Category: American Culture

Analyzing the culture of the USA is a complicated project that requires one to engage in expanded research to learn about the cultural variety in the U.S. The reason for this is that America has not only one perception of a single country but many others with different traditions and customs. This research study will start to address the areas of food, religion, art, and an interview.

Culture is the primary indicator that people are part of civilization, and culture is all things which were achieved by humans through work and talent. Also, culture is those aspects of a group of people that are passed on or learned. Hence, culture is involved and complicated, so there is not a straightforward definition of the meaning of the culture. However, people usually divide the aspects of the culture into many significant areas such as ethnic foods, ethnicity, generation, gender, clothes, language, kinds of music, laws, beliefs, and also education system that is part of a society or shared fellowship. It is described as historically occurring to manage manner and behavior. An individual is born into a culture, but not born with culture. Culture is something that people learn.

A website, about foods, provides a quick snapshot of the top ten traditional dishes of the USA, including some convincing evidence (such as links of other websites). The website has mouthwatering pictures of food, which would help to interest a reader to view the site. These foods are a big part of American culture. American food was influenced by Europeans and Native Americans in its early history. Today, several foods are usually identified as American, such as a hamburger, a pizza, and taco.

I figured out why the great food in the United States the hamburger, is called a hamburger. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, many Germans noticed during their travels to Asia, that the locals would fill their beef between their bread while they would ride, to help soften it for later. The Germans loved the notion of soft aromatic meat, so they took the idea back home with them to Hamburg. Moreover, the time went on, Hamburg Meat quickly became known in the world as hamburger.

A few years later, German immigrants moved to the U.S, and they gave the recipe for Hamburg Meat. The first release of Hamburg meat in the United States was in 1884 when the Boston Evening Journal declared “Hamburg Steak.” It was not long after when people began to appreciate their things. ‘Hamburger’ was created by Charlie Nagreen, and he explained his “American Hamburger” at the Outagamie County Fair in Seymour, Wisconsin in 1885. His “hamburger,” though was not on a piece of bread and was, of course, without cheese or bacon. Most significant things in history take time to develop. The first known hamburger on buns as we know it today took place in St. Louis in the 1904 World Fair.

Unlike the wealthy minority, the Neapolitans required cheap food that could be consumed quickly, and it was Pizza. Pizza– flatbreads with various toppings, eaten for any meal and sold by street vendors or casual restaurants—met this need. These fresh pizzas consumed by Naples is mediocre featured the tasty garnishes beloved today, such as tomatoes, cheese, oil, anchovies, and garlic.

Moreover, yet, until the 1940s, pizza was not famous in Italy beyond Naples is borders as now. Hence, when immigrants moved to the United States from Naples, they were replicating their pizzas in New York, Trenton, New Haven, Boston, Chicago, and St. Louis. For this reason, the first who began to eat pizza was non-Neapolitans and non-Italians. Thanks to them, the first documented United States pizzeria was G. (for Gennaro) Lombardi is on Spring Street in Manhattan, licensed to sell pizza in 1905. After World War II, when pizza was permitted, it vastly began to know in the United States. No longer seen as an “ethnic” treat, and it was increasingly identified as a portion of fast, fast food. Then, the world has seen this food.

The history of tacos in the US begins around the 1880s. When Mexican immigrants moving from Mexico to Texas and California started to sell their specialty dish know as tacos. Travelers, from other places, were interested in the tastes of fantastic Mexican food. The components that were used grown in the first half of the twentieth century, depending on agricultural and ethnic-origin factors.

The taco, first notice of this food, was published in the form of a newspaper report in 1905. After that, Mexicans had originated migrating to the US to work in the mines and on railroads. Even in the starting, Americans often looked at Mexican food as street food after that people began to buy and eat this ethnic food, which thanks to Mexicans immigrants famous in the world. Also, people have a hypothesis about the taco comes from the fact that the first type of taco was “taco de minero,” which translates to mean miner is tacos.

The Washington Post newspaper shows readers that America has its unique customs of using an age-status word for someone older. However, comparing the USA and Vietnam, in English, the age distinctions are more straightforward — and more sudden because “I” and “you,” is not based on age. Usually, people pay attention to the correct pronoun because they want to confer the appropriate level of respect, especially to someone older. Usadi, a writer of the Washington Post, gives an example, in the newspaper, to readers about asking a female question about her age, can sometimes be rude towards the woman. Some words indicate status which makes people feel more respect from others. As a child, everyone wants to look like an older person and have people around them respect. However, over time, he or she loses interest in wanting to look like an old person. This article accurately shows this situation.

The United States has nearly every known religion, which was founded based on religious freedom. Christianity is the largest religion, and approximately seventy-one percent of Americans identify as Christians, including such as ways of beliefs in the Christians, Protestants, Catholics, and Mormons. A little more than half of the people are Protestants, Catholic is about twenty-three percent, and Mormon is two percent. What about other religions in America? Buddhists represent the most extensive religious bloc in most states. People, who believe in Islam, are mostly in the Midwest and South in the twenty states. Judaism has most followers after Christianity mainly in the Northeast, and the fifteen States.

Catholicism manages the Northeast, Southwest, and Southern and Baptists have a strong foothold in the South. The Jesus Christ is churches govern Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and pieces of Nevada. Lutheranism has most followers in Minnesota and the Dakotas, and Methodists make their presence felt in parts of West Virginia, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.

Media production, television, and movies are widely known as the United States as a leader in the world. According to the research of the U.S. Department of Commerce that America comprises one-third of the global media and entertainment industry. The television industry took the main hold in the United States in the early 1950s, since American television programs begin to show around the world. The heart of the movie industry, in America, is Hollywood and California, which mean that every person watches movies of these cities. From the film industry, America earned $31 billion in revenues in 2013 and is expecting more than $771 billion by 2019, according to the U.S Department of Commerce. The American art culture extends beyond movies and television shown — the heart of American art in New York. Also, American music is very diverse with many styles, including rhythm and blues, gospel jazz, country and western, bluegrass, hip hop, and rock ‘n’ roll.

Asanbai and Abdusalim both have lived in the USA since 2008, so they are excellent resources for an essay. I was able to get information from them which can help me to adapt to America quickly. They have many knowledge and experience to share about American culture. They mostly suggested favorite places to visit, favorite foods and aspects of religions.

The emotional costs are incalculable. I have never written an essay where I have so many questions during interviews, where they double- and triple-checked. I know that my countrymen have lived in the United States for many years. A teacher in the Harmony school, Abdusalim and web developer Aiashaka, said that they live difficulty. “We had many problems with financial,” they said, “It feels like the worst kind of weakness.”

My interest in this result is slightly more than journalistic. Growing up abroad, my brothers got many life lessons from life. The first thing during the interview was about their experience; they discussed how they got into the United States. They said that after graduated M.B, from Kyrgyzstan, they decided to get a Ph.D. from America. Abdusalim explains, “Ph.D. cost expensive to us, so we found a legal job I found the high school and began to teach students, and Aishaka became a web developer working to the company.”

Hereafter, they began to suggest places which I need to visit because I am young yet and still a student. “If you visit these places which I suggested you,” Abdusalim said, “you will feel more motivated and will more achieve in your life.” I shocked and want to get answers immediately, so these places were top Universities located in Texas. Abdusalim suggested to me that I need to visit the University of Texas at Austin and Rice University. “After visiting these universities, I will guarantee that you will get your long-term goals,” Aiashaka also added,” Americans love a person who has a long-term goal in the early age, age like yours.” Also, Aishaka responded to my question, “Unlike other developed countries, government support for US universities is quite low.” which meant that this is especially true in case of the private institutions.

Following favorite places, as every person know that America has many types of food, even traditional food from Asia. Hence, my next question was about food. Abdusalim suggested that in the summer break I should to eat New York is, or Chicago is pizza. “These types of pizza so expensive for a student like you, I mean for an international student, but after eating these pizzas, you will feel that you are in America,” Aishaka claimed, “The pizza came from Italy.”

People have many aspects of religion in the world. So, I interested what the main ones in the United States are. Aishaka said that the United States have each element of the religion of the world. “But in the United States, nearly 80% of the population is Christians. That includes Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, Greek and Russian Orthodox and more.”Abdusalim said, “Just approximately 4.7 percent of Americans practice other religions such as Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. Sixteen percent of adults are unaffiliated, and that proportion is growing among younger Americans.”

