. Perhaps that reflects a paradox of some kind.)

Otherwise, a few of the other opinions I could also nitpick as being the dominant US viewpoint. If I have the time I'll type up more.

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Number ten has me a bid befuddled.

Why would using "Dr." to address someone who has a PhD be considered presumptuous? Obviously if they were a close friend, you wouldn't, but if you only knew them for reasons related to their PhD I fail to see it.

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I shall make a donation of two cents to your project.

Paul, where are you from? And where are you going to school? According to your profile you live in the state of Washington. Judging by your post I will assume you are either in high school or below, or are a foreigner. Please don't tell me this be a college sociology class! Especially if it is being offered in America. I took more than my fair share of sociology classes in my college days, and this thing is extremely out of whack from anything I would expect to see. It takes a fairly negative stance towards American culture (though not half as negative as your post) and it fails to understand the concept of culture.

I very much resent your comments on "how that's lame that American's thing that," and especially "how this differs from you as an individual, how you've received clarification on how super cool we are..."

I fail to see how Americans think of themselves as "super cool" just because they live in their culture and by their social norms. I suppose Germans think they are super bloody (we love to steal words from the British, we find it super cool) cool because they are German, and the French because they are French, the Greeks because they are Greek, etc. You can search the whole world and never, ever find a culture that fits you like your own. You may find one in which you find some of their differences fascinating and maybe you will even prefer them to your own. But to holistically abandon everything that has been encultured in you and to fully accept acculturation.

Yes, American culture is exported and sold abroad. I could write for hours on this subject, but I will just sum up my opinions to say that it is in some ways extremely unfortunate. Unfortunate that some countries would rather watch American TV and American movies of which they hardly understand the puns and jokes, rather than film, watch, and support their own culture and make they films. I also find it extremely and mutually unfortunate for Americans and any applicable country that McDonald's has come to be considered American food.

The question is why do other cultures buy into and drink so deeply from imported American goods, then turn around and say that America should butt the hell out and leave the rest of the world alone, or any number of other things that are commonly said by other countries. I just don't get it. If Americans and so lame, stop eating our nasty little hamburgers. Stop watching our silly little movies that are ridden with our filthy and laughably close minded values and world view. Stop drinking our fizzy brown water in the red bottles.

In fact, I think the idea that Americans are super cool is perhaps more of a foreign concept that one to be found here on the home front. After all, why would we buy American products if they were not super cool? Sure their are a lot with a very simple view of the world who would never dream to wander past their boarders, and maybe this makes them seem ignorant and close minded, but every country has that to an extend. It is unfair judgment.

Paul, I think you could use the above to answer pretty much every question on that list. You can honestly put down that every American you talked to disliked the questions. Also, I am in my mid twenties, so perhaps I am ten years older. Hope you can get the bonus points. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape

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To state that such wildly subjective and debatable viewpoints are the "American point of view" is deceptive and intellectually dishonest. You professor is a raging queer (intellectually).

“People are considered basically and inherently good.”

“Change is considered positive”

“There will always be enough opportunity to go around, so taking risks, involves no real danger.”

“You create your own worth rather than receiving it by virtue of birth, position, seniority, or longevity.”

“Americans created a culture virtually built around egalitarianism”

“Americans are generally optimistic.”

You have got to be twisting my pickle. To suggest that these are the "American point of view" is not only dishonest, it's as queer as a three dollar William. It's also quite laughable.

HARMY RULES

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I think all these answers would be a great help, any more would be welcome to, I can get them in by the end of the night. But my apologies, I need to clarify, I get caught up in quaint little jokes I forget text lacks inflection in tone.

This is a high school sociology class and, yes, it is the gayest hour of my day, the way it's taught is as the Charmen Ultra of all soft-sciences. I think it's the teacher. And you wouldn't believe the douche bags who fall for the "loaded questions" TheCassidy brought up. You're totally right we get these all year!

What I meant by "lame that American's think that" was as an example of one of the many foreign perspectives I might get, and I wanted to make sure people would feel comfortable voicing such an opinion, but it definitely came out wrong. I also should have said "how this might differ from you as an individual." Without the "might" in there I can see how it seems like I assumed they were all wrong. My mistake, simply syntactical.

