Independence. - Christopher Darroch, 39, actor, Toronto, "I was stunned to see how big everything is over there. Sometimes, you need an outsiders perspective to get a clearer and wider view of things. -- Nionvox, and extreme violence/gore is considered normal, and shown regularly on TV. NEW YORK Al Jazeera wants to make its name as American as pizzaburgers. OR WHAT IDENTIFIES AS AMERICAN TO YOU? Our collective workaholism is totally bizarre to outsidersand quite frankly, we can see why. -- Source, Amount of cheese Americans can intake at a time. Flashnewb, many Chinese people do not understand how America can function so "well" since the people here are all so different. Americans are, apparently, much friendlier than most people around the world. Required fields are marked *. Old charges of Al Jazeeras giving a platform to Islamists resurfaced. - Liu Xiaodan, 30, hotel manager, Beijing, "America is a country that produces a massive amount of cultural output such as Hollywood movies, music and many other (forms of) entertainment." But to watch Al Jazeera Americas reports is to discover that the truth lies somewhere in between these visions the network as fundamentally foreign versus the network as all-American. In the United States, pharmaciesthe closest things we have to chemistsdouble as convenience stores, with aisles upon aisles of food, cleaning supplies, and even makeup products. In a Reddit thread asking the weirdest things Americans do, many users discussed how strange they thought it was that the US advertised prescription drugs. Enter Al Jazeera, which recently sent a correspondent to Cleveland, a city it called Americas infant mortality capital. The question it pursued fused the local and the global: why rates of premature birth and infant death in many neighborhoods exceed those of developing nations.. This extraordinary insight highlights the power that outsiders have, forcing us to see ourselves from an altogether different perspective. - B.S. They are also unified in the sense that the dream isn't really a real thing anymore. But its way of seeing is foreign, the perspective of the curious outsider for whom nothing is obvious and whose questions are big and nave and, in their navet, important. The novelty here has at least two dimensions. I came to realize how many things are truly American and what makes us great people of a great nation. Build a pillow fort on your bed in any clear space using four chairs, an abundance of blankets and all the pillows you can find. Figure 1.6. I prefer hanging out with Canadians or students from Europe, because at least they are quite polite." It's like your entire concept of beauty hangs on it. At another moment, she sits beside an 11-year-old as he plays the game, asking him, simply enough, what he likes in it. I found this quite interesting and maybe a bit eye opening, because as Americans, these things are completely normal to us. The only way to properly do this is to be comfortable, because why relax when you could relax? To simplify matters, let's assign letters (yup, engineer at work). Romances and horrors are great genres to cozy up to in the dark. Let's look at 10 traditions Americans celebrate without even considering how strange the rest of world consider them. The Outsiders was actually published when the author was only 17 years old. Native Americans are adapting to the pandemic with online events and educational videos to share their culture. It has hired big-name stars, including Soledad OBrien and Ali Velshi, from American networks. Where unity and selflessness or altruism are valued traits in collectivist cultures, independence and . She was a happy person, better than my Chinese roommate there were three of us in the room. A society that has more things than our society." In most countries outside the U.S., vacation time is a highly utilized way to get away from work for a few weeks (or even months) every year. In most other countries, when you buy a drink, that prince is for a single cupful of your beverage of choice. Few embrace the spread of American culture in the predominantly Muslim nations surveyed, although many Lebanese (41%) do want American ideas and customs. To be fair, most Americans don't either. In most other countries, however, an A/C unit is used sparingly, if at all. So what does this foreign gaze, as presented on Al Jazeera America, reveal? Hinton's young adult novel The Outsiders, stereotyping is a significant issue. People also stop and like to gather around the tree and gaze at it. BANGKOK -- The rest of the world may think Americans eat a lot of burgers, have huge shopping malls and are ruled by an arrogant government. Cushman (2009) used an active learning methodology to explore minority students' insider knowledge and make outsiders aware of their lack of knowledge relative to . After all, isn't coffee meant to be enjoyed in a ceramic cup over conversation at a leisurely pace? I read on several different forum sites