To sum up, the US culture surprised me for many reasons, begging with the history of foods, which is entirely different from what I expected. The pizza, hamburger, and taco which were not American foods, but the US adapted and made these foods famous. Also, I surprised that Christianity, which is one prominent religion, is followers more than other religions by couples of times. Also, The American film industry is a leader in the world by revenues, and I have also visited my fellowmen and learned more about American culture; from an interview, I got that places, which I need to visit, are Top universities of Texas.

Works Cited

1. Aishaka, Asanbai. Personal Interview. 5 Apr. 2019
2. Abdulsalim, Joldoshov. Personal Interview. 5 Apr. 2019
3. ‘A Complicated But Brief History Of Tacos.’ Mobile Cuisine | Food Truck, Pop Up & Street Food Coverage, 5 Feb. 2019, mobile-cuisine.com/culinary-lessons/history-of-tacos/ Accessed 17 Apr. 2019.
4. CASA BLANCA MEXICAN RESTAURANTS MGMT. ‘The History of Tacos.’ Casa Blanca Mexican Restaurant, Massachusetts, 28 Sept. 2015, www.casablancamexican.com/thehistory-of-tacos/ Accessed 17 Apr. 2019.
5. Richardson, Lance. “The 10 Foods Every Visitor to the US Needs to Try.” Traveller, 18 Feb. 2019, www.traveller.com.au/the-traveller-10-musttry-american-food-gqbjjm. Accessed 7 Apr. 2019.
6. Turim, Gayle. ‘A Slice of History: Pizza Through the Ages.’ HISTORY, 1 Apr. 2019, www.history.com/news/a-slice-of-history-pizza-through-the-ages Accessed 15 Apr. 2019.
7. Usadi, Oanh Ngo. “I Was Annoyed When I Was First Called ‘Ma’am.’ Then I Came around.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6 Apr. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-was- annoyed-when-i-was-first-called-maam-then-i-came-around/2019/04/06/8a2e6b6a-51a3- 11e9-88a1-ed346f0ec94f_story.html?utm_term=.c2f689489666. Accessed 7 Apr. 2019.
8. ‘Why A Hamburger Is Called A Hamburger.’ Today I Found Out, 14 Sept. 2010, www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/09/why-a-hamburger-is-called-a-hamburger/ Accessed 21 Apr. 2019.
9. Wilson, Reid. 4 June 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/06/04/the-second-largest-religion-in-each-state/?utm_term=.f069bc78da70 Accessed 23 Apr. 2019.
10. Zimmermann, Kim Ann. ‘American Culture: Traditions and Customs of the United States.’ Live Science, 13 July 2017, www.livescience.com/28945-american-culture.html Accessed 19 Apr. 2019.

The idea that America has been slowly eroding culture around the world and expanding their own influence has been hotly debated over the past number of years. Philippe Legrain argues in his article that Cultural Globalization most definitely does not equal Americanization. Legrain details the positive aspects of Globalization, how it increases individual freedom, frees people from the chains of their local culture, provides a hybridization of culture in many parts of the world and plants seeds of various cultures in countries who never would have gotten the opportunity otherwise.

He also addresses the fears of American culture taking over the global market and placing a monopoly on incoming media products. He finds that “For all the concerns about American fast food trashing France’s culinary traditions, France imported a mere $620-million in food from the United States in 2000, while exporting to America three times that”. Similarly, in the music scene, American born artists do not dominate and instead “the three artists who featured most widely in national Top Ten album charts in 2000 were America’s Britney Spears, closely followed by Mexico’s Carlos Santana and the British Beatles” (Legraine, 2003). While it might seem to people born in the United States that their culture is dominating the global market, foreign products are still the most popular in their respective areas.

As Legraine quotes Tyler Cowen he further explains that “People everywhere have more choice, but they often choose similar things. That worries cultural pessimists, even though the right to choose to be the same is an essential part of freedom”. The fear of losing ones own national identity plays a factor in consuming various cultural products and another reason has to why sectioned communities prefer localized music, film and literature. “In truth, cultural pessimists are typically not attached to diversity per se but to designated manifestations of diversity”; Cultural pessimists want to freeze things as they were” (Legraine, 2003).

For these pessimists, there is no way to stop Globalization in its entirety. New cultural products are being released daily to fans from around the globe, not caring whether it was produced locally or even nationally but only that it suits their lifestyle and how they want to experience it. In some areas American culture is going to simply win-out and create a higher density of appreciation while other areas are completely void of it. Cultural Globalization is in fact, not Americanization but Americanization is Cultural Globalization.

Allan Brian Ssenyonga on the other hand argues that American culture has pervaded Globalization in large amounts and the world is now at a point where Americanization is entirely possible. Ssenyonga finds that “many people, especially, the Europeans have often despised Americans, saying they have no culture. But as any sociologist will tell you, even having no culture is a culture in itself … now they seem to be selling their culture to the rest of the world as a new and improved product of what we all have as culture” (Ssenyonga, 2006). The American styles of clothing, music and fast food eating have all made a major impact on the global market and planted seeds of American culture in other developed countries.

Hollywood in particular has been dominating the global market and while India produces more films in total, their impact outside of the country is increasingly limited compared to American made products. Over time “the guys in Hollywood have made us adore the tough cigar smoking guys in the Casinos, the thin shapely long-legged women, and to dream about rags-to-riches stories that are a common tag line of the movies” (Ssenyonga, 2006). Hollywood has not just given an insight into American culture, but their own personal takes on various cultures from around the world as well.

Ssenyonga also touches on the Americans ‘War on Terrorism’, touching on the propaganda spread by the United States on Muslims and the Middle Eastern countries citing them as terrorists and proclaiming themselves to the saviours of the western world. Through the media over the past number of years, America has used its influence to persuade to only its own people but countries from around the globe that what they’re doing is right and just. He finishes the point by stating that “the global stage is at a period of American conquest in many more different way than you can imagine … Globalization has the ability to alter much more than just the movies or food consumed by a society. And the results can be powerfully positive, devastatingly negative or more often something in between” (Ssenyonga, 2006).

Most likely, the spread of American Culture is going to continue to grow and eventually become the universalized culture, one which any in the world can relate to. Similar to the spread of the English language, more and more countries are adopting classes to teach English is schools. That is not to say that English will be preferred over countries national languages but similar to American culture, a universal language for everybody to understand is a possibility.

Peter Beyer of the University of Ottawa details the distinction of globalization between the west and the non-West essentially saying that “globalization is a Western imposition on the non-West; meaning that the West is more Global and the non-West is more local” (Beyer, 1998). This distinction follows a path similar to modernization where seemingly most new inventions and products come from the West. The West simply puts out more information, media and technology products that can be consumed internationally rather than smaller countries in Asia and Africa who mainly produce for local communities and populations. The simple matter is that the United States flexes its social power on smaller, and lesser developed countries with their own media and physical products. Those smaller countries then have no choice but to accept the Americanization as it out performs their own.

Additionally, Beyer identifies that “money is then one of those technical means that forces globalization, not by negating, but by bringing together and recontextualizing those aspects of human life that are particular and greatly variable” (Beyer, 1998). Globalization is now more a search for a shared society between various cultures and traditions rather than staying sectioned off without outside influence. Communities will of course sometimes choose to indulge in foreign products but through overwhelming consensus, American products are more likely to be adopted into foreign homes because local subsidiaries just can not compete.

The content that the American market produces is a direct representation of what the culture is like currently. As countries produce more and more consumable content, their main consumers are going to be their own population. And so American media products are created in the image of the United States in a way to will sell to local audiences. Furthermore, with the increasing Americanization of the non-West, those same cultural products are becoming more and more culturally valid in countries such as Russia, China and Japan.

Mita Banerjee in ‘Cultural Studies and Americanization’ studies the impact and increased circulation of America studies in foreign countries, mainly Germany. She begins by studying a German advertisement which features what Banerjee calls ‘A Black Hippie’. She goes on to explain that on first glance the advertisement screams of American culture and the African-American hybrid has become so popular in the past decades. “Why, in other words, should the black hippie in the poster be a black American hippie? … It may be interesting to consider whether the hippie in the poster could be read not as a black American, but as a black German hippie” (Banerjee, 2009). The through then becomes, why did this German ad bring up notions of American Culture.

