A Little Eccentric

American philosophy

Bonjour!
I have a little downtime before my next class. I promise to try to get those Paris pics before the end of the week. I think I am totally hitting my, "I miss America" phase. I am bummed about missing the Superbowl, not eating American food, not being able to understand or communicate everything, etc. Last night, Tchykita and I did the worst thing of all. We got Happy Meals at the McDonalds here. I just could not help it. I haven't hade a happy meal since I was little, but it was awesome. Plus it was somehow satisfying to see the snooty Frenchies eating burgers and fries too.
I have been thinking alot about American culture. Some people in America think we don't have a culture like other countries in Old Europe do. I say that we have an incredibly strong and defined culture. We are just as obviously American as the French are the French. I have people here tell me all the time, despite how I try to dress, etc. that I "look American." We have a certain way of dressing, doing our hair, make-up, etc that is different from anywhere else.
We have a society based on service and capitalism, and it is obvious when you go to a place like France. Here, I have not been able to pick up my mail for two days because the desk people have either been taking the day off or on a 2 hour lunch break. The way we do things, what we expect of others, all defines our culture.
Our food, even though it is often borrowed (i.e. Italian or Mexican) is still incredibly unique and Americanized to our culture. Nothing is created in a vaccuum, and all socities borrow from each other to create their own individual style. I would even say that our culture (especially the entertainment industry) has infiltrated others to the point it is hard to tell where ours ends and they begin. A British girl I met asked me if it was bizarre to watch movies made in America, because she watches so many American movies she gets weirded out watching British ones. Her own country's movies seem foreign to her. Also, I had some German girls ask me about Brokeback Mountain because they heard I was from Wyoming. How many non-American movies have you seen in the last year? How many states or provinces can you name in other countries? We do not have a lack of culture, we just have a dominating one. I would say our culture is one that emphasizes efficiency and convenience, so that is why it gets adopted to some degree in places like France. Everything in their culture is beautiful, relaxing and slow, but not efficient, like our industry.
To any American who thinks we don't have a culture, I would tell them to go live someplace else for awhile. It is easy for us to be ethnocentric because we are a large, powerful, influential country. But that doesn't make the values of our society universal, but like movies, just exported. They are still uniquely American. We get so used to everything being our way and familiar in our big country we aren't as exposed to regognizing the unique cultural differences in America.
Ok, I guess thats my philosophy for the day. What do you all think? I am really curious.

posted by Molly Jo @ 5:43 AM