how things such as the pledge of allegiance and how our flag is plastered everywhere you go is quite strange to outsiders. Curious about which things are considered freaky by foreigners' standards? It examines the body rituals and practices of US culture the way anthropologists used to other cultures in seemingly distant lands that seemed unusual, if not weird. If movies aren't your style or you need a quieter way to relax, pick up a good book. used by the People to entertain and amuse themselves.". Basically, I am wondering what non-Americans think of our culture, and of us in general. I'm sure you have left over hot chocolate from November and December, so it's time to finish them off. They were floored (and clogged probably) -- Marcvsgrippa, Pumpkin flavored things, pumpkin is a vegetable yet it is always in seasonal items in combination with sweet flavors. Now, I am sure this doesnt just extend to us Americans, but I thought about how each country has their own beautifully unique world of its own. American culture, they help younger generations avoid changing their personalities to be accepted. And you don't have to settle for regular milk! 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They just like speaking their mind, which is a reason that I don't feel quite comfortable going around with Americans." In restaurants in many other countries, your server runs your credit card through a machine table-side. While New York City famouslynever sleeps, it's not the only city with 24-hour businesses. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); Whats more is that once Christmas is over, all of the gaudy gems and balls on the tree have to be removed and the tree must be moved out of the house. There is, of course, diverse reporting on health care and the stock market and climate change on Al Jazeera America, but there is unmistakably in its coverage a hint of this thesis Americas bountiful callousness. I created a Chill Pill playlist on YouTube for some relaxing vibes. Remembering that practices are driven by the culture someone is situated in, including our very own practices, is key to avoiding ethnocentrism the mistaken belief that your culture is the standard by which others should be compared. Covering the United States this way means, for starters, reporting on subjects like infant mortality. The drum is . As the stage moves on, Claudette has managed to separate a little more of herself from wolf culture by saying "I used my new motor skills. All of them wear shorts." The only normal part of the holiday seems to be the family gathering for dinner on Christmas day. Yet, America's admirers have felt betrayed by other shades of the American character: the military interventions in Vietnam, Iraq and elsewhere; the gun violence; the right (inexplicable to many) to carry weapons; the deep and angry racial divisions; and, lately, a presidential nominee calling for harsh restrictions on Muslims and Mexicans. I had a friend who drove for 16 hours to visit family for the weekend. African . Starting off your day this way could increase your odds of cognitive decline. Hash browns or home fries? Now, besides the few, awesome things, I will end with what was a bit of a mixed review from non-Americans. cultural frames of reference" and "learn to step outside of their own thinking in order to examine it and also to acknowledge others' thinking" (pp. It's not uncommon to chat up a stranger while waiting on line or traveling on public transportation. They look super fake. There was a bit of a culture shock when I first went there because the way people dress there is very much different from the way we dress here. The reality doesn't match the ideal. Collectivism stresses the importance of the community, while individualism is focused on the rights and concerns of each person. Those who choose to study and observe people can take two approaches to in recording ethnographies; a subject orientated perspective or an outsiders perspective. This termas well as terms used in the United States such as "Native American" and "American Indian"refers to hundreds of culturally diverse groups who inhabited the Americas before Europeans settled there. In American-Indian culture, silence is valued as sacred. What does it mean to be an American? The book is about observing American culture from an outsider's perspective, and comparing it to other cultures from across the globe. the culture being studied such that he/she can blend his/her etic (outsider) perspective with the emic (insider) perspective of the society being studied. People are nice but superficial. We're desensitizing the wrong thing. In most other countries, you take the time to at least park the car and walk through the front doors of the place you're patronizingnot in America, though! We don't know what lemonade is: In many countries, lemonade is not the iconic sugary drink that American kids sell at stands in summer. The spectacle of the Tupinamb men in