Maria Lauret recalls in her article ‘Americanization Now and Then: The “Nation of Immigrants” that in one of former President Barack Obama’s closing sentiments, “My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants”. And with that notion of immigration, the United States had to create their own culture after defecting from the British Empire. Now that that culture has been fully realised and embraced by the American population, new incoming immigrants must be subject to learn and fit into that culture once coming over. Lauret also cities that the “The Task Force had been charged by the President to design a policy for the Department of Homeland Security “to help legal immigrants embrace the common core of American civic culture, learn our common language, and fully become Americans” (Lauret, 2016). The American culture has never been very accepting of immigrants of any race or number but even so, the culture dictates that once immigrants are living within the country, they must be indoctrinated with American values and ways of life.

The theory of “A Nation of Immigrants” can have both a positive and negative effect on the impact of Americanization in foreign countries. On one hand, with so many different races and ethnicities coming to the United States, the spread of American culture becomes that much more potent as immigrants share their new culture with friends and family from their home country. The American culture us further promoted on the vast social media platforms of the modern age. Popular personalities advertise American products globally and communities from around the world wish to emulate their favourite pop artists or movie star so they buy further into Americanization. On the other hand, however, with so many immigrants moving to the United States year after year, the American culture can become diluted with foreign practices straying further from ‘Pure American Culture’.

Works Cited

1. Banerjee, M. (2009). Cultural Studies and Americanization. Amerikastudien / American
2. Studies, 54(3), 499-521.
3. Beyer, P. (1998). Globalizing Systems, Global Cultural Models and Religion(s). International
4. Sociology, 13(1), 79–94.
5. Lauret, M. (2016). Americanization Now and Then: The “Nation of Immigrants” in the Early
6. Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries. Journal of American Studies, 50(2), 419–447.
7. Legraine, P. (2003). Cultural Globalization Is Not Americanization. 49(35), pB7-B10.
8. Ssenyonga, A. B. (2006). Does Globalization Threaten Cultural Diversity? (Vol. 3).

One of the reasons that Thanksgiving is highly anticipated among Americans all across the United States is that it is a holiday where Americans have the opportunity to stuff themselves with a wide variety of food items that are not commonly consumed. Once a year, Americans take the opportunity to indulge in a wide variety of uncommon delectables, including stuffing, cranberry sauce, and turkey. Turkey has been a staple in Thanksgiving dinners across the country for so long that meat is almost always identified as the food that no Thanksgiving dinner finds itself complete without. While many substitutes for the turkey have been implemented into Thanksgiving meals over the years, including goose, quail, and tofu, there is no substitute more grandiose, monstrous, and distinctly American, than the turducken.

While I have never tasted the dish for myself, it is safe to say that I never plan to for as long as I live in the United States, as the dish is too grotesque to even imagine consuming. A turducken is the result of a cook recklessly coming to the conclusion that turkeys are somehow able to contain the entirety of two additional birds from witnessing families innocently filling stuffing into their Thanksgiving turkeys. A single turducken is a turkey that has had all of its bones removed and has been stuffed with a whole, deboned duck. The duck has all of its bones removed also because it is stuffed with a whole, deboned chicken. This trio of birds comes together to form a Russian doll of sorts, with each layer revealing new meat for an American family to somehow enjoy and consume together. While examining and analyzing this slimy, oily mess of a dish, there are a few traits apparent in the turducken that are distinctly American or remind me of what it means to live as an American citizen in the United States.

The existence of the turducken already indicates an American citizen’s natural desire to act as an individual with ideas separate from the ones already presented by the collective whole of society. The concept of American individualism revolves around the idea that Americans naturally want to act in a state free from the control of both their government and their social norms. In the case of the turducken, the popularization and implementation of the dish into Thanksgiving dinners every year signifies a desire for individuals in American society to have a dish that better represents them, a dish that is something other than the typical turkey. With the normalization of the turkey as the iconic Thanksgiving dish, it is only natural that there are some Americans who feel the need to act against that norm and serve a more individualized, unique dish on the holiday. The reason that the turducken is a much more unique option over simply eating a goose or quail for Thanksgiving is that the turducken has the highest amount of fat and calories.

This concept of American individualism is also present in the reasoning as to why some Americans feel like the calorie-heavy turducken is the best substitute for the typical Thanksgiving turkey. Turduckens are arguably oversized and too high in calories for American families to be consuming, even if they are just consumed over Thanksgiving. There is a large, substantiated stereotype that Americans frequently eat foods that are high in calories and are too unhealthy to be eating as part of one’s daily meal plan. In addition, this stereotype also involves the idea that Americans have too big portion sizes for their food, an idea that is very much present with the turducken. By replacing turkeys with a much unhealthier alternative, these individuals who do so show that while Americans have the need to act as individuals separate from the collective whole, we still, either consciously or unconsciously, act around the norms. Even though those who consume turduckens think they are acting as unique people with their own ideas, they are still choosing to go for the unhealthiest, largest turkey substitute because that type of food is the norm in the United States.

While the behaviors of the people who substitute turkeys for turduckens are distinctly American, the turducken itself exhibits characteristics seen in many Americans today and throughout American history. While a single turducken may seem like a larger version of a turkey on the outside, upon further consumption of the dish, multiple layers are revealed, each with an individual, distinct taste. This description parallels the description of a typical American citizen. There are no American people who have their ancestry purely American since every American family line has come from another nation or culture at some point. Much like the turducken, each American citizen has roots that tie him to another culture or identity in addition to his American identity. This multitude of cultures is especially apparent in Americans who are not native-born or are second-generation immigrants. Much like how a turducken is a mishmash of different meats and does not know exactly what it is, non-natives and second-generation immigrants face an internal conflict to choose their identities and cultures. This marks a problem of conformity in the United States, where immigrants feel pressured to cast aside their original culture and beliefs in order to fit into more American culture, all just to fit in with their environment. Even though immigrants may choose to cast aside their cultural heritage, they will never be able to completely remove it from their identity, further complicating the internal conflict.

The turducken, being a layering of stuffed birds, is inherently its own entity entirely. Each type of meat comes together to form a dish of unique taste and texture, much like how American citizens are each collection of various cultures, ethnicities, and nationalities. Furthermore, turduckens act as a symbol for the issue of conformity among immigrants in the United States, where immigrants may face internal struggles regarding what culture they belong to and if their cultural heritage will be acceptable in American society. The creation and popularization of the turducken itself signal the American idea of individualism, where Americans may experience the need to act with individualistic, unique ideas as a result of societal pressures. In addition, the favoring of the turducken over other turkey-like substitutes marks a possible issue with American individualism, which is that while people may feel like they are acting as individuals, in reality, they are most likely still acting around their social and cultural norms. Everything considered, with the turducken being such a mess of a dish, it still exhibits aspects and problems of American citizens and society that are not going away anytime soon. For everything wrong and unholy with the turducken, it still serves to remind us that the freedoms given to us by living as Americans come with a few downsides as well.

Throughout history, there have been numerous debates surrounding historical figures and the justifications for their actions. One figure, in particular, Christopher Columbus has been under scrutiny for decades because of the history he has had with indigenous peoples of the Americas. Some may argue that Columbus was brutal and violent and that the damage that he had caused to these indigenous peoples needs to be recognized. On the flip side, others may say that the natives were just as, if not more brutal than Columbus and other colonizers. This argument is brought up more frequently around Columbus Day, with some believing that in replacement, Indigenous People’s day should be celebrated. He may have helped the world get to the point that it is at today, but Columbus’ actions towards native Americans far outweigh his achievements. The Native Americans have been severely mistreated by Columbus and history has been “whitewashed” at their expense of them because of the way they have been portrayed.

As a child, I was told that Columbus Day was a day to honor the life and legacy of Christopher Columbus because of his achievements and how they spurred the eventual interconnectedness of the world. However, when I grew older and learned about history from a global perspective, I came to know both sides of the story. The idea of Columbus that I was told to believe started to fade as I learned about the torture and humiliation that native Americans were put through by him and other colonizers. Nevertheless, some argue that during pre-Columbian times, natives were savage and cruel, so the pain that they were being put through was deserved. This idea can be seen in War Before Civilization: The Myth of the Peaceful Savage, where author Lawrence Keely wrote that “the dogs of war were seldom on a leash.” This may be the case in the viewpoint that the natives were violent and unrestrained, but does not justify the reasoning for them to be treated the way that they were. Different circumstances could cause the need to be brutal and unforgiving to arise, but that is only when one is provoked. There are many instances in history where individuals resort to violence because of the way they are treated. This idea can be seen in many interactions between natives and colonists, where the natives are treated unfairly and then looked down upon for fighting back.

