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US society just seems so insular and "Us and them" why is the US like this?
This isn't a bash at Americans or the USA but its just an observation from comments from Americans, their media and well everything!
Note, I'm not saying Americans are insular just the country as a whole the insularity of the country is forced upon its citizens but how did this start?
You'd think the advanced country in the world would be the most connected but sadly there not.
Because they can't relate to the rest of the world. If one is born in the US, then one has no identity, just a plain human, not French or Serbian or anything, so they create some compensation leading to "Murica" crap to feel like they have something, hence, "us vs them"
Because they can't relate to the rest of the world. If one is born in the US, then one has no identity, just a plain human, not French or Serbian or anything, so they create some compensation leading to "Murica" crap to feel like they have something, hence, "us vs them"
That doesn't make any sense... You're basically saying that they have no identity, so they... Have an identity? this gibberish gets really old. Americans either have no identity, or they have too much of an identity. Someone being nationalistically proud of being American is no different and thus no better or worse than being proud of being English, Japanese, Brazilian, etc. Someone can be super proud of being British or French or whatever and it's looked upon as a healthy and valid identity but the second you dare to say "I'm proud to be an American," people crap a brick, roll their eyes, bellow in frustration and proceed to remind you of how obnoxious you are.
Lots of countries and cultures have a hard, if not harder time relating to the rest of the world. The Arab world pops to mind, as does much of Central Asia; lots of Asia can't really relate to the West. America is just more visible than all these other countries. But beyond that, we have a thread up here talking about how Americans more so than elsewhere identify as "Irish American" or "Chinese American," etc. Many Americans have a deep affinity for international cultures - whether it's due to ancestry, historical alliances or friendship, or because of pop culture, I.e. Japan, Korea, Brazil. All this seems inverse to being unable to "relate" to other cultures.
The whole "Murica" thing is really more a stereotype than anything else, most Americans are nothing like that.
US society just seems so insular and "Us and them" why is the US like this?
This isn't a bash at Americans or the USA but its just an observation from comments from Americans, their media and well everything!
Note, I'm not saying Americans are insular just the country as a whole the insularity of the country is forced upon its citizens but how did this start?
You'd think the advanced country in the world would be the most connected but sadly there not.
It cuts both ways, though. I find that most people abroad are disconnected from american culture, though they have often enough convinced themselves they've figured it out. Look at some of the posters here who have never actually been to the US but are more than happy to explain to you at length exactly how American culture is, and when you offer a counterpoint, immediately discard it because they have already made up their mind.
Part of the issue is that America is a massive chunk of the global paradigm and as such, is massively visible. Challenging dominant paradigms is a good thing to do, but it's important to remember that dissention is not automatically truth because it is a challenge. People seem to forget this often when it comes to addressing America. We can say that the US "is the most disconnected country in the world," overlooking other major international players as China, India, or Russia which have an exponentially smaller number of immigrants and a smaller and less diverse global reach and are almost irrevocably more disconnected from the rest of the world. There are many nations with a largely homogeneous population, less resources for international travel, tighter restrictions on media and internet access, and far fewer dealings with the greater international community than the US; why don't these nations pop to mind?
It's because America is front and center stage internationally; the people who challenge this the most loudly are probably the best proof of this, as how many other nations do they have such an emotional and concise opinion of?
Yeah it does seem the US is like a 'mini world' or world unto itself, but it's not unique in this regard (Japan springs to mind of the developed countries, but they travel in greater numbers as a % outside their country). I think the first reason is geographical: most of the US is isolated from the bulk of the world, in the eastern hemisphere, the other reason is, and this is related, cultural isolation. The US is more connected to other Anglo countries than say Mexico in history, politics, culture.etc, but also American music, movies, TV, fashion, food.etc is exported, while conversely the many immigrants have made the US a sort of mini version of the world, where one can taste different foods from all over the place. America was the first democracy and first modern nation state, which sort of sets it apart from many older nations in Asia or Europe which were founded as kingdoms or nation states long before the US was.
It cuts both ways, though. I find that most people abroad are disconnected from american culture, though they have often enough convinced themselves they've figured it out. Look at some of the posters here who have never actually been to the US but are more than happy to explain to you at length exactly how American culture is, and when you offer a counterpoint, immediately discard it because they have already made up their mind.
Yep, I think the only real difference between nations is whether people realise or are willing to acknowledge how little they really know about other countries across the globe. People who consider themselves "worldly" or "connected' are often only submerged in stereotypes and distorted national caricatures.
At times I get a sense that people from Europe including the UK like to consider themselves comparatively more worldly or in-touch with world affairs than are Americans/Australians /New Zealanders etc. But watching European/UK TV coverage of issues and events in Australia/New Zealand/South West Pacific can be a tragically amusing experience.
The USA is a country the size of a whole continent, I am sure that this has something to do with it, it is much easier keeping track of other countries if you live in a small country yourself.
My experience visiting is that they are very ignorant. The minorities are the patriotic ones.
They can't say they are number one because they are quite far behind in many aspects.
Are you still in Florida? Holiday sounds like it's getting you down a bit.
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this gibberish gets really old. Americans either have no identity, or they have too much of an identity. Someone being nationalistically proud of being American is no different and thus no better or worse than being proud of being English, Japanese, Brazilian, etc. Someone can be super proud of being British or French or whatever and it's looked upon as a healthy and valid identity but the second you dare to say "I'm proud to be an American," people crap a brick, roll their eyes, bellow in frustration and proceed to remind you of how obnoxious you are.
But watching European/UK TV coverage of issues and events in Australia/New Zealand/South West Pacific can be a tragically amusing experience.