European perspective: Which U.S. state do you think is the most 'cultured'? (climate, speak)
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No, not really. In the southwest Mexican food is very popular because of the long standing Mexican population, and in the south Soul Food is very popular due to the long standing black population. However, this does not define American cuisine. American cuisine is very regional; from gumbo in Louisiana, to Lobster Rolls in Maine, to delis in NYC. American Cuisine is diverse and very much came from the waves of European immigrants from the past.
Oh, and Cajuns are mostly all rural white people. You are thinking of Louisiana Creoles, who are of various races and have traditonally lived in urban New Orleans.
Art Deco originated in Europe, but when Americans talk about Art Deco they're usually referring to grand buildings like the Empire State Building or Chrysler Building. These skyscrapers are very American. Furthermore, American architecture usually makes one think of the skyscraper and American housing styles. Louis Sullivan and Frank Loyd Wright would be appropriate people to mention when it comes to influential American architects.
Oh, and most Native Americans did not live in pueblos.
Rock music is still consistently the most popular in the US, and is hardly black urban music. Yes, blacks were influential in its beginnings via the Blues but it came from a combination of influences.
Jazz and Soul are not very popular except in certain circles. Rap is popular but has lost some luster in recent years with emergence of a more Euro-pop sound in the US.
I also notice that you did not mention Country or Bluegrass music. American Country music is very popular, although I realize it is not globally popular.
Suburbia, long working hours, and material possessions are American phenomenons of all types of people. Nobody in America uses the term Anglo (except as a localized term in the southwest). Some people use the term WASP to describe "non-ethnic" white culture that is has money. However, WASP culture is not associated with suburbia and bad spending habits.
Furthermore, your classification of American culture is slanted towards the negative aspects. I'm guessing that you may enjoy American films, American music, some American fashions, and American technological advancements.
So you think small Midwest towns full of white people are boring? What makes them worse than a small town in Arizona full of Hispanics, or a small town in Mississippi full of blacks? I would think nothing. Or is it that you associate US urban culture with non-whites?
It's sad that the Cajun/Cajunism myth has corrupted the minds of people today and has taken hold further perpetuating lies and rewriting history.
Also part of the problem with the claim or theory that "Cajuns" are "white rural people" is that many mixed with Spaniards, Filipinos, Africans, Native Americans, and the various pre existing large rural peoples and rural Creole populations already inhabiting the region and various racial and ethnic and cultural groups when the so called Acadians arrived to SPANISH Louisiana.
CAJUNISM is a myth and only has been in usage only for a few decades at this point, and now this Cajun identity is gentrifying and appropriating and stealing the already long indigenous existing traditional Creole/Latin food, culture, and identity as theirs or as if Cajuns invented it or were the progenitors of it or such. People that self identify as "Cajun" have the right to call themselves such if they choose to, but the illogical and ahistorical analysis and usage of such can be damaging to people, and then the fact that people are excluded and being divided by such is ridiculous. Many people calling themselves Cajun, don't even have Acadian ancestry. Cajuns are Creoles, and yes there are WHITE Creoles. Creoles can be of any race or mix of races.
ALL of the food that is erroneously labeled as "Cajun", is ALL Creole food!
Not really, a bunch of European and Europhille elitist running around bragging to the world how their culture is so superior to others and bashing other cultures makes them look pretty pathetic.
Culture/lifestyle in Plano, TX is completely different than the culture/lifestyle in Essen, Germany and neither is better or worse than the other.
Texas and Germany have big mutual inferences on each other and interconnected intertwined histories.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gentoo
I agree with a small part of this but did you really just compare Texas culture to Germany? BWAHAHAHA LOL Rich, I love it!
Germans had a big presence and influence in the cultures of Mexico, Texas, Louisana, Mississippi, Alabama etc!
If i go to a museum, listen to mozart and grow a handlebar mustache can i join the almighty cultured club and i can go around calling all other cultures "fake" "bland" with the rest of you all?
It's pretty pathetic how people (and even americans themselves) allways down- talk everything that originated in the USA. EVERY new music- art- food- sport- architectual style was originated from a former style. That's called EVOLUTION. New music styles in America may have originated in England or Ireland, but they EVOLVED into a completely new, different style.