Ever since colonists made it to the new world, native Americans have been mistreated for personal gain, whether it be for one’s country or one’s wealth. For instance, an excerpt from Christopher Columbus’ journal states that “They [the natives] should be good servants and intelligent, for I observe that they quickly took in what was said to them, and I believe that they would easily be made Christians, as it appeared to me that they had no religion, our Lord being pleased, will take hence, at the time of my departure, six natives for your Highnesses that they may learn to speak.” (Journal of Christopher Columbus, 1492). This quote shows that Columbus does not have good intentions with the natives because he wants them to be sent to Spain to become servants. Additionally, he wants to convert them to Christianity without acknowledging their will to do so. This shows that Columbus had no regard for the desires of these natives and sent them to Spain for his advantage.

Another instance of mistreatment is when Christopher Columbus wrote that, “… for nothing is lacking except settlement and ordering the Indians to whatever Your Highnesses may wish. Because I with the people that I bring with me, who are not many, go about in all these islands without danger; for I have already seen three of these sailors go ashore where there was a crowd of Indians [people of Hispaniola], and all would flee without the Spaniards wanting to do harm. They do not have arms and they are all naked, and of no skill in arms, and so very cowardly that a thousand would not stand against three. And so they are fit to be ordered about and made to work, plant, and do everything else that may be needed, and build towns and be taught our customs, and to go about clothed.” (Opinion on the People of Hispaniola). This excerpt from Columbus’ journal further demonstrates that he viewed the natives as weak, fearful, and easily subjugated. Moreover, he perceived the indigenous people as uncivilized because they did not live the way Columbus did. In addition, he saw them as an opportunity for the use of forced labor.

A final example of persecution by Columbus and others is a description of the atrocities that some indigenous peoples faced. Bartolomé de Las Casas was a Spanish colonist who traveled to Hispaniola in the years after Christopher Columbus’ final voyage. He documented the relationship between the Spanish and the native peoples, stating that, “They [Spanish colonists] made bets as to who would slit a man in two, or cuff off his head at one blow, or they opened up his bowels. They tore babes from their mother’s breasts by the feet and dashed their heads against the rocks. Others they seized by the shoulders and threw into the rivers… thought nothing of knifing Indians by tens and twenties and of cutting slices off them to test the sharpness of their blades… My eyes have seen these acts so foreign to human nature…” (The Legacy of Columbus). Even though Columbus was not there at the time of this quote, he had already set the precedent for how the indigenous peoples should be treated. This statement from Las Casas displays the brutality of Columbus and all those who came after him. This quote presents the reality of these natives and how miserable their lives were because of the colonists’ rule. Bartolomé de Las Casas started advocating for better treatment of these native Americans after witnessing these horrors.

Though there have been some peaceful interactions between natives and colonists, these relations eventually fall apart because the colonists overstep or disrupt their ways of life. For instance, King Philip’s War was started because of “… the colonist’s unrelenting desire for more and more land…” (America’s Most Devastating Conflict: King Philip’s War). This resulted in the Wampanoag tribe invading the Massachusetts colony of Swansea. The war eventually spread, with other tribes joining in on the fight. This quote is an example of the disputes that were forever present, which resulted in the natives getting a bad rep because of fighting back.

An additional example of conflicts like this is when Hernando de Soto arrived in what is now present-day Florida. He and his people traveled into the region and were met with the traditional customs that these natives had for visitors. These conquistadors though, “… either misread or ignored the intentions of their hosts and often forced native commoners, who customarily provided temporary labor to visitors as a courtesy gesture, into slavery.” (Native Americans and Colonization). Considering the actions of de Soto and his people, the natives fought back but were met with even more opposition from the Spanish. These Spanish conquistadors either killed or captured the indigenous peoples of the region, which devastated the population. The indigenous peoples were just trying to fight for their people, which did not sit well with the conquistadors because of the destruction they left behind.

Overall, pre-Columbian history is “whitewashed” and the injustice that has been inflicted by Christopher Columbus and others towards indigenous peoples has been everlasting. Columbus and others like him have been brutal, inhuman, and violent to the native Americans. This cruelty has been overlooked for so long because of how history has been taught for decades. The indigenous peoples of the Americas were not brutal, they were just expressed as savages to benefit the view of the colonizers. This whitewashing of history has left us questioning what truly happened concerning indigenous history. Additionally, it has prevented conversations regarding the dark side of many historical figures that we have grown up to admire. These talks about injustice and cruelty need to happen, especially around Columbus Day. It is important to understand both sides of the story to fully grasp the magnitude of these problems. These violent acts committed by Columbus and others will not be forgotten. Instead, they will be used as a means to start conversations about the past and how to never make the same mistakes again.

Introduction

Our reality today is overly multicultural and diverse. Every day we interact with people from various cultural backgrounds. People we interact with have distinct mindsets and carry unique values, norms, and beliefs in their backpacks. Effective communication among representatives of different cultures is way too complicated if people are not culture-aware and do not display cultural understanding. Speaking the language is never enough as we should be aware of subtle aspects of the culture in order to to avoid social blunders. However, it is almost impossible to dive into a number of foreign cultures and adopt every single norm and value. That is why people should develop cultural understanding and be more tolerant of foreigners to have effective intercultural communication.

What is culture? Kluckhohn (1951) defines culture as “patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting, acquired and transmitted mainly by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional ideas and especially their attached values”. Hofstede (1998) considers culture to be “the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another”.

I define culture as a mindset that has been nourished by values, norms, and beliefs since we were born and though subconsciously but determines our every single step.

Hofstede examined the cultural values of different nationalities by surveying over one hundred thousand managers in multinational organizations. Those managers were representatives of 50 countries. In view of all the data, he distinguished between four dimensions: power distance, individualism versus collectivism, masculinity versus femininity uncertainty avoidance Hofstede (1998). Based on his further research on Chinese employees, he added the fifth dimension and the sixth one was added in 2010: long-term orientation versus short-term normative orientation, and indulgence versus restraint.

The aim of this paper is to prove that cultures are dynamic, and constantly change, and so does the Armenian culture. Most of the traditional views are no longer relevant.

In this paper, I discussed Armenian culture in relation to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. I identified what groups the countries that we discussed during the lecture belong to based on the theoretical material from Hofstede’s work, called “Attitudes, Values and Organizational Culture”.

Armenia Through Cultural Lenses: a comparative study

Power distance is the dimension of national cultures which shows the strength of hierarchy within a culture. The power distance index is calculated. The index value is 0 for small-power-distance countries and 100 for large-power-distance countries. In those countries, generally, bosses do not treat their subordinates as equals. They are autocratic or paternalistic. In the case of the family unit, children should be obedient to the elders of the family. Parental authority continues to be important as long as parents are alive. The main value is respect. In these cultures, employees themselves do not prefer to take part in the decision-making process. Subordinates do not usually object to their managers. Decision-making in large-power distance cultures is the responsibility of the head. There are two possible reactions that subordinates can have in this type of culture: preferring dependence, or rejecting, which is known as interdependence. The latter refers to dependence with a negative attitude (Hofstede, Hofstede, Minkov 2010).

On the other hand, in small-power distance cultures, heads treat their subordinates as equals. Employers usually adopt the consultative style of decision-making. There is an interdependence between the two sides (Hofstede 1998).

Years ago, Armenia could be considered a large power-distance country with quite a high score, whereas today Armenia is somewhere between large-and small-power distance countries. In Armenian culture, respect towards the elders and authorities is quite high. Within families, children should obey their elders. Parents and grandparents usually make decisions for them until they turn 18, as this is the age of officially becoming an adult. Those decisions are usually not negotiated. Unfortunately, there are cases when even after 18, adults follow the decisions made for them by their parents. Of course, this is not something absolute and depends on what family you come from: whether it is a deeply rooted traditional family or an open-minded family that carries Armenian values but is reasonable enough to treat a child like an equal and support him/her so that he/she is brought up to be responsible for his/her own actions and get prepared for today’s reality.