I wasn't being facetious at all when I said the thing about thinking we're super cool, cause we totally are. Earlier in the year the class talked about how a lot of students in Japan like to take trips to America to be "bad" or "get in trouble" because in Japan, being bad or a too individualistic is apparently looked upon most of the time with great resentment, and being in an environment where rebellion is more emphasized as "cool" is very refreshing for them.

In fact, I think the idea that Americans are super cool is perhaps more of a foreign concept that one to be found here on the home front.


Actually, I have a story about that . I saw this in action last summer. These two smoking-hot Japanese foreign exchange students were staying in our town for a little while, their host family was really fucking boring. I went to a party with a friend hosted by their hostess, everyone there was a total loser and the foreigners were very bored. After flirting with them a little we asked if they wanted to go somewhere, and they immediately said yes. So we drove around at midnight in my 66 Volvo and later took a trip 30 or 40 minutes away in my friend's unregistered, uninsured 80s BMW (trouble, trouble ). Before we left for Tacoma, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody started playing, and as we returned, Queen's We Are the Champions started playing. It was 7am when we returned them and their host family got really, really pissed off. God, it was awesome. Anyway, I bring that up because I personally think Americans are totally the coolest, at least obviously to the Japanese, whose charming attempt at completely copying our culture sprung forth their unique and whacky neo-customs, am I right?

Anyway, again apologies to all about my post. I definitely love the country I'm from and love the people we put out...well actually, my only critique of America is the people nowadays. There's the people who can't hear what the world's saying about us, and there's the people who are making too big a deal out of what other people think! The latter people make me much madder. If those people think that we don't respect the elderly then it must be true and we must be terrible terrible people, if those people value being in a group then we must be wrong to be individuals. One is like a jock in high school who thinks he's so great for no reason (the deaf), and the other's like that loser in school who cares too much about what other people think (the liberal bashing), and this is exactly what makes him the loser he is. This assignment to me ranks of both. Idealogue liberal bitching and self-centered conservativeness .

So I just need to clear up to C3PX and to everyone. I think we all pretty much agree and it's nice to find others like me . You know how forums can be, you write like you speak, but the lack of inflection and voice can lead to misunderstandings.

Yes this is the lamest class ever. But there's a neat assignment coming up where we study a specific culture or subculture. Guess what "community" I'll be featuring?

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One thing that's kind of bothering me about this assignment;

Since when to Americans think people are basically good? I thought the law existed because we acknowledge that all people are intrinsically flawed and imperfect.

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It is funny you should mention Japanese culture. I have been doing some very light research on that recently. I would consider Japan the most Westernized of Eastern cultures, and the struggle between the two makes for a very interesting cultural situation. I had some one on one discussions with a number of Japanese college students, it was quite interesting. They had only been in America for one and a half semesters so far and are preparing to return to Japan in just a couple of weeks, so the American culture is still very new to them. One guy asked me why I was wearing a short sleave shirt at the end of Feburary. I told him because it was a warm day it felt comfortable. He told me in Japan they have certain etiquette which they follow and you only wear t-shirts in the summer, which started exactly on the 1st of June. He said you could go to Japan and you will not see anyone with a t-shirt anytime before June first, no matter how hot it is before then. On the flip side, at the moment he asked me the question he was wearing a t-shirt shirt himself, so I asked him why he was wearing one at the end of Feburary, and he told me "Hey, I am in America. It is a warn day and it feels comfortable." I found that the Japanese have a very strong respect for rules, even traditional ones that are not enforced by anyone. You simply don't go outside in only a t-shirt before June 1st, just like you simply don't do a number of other things. I found it interesting that these rules are only applicable in Japan. There were any number of these rules that they would break while here in American but once they get back to Japan they wouldn't dream of breaking etiquette.

"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape

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Have you seen Japanese porn? We bombed them right the fuck into crazy.

HARMY RULES

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tl;dr
"Who am I supposed to build ramps for? Who am I supposed to build ramps for now?!"