american culture from an outsiders perspective

In many instances, the name of a coin will tell you something about how much it's worth. - Ingerlise Kristensen, 68, retired bank employee, Copenhagen, Denmark, "America is food fast food and (Coca) Cola. Cushman (2009) used an active learning methodology to explore minority students' insider knowledge and make outsiders aware of their lack of knowledge relative to It's not good." 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. (She believed) that the people's voice should be heard." 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. On TripAdvisor, one German tourist even commented on her love of visiting New York, save for these restroom door gaps. In America, the letter Z is, well, zee. - Knut Braaten, 43, handyman, Oslo, Norway, "Everything in America is high tech!" Concept of building up the courage to ask someone to a ceilidh is simply ridiculous. -- Teaching_man, I was not aware that you can buy guns in supermarkets in America. Countries whose intellectuals have long protested the Wests tendency toward Orientalism in its presentation of foreigners now have an opportunity to engage in a bit of Occidentalism.. 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. After doing a little adventuring on the web and seeing all different kinds of opinions and views from people all over the world, I came to love my country even more. . Boy was I wrong. 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. When first reading this analysis, it is not easy to recognize that Miner is talking about American's culture. When Al Jazeera becomes a major U.S. cable channel, as it plans, some Americans are likely to click past it, recalling the alleged anti-American tone by the pan-Arab network during the Iraq war a decade ago, CNN wrote in a not atypical comment. The beliefs, customs, art, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time. has brought about most of the customs and activities. You don't see cheerleaders at the World Cup, do you? Many posts I read from spoke about not being able to even eat our bread because it was so sugary. While I thought this over, I also began to think of why people, myself especially, are so enthralled with other countries. If even we Americans don't get it, we can't expect anyone else to either. This is down to the US communication style which is influenced by the need to be direct, clear . This writing helped me understand others' perceptive of the things that I find normal. Upon graduating secondary school, many Americans choose colleges and universities outside of and often far from their hometowns. paper from an anthropological perspective. D. When Asian Americans speak about their experiences as minorities, they help younger generations feel comfortable in - Karin Cohen, 25, bookshop worker, Jerusalem, "The first thing I think when I hear United States is a world power." There is, of course, diverse reporting on health care and the stock market and climate change on Al Jazeera America, but there is unmistakably in its coverage a hint of this thesis Americas bountiful callousness. They have to lift it up and tie it to the top of their vehicle, and then drive very slowly so the tree will not fall off the car. The etic perspective is data gathering by outsiders that yield questions posed by outsiders. For example, 84% of those ages 18 to 29 in Taiwan hold this view . Grab a blanket and a glass of hot chocolate, and do these five warm indoor activities for those rainy winter days. She was a happy person, better than my Chinese roommate there were three of us in the room. The greasers live on the east side and are known as "hoods". Foreign tourists might be surprised to find out just how many other destinations in the U.S. have restaurants that are open around the clock. There are no Americans as such. 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 particular ethnicity (e.g., African Americans), or an agerelated category of Americans (e.g., millennials). Burgers, the American dream, choppers, Elvis, cowboys. It is so much work to get a hold of the tree and to decorate it, and it seems very important, yet at the end of the day many of the trees are thrown away. Trick-or-Treating. var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest(); But when Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based television empire that has long broadcast to . To find out, I thought that I should get a view from the outside of the proverbial white picket fenced, good ol Murican home. It's pretty infuriating to live somewhere where something as natural and beautiful as the human body is viewed as taboo and "corrupts" our youth, but a guy getting his head cut off or getting beaten to death is perfectly okay for kids to watch. While New York City famouslynever sleeps, it's not the only city with 24-hour businesses. By Beth Anne Macaluso, Adam Schubak and Kara Ladd. Many Western media companies have seized upon this reality to create sites devoted to the domestic consumption of their foreign reporting including The New York