The head and subordinate relationships used to be more formal and complex. The general image of such relationships we could form by simply looking at the authorities that governed the country. Armenia was considered a “democratic” country, however, our reality was way too far from a democratic system and was more like a dictatorship for twenty years. Whoever spoke against them was imprisoned. The image was just like this in the case of the head-employee relationships within an organization: if the employee questioned the decisions made by the head, he/she got fired. I do believe that this was the influence of the Soviet Union. Fortunately, our generation has been struggling against that kind of reality, and “The Velvet Revolution” in 2018 put an end to this kind of relationship. Today the head of our republic shares his concerns, and plans and answers questions from the citizens every day via live streaming on Facebook. An exciting point is that after his initiative almost all governmental figures started doing the same and the head-employee relationships are getting more and more informal. It was a great leap not only in the governmental system but also in our culture. Today we move towards the small power distance countries and I do believe that it does not necessarily mean losing respect towards elders but doing that in a reasonable way. Brazil, Japan, Russia, Iran, China, Syria, and Cuba are large-power distance countries. Mauritius is a small-power distance country.

The next dimension refers to the individualism or collectivism of national culture. Representatives of individualistic cultures highly value privacy. They stand for their personal rights. People from this culture greatly value freedom and innovation. They carry out their responsibilities appropriately. From their early years, children brought up in individualistic culture are encouraged to voice their own opinions, thus developing self-expression. Individual goals dominate over the needs of in-groups (Hofstede 1998).

. Conversely, collectivistic culture refers to group orientation. Representatives of this culture value collaboration and cooperation. They are working for the public good. Collectivistic culture bearers usually share interests and maintain traditions. As group-oriented people value relationships, face-saving is of utmost significance for them. Within this type of culture people distinguish between in-groups, namely “we”, and out-groups, namely “they. Collectivistic people are born in extended families or clans, they strongly rely on their relatives who support and encourage them. For them, individualism yields to the needs of in-groups (Hofstede, Hofstede, Minkov 2010).

Armenian culture is typically collectivistic, and this is one of the most wonderful aspects of the Armenian people. Armenians love traditions and never lose a chance for a family gathering. They share interests, opinions, love, and affection toward each other. Armenians are willing to share their bread with strangers and help them in case they need it. The word in Armenian that stands for the word ‘nation’ is the same as the word that stands for the ‘extended family’: nation= extended family= ago (this is how it sounds in Armenian). If you have an Armenian acquaintance or even your friend’s acquaintance, then there is no need to book a room in a hotel if you visit Armenia. No matter how small the house is, you will sleep in the best room in the house if you are a guest. If there is not enough space for everyone, one of the family members will sleep at a relative’s house to make everything comfortable for the guest. If you are in Armenia, do not get confused if a stranger addresses you as ‘my brother’ or ‘my sister’, no matter if he/she is a taxi driver or someone who asks for directions. In these aspects I consider Armenians to be very much like Brazilians, Iranians, Chines, Syrians, Cubans, and Mauritians. As far as Russian and Japanese people are concerned, they are individualistic if we look from the collectivistic point of view, whereas they are collectivistic from the individualistic point of view.

Masculinity and femininity form the third dimension. In masculine cultures assertiveness is highly valued. Work is more significant than family in such cultures. Strong people are usually admired. Women are not preferred to hold political positions. People of this culture believe in God or gods.

In feminine societies, both men and women are expected to be modest and caring. Work is never perceived as of utmost importance. Family is also an essential part of their societies. Thus, there is a balance between them. Weak people are always taken care of. Facts and feelings are for both parents. Boys and girls are expected to cry but not struggle. Mothers are the ones to decide on the family size. Women hold political positions. They do not believe in certain gods, but rather in fellow human beings (Hofstede, Hofstede, Minkov 2010).

Armenian culture is more feminine but not absolutely. It carries masculine aspects as well. For Armenian people, family and work balance is quite significant. People support those who are not strong enough. Boys are not expected to cry and both genders carry struggling and rebelling souls. Women were not preferred to be active in politics, but now they are encouraged to be. Armenian people believe in God. In official records Russian is considered a feminine culture, however, having lived in Russia for a short period of time I realized that Russia is too large and heterogeneous to ascribe to one of the groups. However, I would say that today Russia is more masculine than feminine. Japanese culture is masculine which is obvious if we consider even a single fact: they do not like to show affection even towards their kids. According to the descriptions of the countries we heard during the lectures and some individual research, Brazil is somewhere between feminine and masculine cultures, China and Syria bear masculine cultures, whereas societies in Cuba, Mauritius, and Iran are more feminine.

Weak and strong uncertainty avoidance refers to the culture’s attitude toward ambiguity. It reveals whether the culture is comfortable with unstructured, unplanned, and surprising situations or not. Weak uncertainty-avoidance cultures are also referred to as uncertainty-accepting cultures. Such societies accept each day as it comes without having it planned beforehand. They are comfortable with the fact that each day can bring new surprises to them. Such cultures do believe that life is itself uncertain. As a result, their stress and anxiety levels are relatively lower, scoring high in health and well-being. These all result in a high level of self-control. For such societies difference is interesting, chaos is comfortable, job shift is not a problem, and rules are disliked. Teachers do not avoid saying ”I do not know”.

On the other hand, in strong uncertainty avoidance cultures ambiguity is seen as something to fight against. Stress and anxiety levels are relatively higher resulting in emotional behavior. As a result, people’s health and well-being suffer. They stay in the same job even if they are not comfortable with it. Such societies require rules and norms to be organized, even if those rules are not followed appropriately. They are led by absolute truth and grand theories (Hofstede, Hofstede, Minkov 2010).

Armenians like plans and ponder over every step they or their close people take. That is why they do not like when things occur spontaneously and quickly as they do not have time “to measure seven times to cut once” (Russian idiom, used by Armenians as their own). Stress levels are relatively high in Armenia and with considerably low-income rates uncertainty about the future is quite high. We can put Armenia among strong uncertainty avoidance cultures. Cuba, Mauritius, Brazil, Japan, Syria, Russia, and Iran are also among high uncertainty avoidance countries, whereas China has a low uncertainty avoidance culture.

Further, long- and short-term-orientated societies come. For short-term oriented societies, past and present events are the most important ones. Satisfaction should be immediate for such cultures. Good and evil are defined precisely. Spending and consumption are encouraged instead of saving. Problem-solving is usually unplanned and random.

Long-term-oriented societies do believe that events of utmost importance will happen in the future. They do not need immediate satisfaction. Good and evil depend on context. Shared tasks lead family members. Children are taught not to waste money, and instead save and invest. Problem-solving seems to be based on mathematical formulas. Businesses are focused on what position they will take in tomorrow’s market (Hofstede, Hofstede, Minkov 2010).

Armenian society is definitely long-term oriented. Children are not usually given much money so they get used to saving. Armenians always think about tomorrow. Thinking about tomorrow is good, but sometimes we are concerned about tomorrow’s day so much that we forget to live today. We seem to be on an endless quest for something with a hope for a better future. I consider this to be a consequence of the disasters and constantly being under the threat of war. I adore the Armenian habit of making preserves of jam, jelly, compote, and literally anything that is possible on Earth to be ready for long and cold winters and connect it with being long-term oriented. Brazilian culture is on the borderline of two groups. Mauritians, Chinese, Japanese, and Russians are long-term oriented, whereas Cubans, Syrians, and Iranians are short-term oriented.

The sixth dimension draws a distinct line between cultures that value either indulgence or restraint. Indulgence refers to the tendency of freedom to enjoy life and have fun. In such societies, people more often experience positive emotions. These people describe their personal health as ”very good”. Indulgence is strongly connected with optimism. In its turn, happiness, health, and optimism influence the number of children in society. In such societies, friends are of great importance. People representing this type of culture are usually extroverts. They truly admire entertainment, especially foreign music or movies. Those societies are more satisfied with family lives. Household tasks are usually shared between partners. They are quite sporty people. E-mail and the internet are used for private needs. They interact with foreigners on the internet more than people from restrained cultures. In wealthy indulgent societies, obesity is relatively lower. Gender roles are obscure. In such societies, people drink more soft beverages and beer. Smiling comes as a norm. Great importance is attached to freedom of speech. Order in the nation is not a priority for them. Finally, they have fewer police officers per 100.000 people.

Conversely, restrained cultures possess a very low percentage of happy people. In such cultures, people attach very little importance to having friends. They are less likely to experience positive emotions. Instead of a positive attitude, they display cynicism. The percentage of people who feel healthy is very low. These societies disapprove of foreign music and culture. They are usually not satisfied with family life. Such societies do not pay attention to the equal share of household tasks. People from this kind of culture are not engaged in sports. They do not use e-mail or the internet for personal needs. Interaction with foreigners via e-mail is not common. Soft drinks and beer are not of great consumption. The obesity rate is very high in wealthy restrained cultures. Smiling people are always suspected. Freedom of speech is not favored. Order in the nation is of utmost importance.

