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Hollywood's view of the US seems fake as it only really seems to promote this view of california and it just doesn't seem like it gives a fair enough view or scope on what the US is really all about and what it's really like. If any Americans could give me their views or opinions on what the "real America" is all about and not just the one hollywood promotes it would be greatly appreciated thanks.
I agree with waronxmas. Movies are not a good comparison to reality. Most US made movies glamorize life here in the United States, by making most of the characters either upper middle class or they make fun of the lower class (Which far outnumbers the previous). It's all good fun to watch, but if you really want a good taste of American life FOR the majority of us, take a look at documentaries on traveling the country, or if you get a chance to come to the US, take a drive through some of the small towns away from the big lights and blitz of the cities. This is where America really is, where the blue collar small town people fight for food on the table and keeping the electric bill paid. And as said before, we way outnumber the lifestyle of any upper-class suburbanite. Those people you see in the movies do exist, but they lock themselves away within gated communities and security fences on the fringes of our inner-cities shying away from the realities that the rest of us in the nation face.
Then you have the city folk. Most of them are just like the small towners, hard working blue collar families but living in a tightly packed urban environment where jobs are more available. They are just as far removed from the upper class members of our society as the small towners, only because they are forced to drive through the rich neighborhoods every day and look at the glass and steel skyscrapers downtown that symbolize what most of them hope for, but will never achieve..
well depends on whose version of america you want.
who is real. according to rush limbaugh you get one image.
according to jimmy carter you get another.
The only people that I hear say "Real America" are usually from South Carolina, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and the rest of those awful craphole places.
If that's real America, I much prefer fake America. Keep it!
America has many places and cultures so "real America" might be many things.
Judging by studies I would say that there are some features that make Americans different than other people. Americans are more likely than people in most nations, poor or rich, to think that success or failure isn't decided by forces outside one's control. Although Canada seems about the same on that and Sweden, plus Ethiopia of all places, is also similar.
Still most of the world people are comparatively "fatalistic" or at least tend to give more credence to the idea society or family decides where you end up. America is traditionally more optimistic than modern nations. Lastly America is perhaps the last modern nation with an active and widespread Protestant religiousness. There are some modern nations, like Malta or Cyprus, where Orthodox Christianity or Catholicism remain significant. However virtually all Protestant nations in Europe are basically post-Christian. So the only modern nation I can think of with the same level of devout Protestantism is Barbados.
I suppose the "realest", in the sense of most uniquely American, places would therefore be places with churchgoing Protestants who lean toward individualism and reject fatalism. Offhand I suppose that could mean states like the Dakotas, Indiana, Kansas, and Missouri are "Real America." (Southern Protestantism is a tad more fatalistic than what I mean) Although that's rather reductive and unfair to other places that are uniquely American, but may not totally fit the description I gave.
The documentary Spellbound might give you some slices of different forms of "Real America." (It is weighted a bit to smaller towns, and to Asian-Indian immigrants, as it's about spelling bees. Still it includes several ethnicities and urbanites too) Granted it's largely gifted kids in different parts of America, but you get some sense of their general environment. As movies, even documentaries, go I think it's relatively unbiased in that they tried not to favor any kid or background too much. (I saw viewer review that said this Evangelical Christian kid was "the film's nemesis" but I think that's in the reviewers head as I felt they were fairly neutral/factual on his religiosity.) A small exception is there's a bit of a pro-immigrant sentiment, but it didn't strike me as too preachy with it. If you want the "America the media doesn't see" it might deal with some of that. Or you could pick a small city or micropolitan area in any landlocked state outside the Northeast.
Last edited by Thomas R.; 09-24-2009 at 02:31 AM..
The only people that I hear say "Real America" are usually from South Carolina, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and the rest of those awful craphole places.
If that's real America, I much prefer fake America. Keep it!
What exactly makes these "craphole" places?
Because the people are hardworking, prefer to live in mostly country areas and don't like high taxes?
I would much prefer that than some overbearing, overregulated, overstressed area up in the Northeast
Real America is what you DON'T see in Hollywood these days other than something to be mocked which is pretty pathetic
This is where America really is, where the blue collar small town people fight for food on the table and keeping the electric bill paid. And as said before, we way outnumber the lifestyle of any upper-class suburbanite. Those people you see in the movies do exist, but they lock themselves away within gated communities and security fences on the fringes of our inner-cities shying away from the realities that the rest of us in the nation face.
Then you have the city folk. Most of them are just like the small towners, hard working blue collar families but living in a tightly packed urban environment where jobs are more available. They are just as far removed from the upper class members of our society as the small towners, only because they are forced to drive through the rich neighborhoods every day and look at the glass and steel skyscrapers downtown that symbolize what most of them hope for, but will never achieve..
Good Lord. Stop being a drama queen.
The "majority" of Americans only seem "lower class" when compared side-by-side with uber-wealthy.
The vast majority of Americans enjoy a standard of living that many in the World would love to have, and are truly "middle class" in a global context. I think the downfall of our system might eventually be the jealousy and false sense of "poor me" that is constantly promoted by people like you. If people focused more on what they have than what they don't have, we'd all be better off.
I grew up lower-middle class. Neither of my parents went to college or made much money. Now I'm a first generation college grad and pretty proud of it. I'm not going to be wealthy, but I might end up a little ahead of where my parents were. Hopefully it will be the same for my kids someday.
I've never had a lot of great "stuff" or extra money lying around, but I know a good thing when I have it. I think I'm a product of the "real America." This guy's attitude might be more prevalent in the "future America", unfortunately. I'm a lot more concerned about our nation surviving THAT than anything else.
Whenever people dismiss a place like NYC as not being the "real America" I've always wondered if that means that Paris and Tokyo aren't the real France and Japan.
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