Timess India Ink blog, to cite an example. The photo below shows different tools for cleaning ones teeth yes, even the sticks. Americans really love their ice. In America, however, these advertisements are everywhereand unsurprisingly, they confuse foreign visitors. In a moments answer, a culture is revealed anew. Andersen, Margaret L. and Taylor, Howard F. 2008. Many of the novel's characters, whether they were labeled as Socials (Socs) or greasers . [], Your email address will not be published. - Pedro Ivan Gonzalez, 35, Havana, "I think the way they are talking and dealing with personal relations is quite direct. But elsewhere, there's no reason why eggs can't sit out on a shelf or counter. Romances and horrors are great genres to cozy up to in the dark. Works Cited. Old charges of Al Jazeeras giving a platform to Islamists resurfaced. It's cars. The Internet has changed that. This weird American habit leaves many foreign visitors asking, "How much water could you possibly need over the course of an hour or two?". Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.". If movies aren't your style or you need a quieter way to relax, pick up a good book. The Outsiders was actually published when the author was only 17 years old. All the pomp and circumstance surrounding prom, I have cousins who live in the US and just hearing about the number of hoops they had to jump through to ask someone to a dance is hilarious. There is some discussion of dolphin infant mortality, but not so much about the issue in America even though it ranks close to the bottom among the advanced economies. All Rights Reserved. How big the country is and the amount of time you guys are willing to drive. Once they get home, they have to lift it once again off the car and into their house. American culture, they help younger generations avoid changing their personalities to be accepted. But when Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based television empire that has long broadcast to viewers around the world in Arabic and English, announced plans to start a U.S. news channel, it ignited a wildfire of controversy. Because there is no such ethnicity. Throughout the novel The Outsiders, readers can see just how harshly culture can change people. This extraordinary insight highlights the power that outsiders have, forcing us to see ourselves from an altogether different perspective. In S.E. We should not ethnocentrically impose our own beliefs and opinions, which are products of our own enculturation. He also emptied my friend's fridge, saying he's used to eating and drinking whenever he feels hungry or thirsty. Anthropologists conduct their research in the field with the species, civilization, or groups of people they are studying. Why is so much trouble taken to offer the items to people, wrapped and put under this gaudy tree only to be given away? NEW YORK Al Jazeera wants to make its name as American as pizzaburgers. The authors' research uncovered four factors: (1) The outsiders were not. I have recently begun thinking about my country and our culture, and wanted to learn more about what exactly makes an American. ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb. Go to many other countries and the smallest differences in culture, language, and background will almost automatically cause some major issues. By adding some whipped cream and a cinnamon stick, a regular cup of warm chocolate powder in milk becomes more like a dessert. A lot of dresses, and cars, and all that. In continuation with time, the culture of the native people developed. The only normal part of the holiday seems to be the family gathering for dinner on Christmas day. In most other countries, however, an A/C unit is used sparingly, if at all. In other parts of the world, however, ice isn't something you'll see nearly as frequently. The only way to properly do this is to be comfortable, because why relax when you could relax? Individualism vs. Collectivism. 1 - A Chinese woman with her feet unbound. One of the hardest (or at least most expensive) things about being an outsider traveling in the United States is tipping. The fellow in line asked me in a very American accent, 'Y'all can't get what in the States?' We're desensitizing the wrong thing. Especially if you have school work to do, background music can help fill the silence of late night studying. )After you find more information about the Nacirema and gained a new perspective, then complete []. How big the country is and the amount of time you guys are willing to drive. They also put some wires around it, which when attached to the wall, make the tree look very bright. But there is an ideology that unites them all." 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. - Pedro Ivan Gonzalez, 35, juice seller, Havana, "It is a world imperialist power country. Jeroen Seynhaeve / View all { 18 } / Vertaal naar Nederlands Traditional ways of evaluating cultures, and managing value clashes between these cultures, fail to generate desired results. Fair enough! 