the French court, as described by Montaigne, could be said to be an instance of "reverse colonization," a phenomenon in which those who embarked in a colonial . This story deals with issues that are very close to the hearts of teens, whether in the 1960s when this book was written or today. I have recently begun thinking about my country and our culture, and wanted to learn more about what exactly makes an American. Andersen, Margaret L. and Taylor, Howard F. 2008. In a moments answer, a culture is revealed anew. Americans are unusually casual about handing over their credit cards in a way that tends to freak foreigners out. - Sam Wang, 20, university student, Beijing, "My image of America is a country that goes to war anywhere in the world," - Susumu Inoue, 82, retired agricultural lab technician, Tokyo, "I think of Major League Baseball," Ayumi Takeoka, 41, housewife, Tokyo. The American was easy to talk with and we had a lot of things in common. Americans go nuts with air conditioning, cranking it up on hot days to the point that you might actually need a sweater. 2. We like to eat when we like to eatand if that means going to Denny's at 3 a.m., so be it. Why did they not just give them to the people in the first place? 5. AMS 111: American Culture, Values and Traditions: American Outsiders Section D301 T-Th., 12:30-1:45, Carman Hall, Room 233 Instructor: Kathleen Brennan Kathleen.Brennan@lehman.cuny.edu, Kbrennan@gc.cuny.edu Office hours: Tuesdays, 3:30 - 4:30, Room 292 Google Documents: Sign In: LehmanAMS111@gmail.com Password: Carman233 This course is designed to investigate issues of American citizenship . Time to forget about any work you have to do, and treat the weekend as a weekend. Due to the individuals moulding as an anthropologist and as a person by society, ethnographies can be clouded by researchers views on subjects as active agents through upbringing, sex . I had a wonderful time doing my book report on "American Cultural Patterns: A cross-cultural Perspective". The difference is one of cultural ownership and general acknowledgement, of giving credit where it's dueespecially when credit is long overdue to a historically oppressed people. Concept of building up the courage to ask someone to a ceilidh is simply ridiculous. Many American kids and teenagers leave home for extended periods of time, often for summer camps or travel. Some of the answers are pretty hilarious and/or eye-opening. What may feel totally normal to Americans is often far from it for outsiders. They just don't get the idea of loyalty to the school. These Americans, thus, are all quite concerned with the overall presentation of their houses: they make sure other people see and admire them. Miner takes the approach of explaining the body ritual among the Nacirema from an outsider's point of view, with no real understanding of the American culture. That's because, in America, we put our eggs through a rigorous washing process (which actually isn't even necessary) that removes the egg's protective layer, so harmful bacteria can get in if we don't refrigerate the eggs. Mehta, 34, health insurance worker, New Delhi, "America is a land of opportunities. America stands out because people recognize merit out there." While many love how so patriotic we are as a people, some, to be blunt, find it a bit creepy. Guide to US and American culture, society, language, etiquette, customs, manners and protocol. I don't understand why other cultures are all so primitive. Oh, and side note, the customer service in America is seen as amazing. But, I digress. - Kenni Friis, 28, computer technology student, Copenhagen, Denmark, "You can easily distinguish an American like here in the restaurant. American culture is clearly more advanced than all other cultures. The collector's view of the artifacts as pieces of art is a product of his own cultural background and does not take into account the cultural relativity of the artifacts. The culture of the United States includes traditions, regional customs, institutions, art and so much more. -- Countsblink, Made Mac n cheese for my aussie cousins. They miss nuances." Why go Tall when a Venti is just a dollar more? They are taken to a store where, when presented with a slip of paper, can be exchanged for currency. After doing a little adventuring on the web and seeing all different kinds of opinions and views from people all over the world, I came to love my country even more. While we face the last couple of weeks of winter there are many things you need to do. However, young people both in and outside the U.S. are particularly fond of American popular culture. Foreigners, on the other hand, aren't even familiar with the concept. He clearly thought that was more important than spending time with his family or friends. they aren't actually looking for an answer. Here are 33 "normal" customs and habits in the U.S. that weird out the rest of the world. As we said before, Americans live by the phrase, "The more, the merrier!". Holidays are integral parts of different cultures and by looking at them through the eyes of an outsider, we can see how culture influences perspective. Throughout the novel The Outsiders, readers can see just how harshly culture can change people. It's the many electronics we have the bridge in San Francisco." The "emic" approach is an insider's perspective, which looks at the beliefs, values, and practices of a particular culture from the perspective of the people who live within that culture. The material items that are kept, though, seem to consume all the time of the children. 