Armenia is among restrained countries but there is a tendency of moving towards indulgent countries. The percentage of happy people is not that high as the percentage of people who do not feel healthy is high as well. This is mainly a consequence of expensive healthcare services and expensive medicine. Most of the household tasks are done by women and men obesity rates are quite high. Smiling people are not suspected but a passer-by will not smile at you if you are a stranger: something that Belgian people usually do. The percentage of people who are engaged in sports is not high but luckily, I can clearly see the tendency of rising. Cuban and Brazilian cultures are considered indulgent, whereas Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and Iranian cultures are restrained.

Conclusion

Culture nourishes our mindsets until we are reasonable enough to shape the culture ourselves. In this paper, we revealed that cultures are in constant movement. Every single human being adds his/her share to the incomplete set of values, norms, beliefs, and attitudes.

In conclusion, Armenian culture is collectivistic, moving towards the pole of low-power distance countries. Armenian society bears feminine aspects whereas surprises are not welcomed, and uncertainty avoidance is considerably high. People here always think about the future and unconsciously ignore today. Armenian culture is restrained but not absolutely and with a high possibility of changing into an indulgent society.

If we look at the bigger picture, Armenia has quite many common features with all the countries discussed: Brazil, Cuba, Russia, Japan, China, Syria, Iran, and Mauritius.

Bibliography

1. Hofstede, G. (1998). Attitudes, Values and Organizational Culture: Disentangling the concepts. Organization Studies, 19(3), 477.
2. Kluckhohn, C. (1951) Values and Value-Orientations in the Theory of Action: An Exploration in Definition and Classification. In: Parsons, T. and Shils, E., Eds., Toward a General Theory of Action, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 388-433
3. Liu, Y. and Sudweeks, F. (2003) Culture, technology, and teamwork: a case study of a Mauritian organization. In: 4th International We-B (Working for E-Business) Conference, 24-25 November 2003, Perth, W.A.

Internet sources

1. https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/brazil,iran,russia,syria/ (11.01.19)
2. https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/brazil,china,japan,syria/ (11.01.19)
3. https://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2015/10/07/cuban-culture-according-to-hofstede/ (11.01.19)
4. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/43980547_Culture_technology_and_teamwork_a_case_study_of_ a_Mauritian_organisation/ (11.01.19)
5. https://essay.utwente.nl/60168/1/MA_thesis_R_Janssen.pdf (11.01.19)

Mexican culture has its similarities and differences with American culture. Not only are there similarities and differences within the basic aspect of culture but also within the socialization aspect. My subtopic was immigration and how that affects Mexican-American people not only in their daily life but also in their long-term lives. We will dive deeper into how the basic cultures are different, current events that might be affecting Mexican Americans today, and differences that affect identity. Each culture is going to vary from culture to culture. There are many aspects we could analyze about either culture, but I think there are some key dimensions we can look at. Individualistic cultures are more likely to gain power through personal accomplishments to make themselves stand out. Collectivistic cultures encourage power gain by conforming to a group to stand out as a group. (Gorodnichenko & Roland, 2002) When talking to my interviewee stated that “I would consider Mexican culture to be a collectivist culture. I say this because family is a very important role in our culture, and we tend to take care of each other before taking care of ourselves and I could say that about most Mexican families. I think that is a huge component of what identifies a culture as collectivist.” (Anonymous, 2019) Now considering that Mexican culture is more collectivist versus individualistic, we can compare that to American culture. American culture is an individualistic culture. We care about how our individual being versus the larger community’s greater good. This is a very important difference to note because this is an outline of how the culture functions as a whole. Today there is a huge problem with discrimination against immigrants coming from Mexico into the US. The Trump administration has made it difficult for people coming from Mexico to try to get a better quality of life in the US. Immigration is a hot topic when talking about the Trump administration.

There have been many stories released that families have been split up due to deportation and adults and children have been put into detention camps. This has caused a loud uproar of madness in people today. Immigration is the reason we have some sense of knowledge of Mexican culture here in the US. When speaking with my interviewee he said, “I don’t feel like I have felt much discrimination personally because my family has immigrated to the states, but I do know a lot of people have been hurt, physically or verbally, but things people have said or done negatively about Mexican immigrants and it is a really sad thing they feel different from any other American citizen.” (Anonymous, 2019) Even though he never felt direct discrimination he is fully aware it is taking place in the US. Being discriminated against can harm your identity and view of self. Identity plays a huge role in culture. Culture is where you find your identity. When coming from Mexico to the states, they tend to struggle with their identity. They face a lot of stereotypes that make them feel they are a certain way when in reality it may be very different and not the truth. (Ortiz, 2012) My interviewee stated, “I struggle with either not being American enough or not being Mexican enough. I feel like when I am in the united states, I need to be more American and when I am in Mexico I need to be more Mexican. This is a problem because I can’t always be changing who I am depending on where I am.” (Anonymous, 2019) This seems to be a huge problem for Mexican Immigrants in the US. When the United States Mexican Immigrants often feel like they need and should be accepted so they tend to change their ways to fit in. This often results in a loss of culture and loss of true identity. (Ortiz, 2012). Being only immersed in the American culture I cannot relate to a lot of the things my interviewee said on the same level. When talking about types of culture his culture, Mexican, he believes it is very collectivist, while my culture, American, is very individualistic.

Even though these are different when talking about the example, of family, I take pride in how much I am involved with my family and how much they mean to me, similar to my interviewee’s look at family. When we mention the discrimination against immigrants, I cannot relate to that because, I, myself, have never been in that situation. As my interviewee knows it’s happening, I can see that as well and has similar views as him on what is going on currently. Lastly, when talking about identity, I have never felt a loss of cultural identity because American culture and identity are all that I know and am surrounded mainly with. Therefore, I only have to appeal to and feel accepted by the American culture. As many similarities and differences, we may have in the end, we are all human. Having interviewed my interviewee has made me become more knowledgeable and are of the differences cultures may have.

The United States of America was Founded on July 3, 1776. The founding fathers had the idea of a country not run by one person, but a democracy where everyone has a say in who is elected to represent them. They wanted a country where people can practice their religion freely, and be who they want. Fast forward three centuries and America is built around the 1%, America is the hard-working class, America is the melting pot, America is the land of the free and the home of the brave, America is the land of the travel ban, and America is the land of contradictions.

Langston Hughes, an American writer from Missouri, says he wants to “Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain”-(Langston Hughes page 42 Springboard). America should return to this state. The state where if you work hard you get rewarded for it. At present “Four of every 10 children (38.8 percent) are poor for at least one year before they reach their 18th birthday”-(urban.com). Even though unemployment is at the lowest we’ve seen in a while at “3.5”-(https://tradingeconomics.com). Which should result in fewer children having to live below the poverty line.

Something well-known about America is that it is an advocate for education. In the famous Franklin D. Roosevelt speech “Four Freedoms” he states that there is “Equal opportunity for youth and for others” (p. 50). He delivered this speech on January 4th, 1941, but in America’s current climate “Racial quotas are implemented to admit a balanced number of students according to their ethnicity”-(studentpress.org). America needs to practice what they preach and make it so that everyone has the same opportunities, and not take race into account when making such critical decisions as education.

In 1849 Author Emma Lazarus says that America invites people that have been discarded by their home country in her famous poem “The New Colossus” saying “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” but the 45th and current president Donald John Trump was instrumental in the implementation of a travel ban that bared off millions of people from entering the country that is considered a sanctuary.

All things considered, America is still the land of the 1%, the land of the hard-working class, the land of the melting pot, the land of the free and the home of the brave, the land of the travel ban, and America is still the land of contradictions. The American government needs to take a step back to move forward to what our founding fathers imagined America would be, a place where if you work hard you get rewarded for it.

The movie Captain Fantastic directed by Matt Ross explores and critiques aspects of modern American lifestyle and culture. Ben Cash’s perspectives, values, and lifestyle are portrayed through questions on anti-capitalist resistance, comparison of mainstream lifestyles, mental issues, and parenting. The title “Captain Fantastic” is amusing however deliberately deceptive. Ross challenges the audience’s preconceived superheroic expectations. Ross’s film follows Ben Cash and his six children, who live an isolated, unique, and primitivist lifestyle in the woods. Ben Cash is the focal patriarch of the family. Significantly, the film’s main central conflict is positioned around Ben’s uncompromising attitude toward his eccentric beliefs, values, and lifestyle. Through the occurrence of a dreadful passing and Ross challenging the mainstream approach to funerals and death, the film celebrates the complexities of life. The viewers are invited to deliberate existential possibilities of mainstream American culture, parenting techniques, and the beliefs and values that varying lifestyles display.