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. In anthropology, folkloristics, and the social and behavioral sciences, emic (/ i m k /) and etic (/ t k /) refer to two kinds of field research done and viewpoints obtained.. In most European countries, service fees are included in the price of a meal, and tips don't usually go above 8 to 12 percent. Jun 25, 2018. "A black-and-white look at the world. To begin, Ill stick with the positives. In the process, the new Pittsburgh is helping point the way to the old. Instead, it's meant as a simple greeting, similar to "Hi there!" What we know so far about the Chinese spy balloon and other objects shot down by U.S. We like to eat when we like to eatand if that means going to Denny's at 3 a.m., so be it. What identifies an American? Native Americans believe that the beating of the drum is a uniting force, bringing together people of different tribes, as well as uniting a person's spirit to their body and mind. I think sometimes we take our freedom and our way of life for granted, not realizing how great it really is. (New York: Penguin . What is even more confusing is that these items in the boxes are often not kept. There are two gangs in this novel, the "greasers", and the "Socs". Flashnewb, many Chinese people do not understand how America can function so "well" since the people here are all so different. Scouring forums and blogs, I found that most found Americans very friendly, caring, welcoming, and open people who live in a geographically diverse nation! It's like your entire concept of beauty hangs on it. One could almost call them obsessed, as some houses have giant men, white bears, and black and white birds puffed full of air in front of their houses. Tipping. Independence. From our portions to our PTO, here's where we differ from the rest of the world. Don't get me wrong, dental hygiene is important, but not everyone needs a perfect Hollywood smile. To examine these facts other cultures are taken into consideration to accurately without prejudices towards African Americans. Non-Americans of reddit, what aspect of American culture strikes you as the strangest. They're calm and kind and friendly and they like to smile." What is Ethnocentrism? I dont wear any shoes that I cant run in, she said. The American was easy to talk with and we had a lot of things in common. WHAT IS THE FIRST THOUGHT THAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD "AMERICA"? From the exotic to the ancient, and to the high end cities of the world, we are obsessed. "Here in New Zealand, lemonade generally equals . Why did they not just give them to the people in the first place? It is told in a first-person narration style, with the narrator being a 14-year-old boy. Ck14, 11. 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. They just like speaking their mind, which is a reason that I don't feel quite comfortable going around with Americans." You see, I even have two iPhones." Collectivist cultures are usually contrasted with individualistic cultures. And so Al Jazeera Americas recent three-part series on Grand Theft Auto V, a much-heralded new video game, went further and harder than many rivals reports. The cultural norms and values surrounding the artifacts are relative to the Native American culture and cannot be understood or appreciated from an outsider's perspective. NACIREMA: UPDATING A CLASSIC TO SEE YOUR OWN CULTURE AS AN OUTSIDER. I don't understand why other cultures are all so primitive. The reality doesn't match the ideal. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Todd Beer, PhD, is a faculty member in the department of Sociology and Anthropology at Lake Forest College, a wonderful liberal arts college north of Chicago. She does a great job of describing the US rituals of the Christian holiday, Christmas. - Christopher Darroch, 39, actor, Toronto, "Americans are American because they feel (they are) better than the rest of the world but in reality we are as good as they are. Our collective workaholism is totally bizarre to outsidersand quite frankly, we can see why. - Antara Rao, 18, economics student, New Delhi, "(America) welcomes all different races." used by the People to entertain and amuse themselves.". Bacon or sausage? } BANGKOK -- The rest of the world may think Americans eat a lot of burgers, have huge shopping malls and are ruled by an arrogant government.And yet the "Ugly American," it would seem, isn't all . Given that the school-age Asian American population doubled in the . Adam Schubak Partnerships Editor Adam is a writer based out of New . Americans are unusually casual about handing over their credit cards in a way that tends to freak foreigners out. Whether it be through something small or something quite significant, it's a . I believe they should understand the values that we have as Arabs, embrace them and try to go to a more local level to comprehend why we think and why we live the way we live." as well as other partner offers and accept our. They were floored (and clogged probably) -- Marcvsgrippa, Pumpkin flavored things, pumpkin is a vegetable yet it is always in seasonal items in combination with sweet flavors. Obviously (the people) don't have much to do with the government's political decisions but I do think that it is a big, powerful country that has always tried to dominate countries it doesn't favor." Interpersonal relations among Americans are much more practical, in contrast to the complicated way that we Chinese people treat each other." 