3Peter N. Carroll and David W. Noble, The Free and the Unfree: A Progressive History of the United States, 3rd ed. You see, I even have two iPhones." The first is that, for the longest time, reporters from foreign news organizations sent reports back to the countries that dispatched them, and those reports were seldom seen locally. To discover more amazing secrets about living your best life, click hereto follow us on Instagram! In fact, in a 2017 report from the National Retail Federation, 65 percent of consumers reported owning a U.S. flag. And he drank tap water oh no!" Al Jazeera America has brought this approach to Chicagos violence, actually arranging a sit-down interview with working gang leaders, openly discussing their drugs, guns and ways. DESCRIBE THE COUNTRY AS YOU SEE IT: "The first word that comes to mind when I hear the word America is 'Arrogance.' Finding creative ways to fry things that probably shouldn't be fried is an American specialty and something that definitely confuses tourists. I mean, for the love of our sacredly majestic Bald Eagle, apple pie isnt even American! Miner describes Americans as "magic-ridden people" (Miner 2009, 507). "My one piece of American culinary advice: order the medium," one New Zealander wrote in a piece for Stuff. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. And so Al Jazeera Americas recent three-part series on Grand Theft Auto V, a much-heralded new video game, went further and harder than many rivals reports. Foreign tourists might be surprised to find out just how many other destinations in the U.S. have restaurants that are open around the clock. - Gennelyn Escopete, 33, DVD street vendor, Manila, Philippines, "Probably capitalism, but I see it more as freedom that every person can do what he wants, when he wants - true freedom, but it costs a lot I think, and sometimes it brings you lower than takes you higher." And yet the "Ugly American," it would seem, isn't all bad. I had a friend who drove for 16 hours to visit family for the weekend . American Culture: The Outsider's Perspective. Burgers, the American dream, choppers, Elvis, cowboys. There are no Americans as such. Bacon or sausage? In S.E. I believe they should understand the values that we have as Arabs, embrace them and try to go to a more local level to comprehend why we think and why we live the way we live." Views differ considerably, however, among the country's religious communities - 72% of Lebanese Christians say the spread of these ideas is a good thing; only 23% of Sunni and 13% of Shia . the United States, along with further themes such as African-American culture, racism, religion, slavery, a sense of home,[5] segregation, migration, feminism, and more. I encourage others to take a step outside, in any situation, to see the broader view of things because what you find may surprise you. For a country that's the center of the global economy, America's currency is pretty dull. When Al Jazeera becomes a major U.S. cable channel, as it plans, some Americans are likely to click past it, recalling the alleged anti-American tone by the pan-Arab network during the Iraq war a decade ago, CNN wrote in a not atypical comment. They believe in the right to have a good life and to help others to have a good life, and I think that's part of what makes them Americans." - Ingerlise Kristensen, 68, retired bank employee, Copenhagen, Denmark, "I had a roommate a Californian, when I was in Korea as a college exchange student. But there is an ideology that unites them all." I think sometimes we take our freedom and our way of life for granted, not realizing how great it really is. As is tradition. Non-Americans of reddit, what aspect of American culture strikes you as the strangest. Persons from religious perspectives other than Christianity, which emphasizes "individual salvation," may see the individual as equal to all living things, as on a journey toward individual fulfillment, or even as . Amazing article that will definitely help people better understand how others may view their culture. However, while the quarter makes senseseeing as its value is equivalent to one-fourth of a dollarthat's the only coin whose name is at all logical in terms of its worth. Soon, weekends can be filled with park trips and beach adventures, but for now, the weather is temperamental, so a movie night can suffice.