Ross’s portrayal of Ben’s lifestyle in the forest shows how profound, self-sufficient, and strong Ben’s values and beliefs are. Through the techniques of bright lighting beaming through the trees, birds-eye view shots of the mountains, and the trickling sound of the river flowing, Ross conveys to the audience in considering how peaceful, uncontaminated, and pure the family’s environment is. In comparison to the urban setting when the family journeys into mainstream America, where fast-paced shots, panning shots of crowded buildings, use of grey tones, and pollution from factories strongly contrast the purity of life and beauty of nature. Ross positively represents Ben’s values of healthy food and lifestyle. The beginning scenes show how self-sufficient the family is, they grow their own vegetables, kill their own meat and partake in intense physical activity. The lifestyle they have heavily endorses foods with the high nutritional value needed to maintain their physically active life. Ross supports the family values when they are confronted by the American diet and the health conditions of the people they encounter. The confronting close-up shot of the children’s stunned faces by the obesity issue in America, the children’s dialogue and comments include; “Are they sick?”, “Everyone’s so fat”. When the family arrives at a diner, Ben with concern reads through the menu. He realizes that “there is no actual food on this menu”, and refers to Cola as “poison water” suggesting that the food consumed by Americans has no nutritional value. When the family stops at Ben’s sister-in-law Harper’s home, Ross highlights the difference between Ben’s values of education and those of mainstream. Harper insists Ben enrolls his children in a school, as opposed to an illegal home school system. Ben’s main catchphrases are “power to the people” and “stick it to the man”, but ironically Ben’s perspective on people is that they shouldn’t share power equally nor that all people are equal. Ross successfully supports Ben’s education values and lifestyle by comparing the effectiveness of his teaching to his nephews’ traditional education. A question is asked to both the nephews regarding the Bill of Rights. The younger son replies: “Um, what something costs, I guess”, “It’s a government thing, right?”. In comparison the reply of Ben’s youngest daughter who states an insightful analysis of the Bill of Rights, surprises Harper and the audience with her deep understanding.

Ross challenges the mainstream approach to death and funerals by making Ben’s valued perspective contrastingly dissimilar by depicting a different idea about funerals as opposed to the conventional approach. After Ben learns that his wife has committed suicide, he tells his children that “Mommy killed herself”, portraying to the audience that his value of truth is kept consistent even when it comes to death. Ross has created a drastic comparison between Ben’s approach and Harper’s mainstream approach to death. The close-up shot shows how Ben is visibly disturbed as Dave refuses to tell the children the truth and the dialogue is as follows “She was really sick and died”, Ben tells them the harsh truth with the dialogue “She slit her wrists”. The close-up shot showing Harper’s concern shows how Ross has portrayed Ben in a negative light. The audience comes to question if Ben’s parenting technique in regard to honesty is socially acceptable with the subject of death. Leslie’s conservative parents initiated having a conventional catholic funeral, despite their Buddhist daughters’ requests. Through Ben and his family’s mission “save mom”, Ross triggers a different perceptive and emotional conversation about the ideas of conventional funerals. The panning shot of the church with dim lighting and people wearing black displays the idea that funerals are a time of severe sadness and despair which is what is represented by conventional funerals. The scene follows with Ben and his children storming in. Ross has challenged mainstream funerals by having the family completely disregard the traditional funeral customs of wearing black and instead the family wears bright colorful clothing. Ross upholds Ben’s approach to funerals as Leslie’s funeral is portrayed as a celebration of life, and intimate connections are created through music and dancing.

The most prevalent and important segment in the film is the ending scene, which highlights the aspects of the family’s lifestyle and values that need to acquire changed. Ben’s values, approach, and lifestyle are challenged by Ross as several problems arise due to Ben’s constricted lifestyle. Leslie’s father refuses to let the children be with him due to the fact that he is training them to steal, the children have bruises all over their bodies and broken limbs. Ben decides to send one of his daughters to use her “training” to climb a roof, consequently, she falls and according to the doctor she was at risk of being paralyzed. Ross begins to challenge Ben’s lifestyle and portrays Ben’s values in a negative manner. Subsequently, Bodevan reveals to Ben all the top colleges he has gotten an acceptance to. Instead of the mainstream approach from parents to congratulate their children, Ben becomes upset and states that “All this time you have been deceiving me?”. As a result of betrayal from his sons who willingly had the desire to leave him for the urban materialistic lifestyle and education system, the camera shows an intimate close-up focusing on Ben dealing with his loss, the destruction of his lifestyle and not having custody over his children. Ben’s controlling behavior is effectively shown, and Ross initiates that change is needed. Ross challenges Ben to recognize how difficult it is to integrate all the elements of his lifestyle under these conditions.

The film shows how diverse Ben’s views are, it rejoices his values and commitments to living a “fantastic” life of honesty, strong values, self-sufficiency, and discipline while questioning his extremity, social isolation, and the extreme dangers that he exposes his children to. Ross presents the positives and negatives of Ben’s lifestyle and those of the mainstream. Ross offers the opportunity to the audience to confront their own justifications. Consequently, the family ends up living in a suburban home and the iconic bus is turned into a shipwrecked chicken coop. The wide scene of the family eating foods consisting of cereal and milk which Ben had once despised as not being “real food” shows that he has successfully learned to morph his values and lifestyle with the those of mainstream. Captain Fantastic emphasizes the message that it’s imperative to remain true to our own values and beliefs, but a degree of compromise aids in opening up to a broader world of experiences.

America has always been a religious country. Since the early pilgrimages, there has been a religious aspect to the American culture and its way of life. America was so religious in their way of life that they were ranked one of the most religious countries (‘Atheism’s Bad Rap in the United States’, 2014), and yet America is seeing a decline in religion. More and more people in the United States are identifying as atheist and agnostic, and the number of religious citizens is decreasing at a shockingly steady rate, especially for a culture that was once so set in their religious ways, according to ‘50 Great Myths About Atheism’. This leads many to question, what is causing this decrease? In order to understand the question completely, one must understand what it means to be atheist or agnostic.

Atheism is defined as the disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods. While agnosticism is defined as a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God” (Merriam-Webster, 2019).

United States has always been perceived as a religious country. Now that it is understood that there is a rise in atheism, people have started looking at the facts to try to find a reason for the declining trend of religion.

Recent studies have shown that there is nearly a 15 percent increase in the number of people who identify as having no religion, and that number has been steadily increasing over several years (‘Report: Atheism on the Rise in U.S.’, 2009). This leaves many people with the question why there is a steady increase in atheism and agnosticism in the United States, even though the United States has been a very religious county in the past.

Studies have tried to pinpoint many different reasons as to why atheism and agnosticism is increasing through the years. Some of these studies focus on how our culture is impacting religion. They focus on factors such as how science and the theory of evolution, as well as new discoveries often clash with religious text. Researchers are trying to determine if this clash impacts the decreasing number of religious citizens. Other researchers study the politics and the society revolving around atheism and agnostic society. Yet others run studies focusing on the reasons given by people who have converted to atheism, and why they chose to not believe in a religion. There are so many different studies that have been created over time, all asking the same question why there is a steady increase in atheism, and why people are identifying as less religious.

One of the most common arguments and topics that people focus on when researching the increase of atheism and agnosticism is the role that science plays and how science and scientific discoveries are increasing atheism and agnosticism in the United States. Many researchers focus on the Christian story of creation in comparison to evolution. In this text, it is claimed that the Earth was created in ‘seven days’ and is only a few thousand years old. Scientific studies that have been released show that the world was in fact created over time. Instead of the seven-day creation that is preached, science now declares that the world has undergone vast evolution. Scientists can observe and prove this evolution over billions of years using trace elements and other scientific research methods. Since the religious texts and the ever-evolving scientific research, people have come to find that religion and science do not often line up with one another (‘50 Great Myths About Atheism’, 2013). The creation story mentioned above is a much-used example for many atheists when they try to explain why religion is made up or why it does not make any sense. The common biblical story of creation focuses on creation in a seven-day time period in which each day the Christian God created something different, whether that be light, plants, animals or humans. The story seems very specific and focuses on the fact that everything was made as it was intended to be. However, scientific discoveries have been made when focusing on the creation of the world. Scientists have theories such as the Big Bang, scientists have discovered tectonic plates and how they have shaped the environment and have found fossil evidence of the evolution of creatures. The science and the stories do not line up (‘50 Great Myths About Atheism’, 2013). There are many more stories and doctrines that do not correspond to the scientific knowledge that we now possess. One can also focus on the Hindu religion, where there are gods with elephant heads, warrior monkeys, and avatars. Looking at factual evidence, these religions seem like made up stories to many different people (William, 2005). According to Kettell, many people claim that this is their reasoning to identify as atheist or agnostic; they just cannot find it in themselves to throw away the facts for irrational reasoning.