5. The Reddit user NoDownvotesPlease said: "That was the weirdest one for me. "Sometimes I enjoy ordering freakishly large things over hereit turns consumption into tourism and makes me feel as though I'm at a carnival. They are big and loud and they are in charge of everything." American Culture: The Outsider's Perspective. Saysthingsfromabush, In Scotland our equivalents are ceilidhs and in school you just go and f***ing dance. Many American kids and teenagers leave home for extended periods of time, often for summer camps or travel. The small and thin trees with exposed branches are often not given a second look and are left with the person selling the trees. An etic view of a culture is the perspective of an outsider looking in. Y'all get snow up there.'" The most peculiar act, however, has yet to be done. What am saying, or asking rather, is what makes us American to non-Americans? I hope that, without sounding whiny, sharing this might help others who also feel like outsiders see that, strangely, they are part of a community. Okay, so besides us Americans in general, what about the other stuff, like our food, drink and entertainment? Once the family has picked out their rather plump tree, they have to go through the challenging and exhausting task of bringing it back to their home. I was wearing a T-shirt that said, 'You Can't Get This In The States.' Culture, or the environment a person is exposed to, can alter how people behave, along with shaping part of someone's, or their whole, life. they aren't actually looking for an answer. 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. And so when this newspaper or any other writes about Italy or Ghana, Italians and Ghanaians can now read it. Body Rituals Among the Nacirema Essay. - Marren Cahilig, 21, bartender, Manila, Philippines, "It is powerful." 2. - Gennelyn Escopete, 33, DVD street vendor, Manila, Philippines, "There is a lot of misconception about their politics. Sociology in Everyday Life. You get a vision of their culture and their way of life. 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. 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. 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. Nacirema, that "exotic", far-off place where people do "strange" things is one of the best ways to help students look at American culture as an observer rather than as the standard by which all other cultures should be compared. 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. There are few countries in which you'll encounter a billboard or bus ad for a divorce attorney or see several personal injury spots while watching half an hour of daytime TV. Once they do, everyone admires the tree even more. It did the same for a story from New Orleans on how murder victims survivors cope with their loss. Please enter valid email address to continue. I thought you had to go to a dedicated gun store for that. -- 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. In American-Indian culture, silence is valued as sacred. Here are some of the best: 1. northern resident killer whale catalogue; incredibox character creator; peugeot 3008 panoramic roof problems. Finding creative ways to fry things that probably shouldn't be fried is an American specialty and something that definitely confuses tourists. The Socs live on the west side and are known as the west side rich kids who have all the breaks. To me a pumpkin spice coffee is so strange!-- TallGrass2, dressing up young girls in short skirts and getting them to dance around and cheer on young men strikes me as odd preparetodobattle, I work at a summer camp and there is nothing funnier than watching the international counselors be totally weirded out by the flag ceremony we have every morning/evening (5-7 camper colorguard raises flag, salutes, 60-90 people recite pledge and girl scout promise in unison, we turn on our heels and file out silently in the morning, in the evening we fold the flag, sing taps, turn on our heels and file out silently to dinner) izzielosthermind, Eating/drinking coffee as you go, to me the best part of eating is sitting down, talking, and relaxing tallgrass2, I know this does not apply to everyone but your attachment to your college/university AFTER you have left. - Marren Cahilig, 21, bartender, Manila, Philippines, "Many things their arrogant ideology of a powerful country and above all they have a language that is practically universal and almost everyone depends on that language. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. 