Let's talk about American culture (I might get blasted for this)

[hiaasenrocks]

Watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, not even an hour into it yet and the display of culture is very impressive. The music, dance, artistic talent....

Am I the only one who kind of feels like American culture is, for the most part, built upon:

1. Making money
2. Buying stuff
3. Blowing up other people's stuff

:shrug:

I realize that their culture is much, much older than ours, but does that really explain the richness of culture? We don't seem to be moving in that direction at all. Everything we do is measured in terms of consumerism and militarism.

I dunno. Maybe I'm crazy.

[ColbertWatcher]

1. We have a culture.

There is much culture and art to be found in the very best of American, it just doesn't seem like it when so many people are dying from the very worst we have to offer.

[MrModerate]

2. Yes, 5,000 years of history (much of it marked by . . .

really bad government as well as high cultural achievement) *does* make a difference.

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. In comparison, we are children, historically speaking - just a few hundred

years. I think we need to separate culture (which is still in development/being defined), with behavior. We are seeing a very ugly period of our history, unfortunately....and money, advertising, pushing stuff, TV addiction, laziness, apathy, isolationism - all contribute. If only our media made us feel part of the world, instead of aiding and abetting the apathy, pettiness and isolationism!

[Toucano]

4. I don't really agree, but I won't "blast" you. That would be too American of me.

Just kidding.

But seriously, I think we have to remember that American culture is not as homogeneous as Chinese culture.

Jazz is about the only distinctively American cultural contribution to the world, and it could not have developed in any other place. Last time I checked, though, Wal-Mart didn't even have a section for Jazz recordings.

Americans don't seem to appreciate it very much.

[islandmkl]

6. listening to Thelonious Monk as I tour DU......

[JustAnotherGen]

5. I kind of see your point

I do - but at the same time . . . been to Europe lately? Seriously - we've exported our 'pop' culture. What hasn't made it over there?

I write this as someone of many different race/ethnic backgrounds:

The culture of a black American family after Church on Sunday. I used to love to go over to my Aunt's house after church on Sunday. It's a feeling, a food, a type of laughter, an elderly great Aunt who tells you what you should do because you now CAN do. Jazz music on the stereo and soul food on the table. You can't get that in Paris, London, Dublin, Berlin . . .

It's just one 'sub culture' - but that exists in our country. It does. And I can't wait to go home for Labor Day weekend and have that Sunday dinner and Labor Day picnic with my 'family'.

[greendog]

7. You're deaf and blind.

Try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAmxXrjVVsM

[JustAnotherGen]

9. Or

How about Bessie Smith! ;-) http://www.redhotjazz.com/bessie.html

[hiaasenrocks]

10. That must be why I have so much trouble using phones and cars!

[supernova]

8. That only happens with the passage of time

what is considered enduring and worthy in a culture and therefore continually renews itself as it speaks to newer generations. The Chinese have had 5000 years to think about it, we've only had about 500 or so. Having said that, we have:

Native American cultures and languages
The Blues and Jazz
Naturalistic theatre and musical theatre
Modern Dance
Roots music

Our gift to the world seems to be, so far, a kind of improvisation in the arts that wasn't there before.

[ddeclue]

11. You've seen our brochure then?

:rofl:

[SoCalDem]

12. Unfortunatelty they destroyed a lot of "culture"

culture the world will never even get to know about, when they bulit that 7 gorges dam and when they bulldozed half of Beijing to build their concrete photo-ops..

[glowing]

13. Everytime I've visited Europe, I have thought the same thing..

Culture would be great.. but then, we'd all be the same, and what fun is that? I think that's part of this "nostalgia" people try to pull from.. We don't have a true identity... its hard to remain united at times.. but then, we have some great italian, chinese, french, etc.. cuisine. We have a way for people to be free. We have a way to persevere... We do have a multi-culture; not a mono-culture.

[supernova]

14. So did the Greeks

Hell, they gave birth to the very idea of Western Civilization. And all of that was on display four years ago. It was fun to see; I wasn't envious at all, except that I really do want to visit Greece. :-)

Also, with the ceremonies today/tonight, there is a degree of China wanting you fell envious and oooh and ahhh over them. So, don't fall for it, ok?

[undergroundpanther]

15. You are right

1. Making money
2. Buying stuff
3. Blowing up other people's stuff
I'd add two more: Narcissism,and Conformists masquerading as Individualists.

[tomg]

16. I don't think we have a

culture, as such. We do have wonderful artists,great art and a number of original art forms
(jazz, for example). We even have some localized "cultures" ( some regional, some ethnically, some religiously based), but as to an American culture, I think what we have is much closer to a civilization, which, as the op suggested, tends to be based on imperialism (economic and military).

Actually, it would seem as though one of the things that China has been involved in is the
extinguishing of local cultures ( and not only Tibetan)and substituting their own version of a megalopolitan civilization. I agree that that our civilization is based on making money, buying stuff and blowing up other people's stuff, but so are most industrialized,imperialist civilizations. China is pretty interested in making money, buying stuff and blowing up other people's stuff ( well, right now less so of the last of the three because the other two are doing well). Russia is doing the same ( I mean they are screwing with Georgian culture). What we are seeing on the tube is their equivalent of a kind of Disneyland culture ( remember Disneyland's Main Street) for tourist consumption. Which is not to say that China does not have a wonderful and rich history, wonderful artists, and so on and so forth. It does, obviously. A living culture, though, is a very different thing than a late-stage civilization.

Incidentally, I am not upholding a "culture" as inherently better than a "civilization." I think most of us would last all of ten minutes in a real "culture." I really agree with your assessment of us. I would just put much of the modernized world - including China - in the same place.