These discrepancies through religious doctrines and tests have caused many people to doubt, question, and turn from religion (William, 2005). Afterall, stories are just stories if you cannot prove them right. In addition to this, science proves many of these stories wrong. Many atheists find that these inconsistencies cannot be overlooked, and many people claim that there is no God or gods from the religions since the stories seem so made up. In addition to this, science proves how the world has evolved, and the proof does not match the stories that so many Americans believe.

Science and stories are not the only reasons for the increasing number of atheists in America. Another factor that has been investigated when researching the increase of atheism and agnosticism is the question of society. People wonder, has society become more accepting of people who do not identify with a religion, and has the evolution of our culture impacted religion or lack of religion? There are so many different things happening in society that several years ago, we would never have thought could happen. America has had an African American president, it has legalized gay marriage, it has had a woman run for office, it has legalized marijuana, along with many other changes to the society. As American society evolves, one must question, is it the fact that people are choosing to become less religious, or is it the fact that we now live in a more accepting society and more people feel that they are free to admit that they do not believe in a God? People who identify as atheist and agnostic are part of a minority group, and often they are discriminated against in societies that are predominantly religious (Kettell, S., 2016). Studies have asked is it the fact that people are becoming less religious because of our society and how it has evolved and has become more accepting of different ways of life, and of others.

Many people cannot agree on whether society is the leading cause for the increase in atheism and agnosticism. However, many seem to agree on the fact that society has an influence on people (Kettell, S., 2016). Some atheists claim that society plays a part, yet others claim that the fact that they do not identify with a religion has nothing to do with society. The more research that one looks at, the more conclusions they have potential of reaching. Identifying with religion seems not to do as much with a single set factor, and more to do with the beliefs and experiences of the individual. Despite the fact that everyone has a slightly different reason such as their community, geographic location, upbringing and race, all have corresponding factors on how likely they are to identify as atheist or agnostic. Thus, community and society may have a more prevalent role than some research lead people to believe (Gerteis, 2006).

One of the main factors investigated in the rise of atheism and agnosticism in the United States was what do people who identify as atheist and agnostic say their reasoning is for not having a religion? It seemed like the obvious solution to this question with various answers. One must wonder, why would people need to evaluate all these factors if people who identified as atheist and agnostic came to a similar conclusion concerning the constant rise in lack of religion. However, there were many different clashing opinions. Some claimed it was due to scientific and doctoral differences: some claimed that it was due to the evolving culture; and yet others claimed that it was the evolving of society (Kettell, S., 2016). People have their own reason and their own experience being atheist or agnostic and therefore have their own reason (‘Report: Atheism on the Rise in U.S.’, 2009). Although it would have been easy to evaluate if everyone had the same opinion, the fact is that everyone has lived different lives, and there are many different factors contributing to why people believe that there is no god.

As we can see from these several points, there are many different contributing factors to the constantly increasing numbers of people who identify as atheist and agnostic in the U.S. As much as some people would hope for a set answer, the fact if that there are hundreds of contributing factors as to why people identify as atheist, and why those numbers are rising. People all have their own reasoning for choosing not to have a religion, whether that be politics, society, culture, upbringing, or any other reason that people have found. More people are choosing to become atheist and agnostic, and the numbers are increasing at a steady rate, yet there are so many factors going into why people believe what they believe. There is truly no set answer to what is causing the increase of atheism and agnosticism in the U.S.

References

1. ‘50 Great Myths About Atheism’. (2013). Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
2. ‘Atheism’. (2019). Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atheism
3. ‘Atheism’s Bad Rap in the United States’. UWIRE Text, 30 Jan. 2014, p. 1. Gale Academic Onefile, https://linkgale.com.proxy.davenport.edu/apps/doc/A357258658/AONE?u=lom_davenportc&sid=AONE&xid=2c2bc7c1 Accessed 4 Nov. 2019.
4. Edgell, P., Gerteis, J., & Hartmann, D. (2006). ‘Atheists as ‘Other’: Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership in American Society’. American Sociological Review, 71 (2), 211234.
5. Kettell, S. (2016). ‘What’s Really New About New Atheism?’. Palgrave Communications, 2(1) doi: http://dx.doi.org.proxy.davenport.edu/10.1057/palcomms.2016.99
6. ‘Report: Atheism on the Rise In U.S.’ (2009, August 14). Tell Me More. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111885128
7. William, S. B. (2005). ‘Atheism’. Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion, 1 Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/1346933596?accountid=40195

In class, our main focus is globalization. We are forced to question what globalization is, its origin, how it affects us and vice versa. As a class, we try to conjure up a time, place, and reason for why globalization is important and relevant in our lives. However, I have come to an understanding that globalization is a way of life, and we are simply living in it. It is in everything that we do, even when we are not conscious of it. It is all around us. It is in our history. It is in our language. It is in our culture. More importantly, it is in every one of our experiences which makes us unique individuals. We are the reason for globalization because we search for it, find it, consume it, and then spread these experiences to others thus causing this ripple effect. Humans consume globalization and then recycle it. It shapes our mindset and how we perceive the world we live in, and it is what we do with what we are given that matters because in the end, our actions can affect others.

Young minds retain the most information because of curiosity and imagination. When one becomes exposed to information that is outside of their societal norm, it affects their views and how they react to the world around them. Likewise, when a young mind is allowed to learn about the world, families, societies, communities, politics, and influencers outside of their own, it opens up their perspectives on certain events. It is education and exposure to other cultures that create an influence. Cultural globalization has the most significant impact during childhood. The exposure that globalization brings, impacts how will navigate the complexities of life, thus changing their future and those around them.

In class, following Manfred B. Steger’s “Globalization”, we read “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi. The book illustrates the life of Marjane Satrapi, who narrates her life growing up in Iran after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Satrapi provides vivid images and details of how she perceives her life around her while she struggles to become accustomed to the new political and ideological systems put in place as Iran becomes the Islamic republic under Ayatollah Khomeini. Before this change, Satrapi lived in a well-westernized household where she was exposed to Western culture. Some of the culture she shows throughout the novel includes western music, sporting a pin of Michael Jackson, western films, and she was exposure to clothing that was forbidden like blue jeans. Even with the attempts to exclude “Americanization” in Middle Eastern countries such as where Satrapi lives, she is the example of how bands can’t always work: as Steger mentions, “the spread of American popular culture seems to be unstoppable”. Likewise, Satrapi’s upbringing involved books about current events, inside and outside of the world she lives in. Because of her parents’ beliefs against the revolution, Satrapi is given an opportunity that many other children around her do not have the luxury of. She is allowed to form opinions that are the opposite of what her government enforces. In this exposure to Western culture, she uses what she has learned and places it into her daily life as she navigates through her childhood.

Persepolis signifies the collective effects of cultural globalization. For example, throughout the book, the reader is given a cartoon-like script of how Satrapi’s life plays out as she provides a view of the Iran-Iraq war that is unique compared to how the Western media portrays the Middle East/ or Iran. The book adheres to the images and narratives of history. Since the story is told through Satrapi’s perspective, it offers a unique perception outside that of Western news organizations or other non-Western media. Satrapi is dealing with these world issues at such a young age and surprisingly, information about what is truly taking place is never withdrawn from her. It is common for parents or adults to protect children from the vulgar truth of things, but that is not the case for Satrapi. She is involved because of the danger of not knowing.

The whole topic of Persepolis is culturally globalized. As referenced, from early on, Satrapi’s life is culturally global due to the assortment of media she is presented to, as well as her feelings towards the US. Since she participates in western items like wearing a denim coat, enjoying music by Iron Maiden, and perusing a variety of books she is encountering cultural globalization as these commodities lure her into Western homogenization. The introduction of Western culture shows how persuasive societies can be. It permits Satrapi to truly give her character, which is the Western political and social she and her family hold.