2022 Galvanized Media. Holding "Trials of the Century". The amount of older people I saw on my trip wearing college gear was insane. To non-Americans the fact that we have a choice of, what kind of bread we want our sandwich on, and what kind of cheese we want on said sandwich, along with what kind of dressing, is just mind blowing. The fish fry, a long-established Friday staple during Lent, is roaring back from COVID with an assist from something decidedly newfangled: an interactive map built by local volunteer coders that points the way to scores of churches, fire halls and other places that offer battered and breaded seafood for the taking. Whats more is that once Christmas is over, all of the gaudy gems and balls on the tree have to be removed and the tree must be moved out of the house. The channels subjects and reporting are unassailably American. 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. Sure, fried chicken is hardly a foreign conceptbut try explaining chicken-fried steak or deep-fried Oreos to a non-American. I had a friend who drove for 16 hours to visit family for the weekend. 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. Many people's vacation days tend to pile up as the months of 50-hour workweeks roll on. Ethnocentric views are often closely tied to racism. In most other countries, when you buy a drink, that prince is for a single cupful of your beverage of choice. First off, there are a variety of flavors, from White Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, Mint, Caramel and the list goes on. Lastly, the best part is the toppings. One problem that anthropologists may run in to is that people tend to act differently when they are being observed. - B.S. - Ziva Meizels, retiree, Jerusalem, "I think their patriotism, you know, God bless America. . - Marren Cahilig, 21, bartender, Manila, Philippines, "A friend had an American friend over and he was surprised to see how laid back we are. Cultural relativism can be seen with the Chinese culture and their process of feet binding. -- Nionvox, and extreme violence/gore is considered normal, and shown regularly on TV. My American studies courses here have given me the opportunity to observe America from an outsider's perspective and really get an understanding of what Europeans actually think of us. And he said, 'Oh Canada! Americans love their free refills. - Liu Xiaodan, 30, hotel manager, Beijing, "My impression of Americans is that they uncomplicated. What one culture does and believes to benormal, others may see as unusual. Money rules everything. While every region of the United States has its own quirks and identity, there are also certain customs that are commonplace nationwide. Required fields are marked *. In cultural anthropology, our fieldwork is referred to as ethnography, which is both the process and result of cultural anthropological research. 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. While many love how so patriotic we are as a people, some, to be blunt, find it a bit creepy. Holidays are integral parts of different cultures and by looking at them through the eyes of an outsider, we can see how culture influences perspective. Like so much else in the United States, we go big with our roads, which are a huge contrast to the tight city streets of most European towns and winding mountain roads found in much of the rest of the world. For inquiring minds, think of our food. It was reported to me that the ritual consists of inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth, along with certain magical powders, and then moving the bundle in a highly formalized series of gestures.. 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. For example, Miner writes The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. - Ksenia Smertova, 21, student, Moscow, "America? - Kenni Friis, 28, computer technology student, Copenhagen, Denmark, "You can easily distinguish an American like here in the restaurant. OR WHAT IDENTIFIES AS AMERICAN TO YOU? I'll call the first one "A" (Americans, for instance). 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 ); As an American this is something I love. To outsiders, Blacks may appear terse or disinterested. There's an undercurrent of savagery and violence waiting to be expressed on a grand scale it seems, and I believe it's because American culture is unwittingly pushing for complete atomization of society, people can no longer rely on the elite for virtuous principles and leadership, and that people are starting to realize that . The process often began between four and seven years old. Anyone can have a good idea, so you could expect the distribution of U.S. patents to resemble the demographics of the workplace. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Sometimes, you need an outsiders perspective to get a clearer and wider view of things. 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 . 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. They rip up all of the paper covering the boxes, and leave a mess on the floor. Ponyboy Curtis is the narrator of this story, and it is through his .

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american culture from an outsiders perspective