The American Culture

When one is prompted to contemplate any country, they will most likely associate it with the culture specific to said country and the factors that make up this culture; such as the food, holidays, traditions, languages and celebrations. These factors make up a large part of the personality of a country or region, and often include ancient and distinct traditions that have withstood the test of time.  While most countries and regions may have a large history of tradition and old culture, what of America, whose population is a mixture of unique people from all across the globe. One may come to question, "Has America ever had a true culture?", "What exactly is America's culture?", or perhaps "Have we lost our culture, or gained a new one?"

While reading The Theory Toolbox by Jeffery Nealon and Susan Searls Giroux, one may come to realize that there really is no one culture that can be used to define America, for we are made up entirely of different ethnic groups. Even before America was considered a country, the indigenous peoples who live here and practiced their own cultures, did not all have one universal culture. In many periods of our country's relatively short existence, America has had many various large groups of people travel their way through it and call it their home.  Even then, our country would not have been able to be represented by one culture, because there were still so many in all of the different regions of our continent.

However, this does not mean the U.S. is a country without a culture. America, the nation of

immigrants, also known as a "melting pot" of different cultures and peoples, has simply built its own

culture. However, this brings us to our second question, "What, exactly is this American culture?"

The American culture is often broadcasted as a hearty, burger consuming, gun loving way of life;

however, this is only a part of it. Our culture cannot be singled out to one ethnic group, religious
group, or singular background. As a nation of immigrants, we are constantly receiving new peoples
and cultures, which in turn, adds to our own, building it from the ground up. Our nation's culture can
be easily compared to a mosaic. The many different pieces of other countries and other cultures are

brought together, to become a part of an incredibly unique and completely improvised design.  Like
the many different pieces in our metaphorical mosaic, the people of our country come from different
places, and may be of many different shapes, sizes or colors. When coming to this country, the pieces
of the mosaic are not sanded, painted or replaced to fit, they are taken as they are and added to our
piece of cultural art. Our country's people may share what is called citizenship, however, they "live very
differently within it." Since we all come from different backgrounds, we are all unique, all with our own

cultures and traditions. Because of this, there is no "average American".

One word the writers of The Theory Toolbox, Nealon and Giroux's, use to describe America is

“multicultural”. Their definition of “Multiculturalism” has to do with "Exclusion", or the separation of one

group from another in order to recognize each one as an individual group. This can be used in many

immoral ways, such as racism, sexism, etc. However, the correct use of this is not segregation, but to

distinguish between the different histories of each group, and the many traditions they are bringing

forth. The idea of exclusion is to prevent overly universalizing our society, and our perception, as this

would mean we would not be able to find any significance in any one thing. There would be no
distinction and no way to process the world and the many people in it. The authors use the example of
writing an essay. When referencing an audience, you cannot be too broad, or you no longer hold
meaning. "The world we live in is too complex" to create a "coherent cultural context that will include
"everyone."" Any attempt our society makes at finding a "same" or "coherent...narrow group", relies on the "process of exclusion", and referring to the different ethnic groups as "others". As our country is made up of so many different groups and cultures, there are infinitely many "others"; therefore, too many for us to really define America by one singular culture.

As I read the chapter, "Culture" of The Theory Toolbox, it occured to me, that these differences are

exactly what make up the American culture; as well as our the ability to add to and enrich it. There are

those who believe the multiculturalism of America to be a large scale attempt to "separate" humanity

further. However, I see it as a way to bring our citizens together.  America is a country of immigrants,

our own metaphorical mosaic of ethnicities and cultures from all around the globe. The many different

ethnic groups that come to America are given an expansion on their original title. "insert- American".

This allows for a recognition of a person's ethnic background, as well as including them into the large

and diverse collage of America. We have all come to this country, bringing with us our many different

traditions and histories, however, we all share the same basic ideals; which include equal opportunity

for success and prosperity. These ideals and the many people from all different walks of life who

support them are what the American culture is. In many cases, the American people wish to hold onto

the idea of a single, unifying identity of "Americaness". This can be for one of many reasons. Many

people long for that same history and universal traditions that other countries and regions possess.

They wish for something they can be a part of nationwide, and a sense of pride in that inclusion. By

holding onto that sense of sameness, many Americans wish to unify their country further and end the

process of exclusion that comes with multiculturalism. However, in this same sense, Americans also

wish to still be connected to the rest of the world, as we are large supporters of globalization and long

distance trading.

This brings us to our final question, “Have we lost our culture, or gained a new one?” As our

nation continues to grow, so does our culture. America has not lost its culture, but created one of its

own. America has always been multicultural, never holding only one culture or people. With each new

culture that is added to our cultural piece of art, our own society and country gains a sense of itself,

building from the examples of other nations, and becoming more worldly in a cultural sense. Each

person becomes part of a very large and equally diverse culture, and continues to add to it.