Take the Seatle Grunge music for instance. Yes it has it's roots in Brittish Punk Rock and Hippie music but these styles were mixed and evolved into a completely new music style.
Rock and Roll and Country may have originated from black Blues and Irish Folk, but that too was mixed and took the best of both and evolved into a completely new style.
Yes Blues and Jazz is definetely a black invented music style but that too has it's roots in Irish and French Folk music.
And that goes for everything in this world.
It's pretty pathetic how people (and even americans themselves) allways down- talk everything that originated in the USA. EVERY new music- art- food- sport- architectual style was originated from a former style. That's called EVOLUTION. New music styles in America may have originated in England or Ireland, but they EVOLVED into a completely new, different style.
Take the Seatle Grunge music for instance. Yes it has it's roots in Brittish Punk Rock and Hippie music but these styles were mixed and evolved into a completely new music style.
Rock and Roll and Country may have originated from black Blues and Irish Folk, but that too was mixed and took the best of both and evolved into a completely new style.
Yes Blues and Jazz is definetely a black invented music style but that too has it's roots in Irish and French Folk music.
And that goes for everything in this world.
it's interesting how America's culture is mostly black or latino in persuasion!
when Americans tell you how awesome the food back in their hometown is (then they start telling u about good mexican tacos, burritos, fajitas) or amazing (soul food or cajun = black people)
they talk to you about architecture, and it's all art deco from belgium and france, or pueblos in new mexico from native americans
if they mentioned american music then they'll talk about (jazz, soul, rock, funk) all black urban beats
what is anglo american culture? besides suburbias, shopping malls, working 70 hours a week, SUV's, jesus christ, let me go to college and get 100thousand dollars in debt?
I am not being bigoted but if you take the latino and black element outside of America the US would be an awful homogeneous, depressing, sterile place to be!!!!
without blacks or latinos the US would be as exciting as a small town in the middle of Iowa!
Wow, you got a little right and a lot wrong in this post.
"America's culture" is a huge mix of all sorts of cultures - not mostly black or Latino. Yes, we do have a lot of influence from those cultures, but we also are greatly influenced by French, Italian, German, Scottish, Irish, English, Czech, etc etc etc. For instance, the Appalachian culture has little or no Latino or African American influence - it's predominately Scottish and English in origin. Same with the heavy German and Czech influenced culture in central Texas - little if any black or Latino influence, even though it's pretty close to Mexico. What about the Amish culture in Pennsylvania, or the Scandinavian culture in the northern plains states? How about the huge Italian culture along the east coast? What about the Mormon influence in Utah and other places? These are just a few prominent cultures that are predominately shaped by Anglo Americans.
By the way - Cajun food is not African American food - you are confusing the term "Cajun" with "Creole" which IS a mix of Anglo and African culture. "Cajun" is the abbreviated form of "Acadian" and the Acadians are French.
You left out country and western music, heavy metal, alternative, bluegrass, and folk music - just to name a few styles that are very popular in the US - and very Anglo in creation and influence.
As for architecture, have you ever heard of Frank Lloyd Wright? What about the Empire State building? The Golden Gate bridge? Biltmore Estate? The Chrysler Building? The Hearst residence? Have you heard of Low Country style? Federalist? Prairie School? Etc Etc Etc
Ever heard of Geoffrey Beene? Bill Blass? Liz Claiborne? Kenneth Cole? Tommy Hilfiger?
Personally, I love the mix of cultures in the US, and I am very glad for both African American and Latino influences, but there are many cultural icons and styles and trends emanating from the US that are not heavily influenced by either.
Wow, you got a little right and a lot wrong in this post.
"America's culture" is a huge mix of all sorts of cultures - not mostly black or Latino. Yes, we do have a lot of influence from those cultures, but we also are greatly influenced by French, Italian, German, Scottish, Irish, English, Czech, etc etc etc. For instance, the Appalachian culture has little or no Latino or African American influence - it's predominately Scottish and English in origin. Same with the heavy German and Czech influenced culture in central Texas - little if any black or Latino influence, even though it's pretty close to Mexico. What about the Amish culture in Pennsylvania, or the Scandinavian culture in the northern plains states? How about the huge Italian culture along the east coast? What about the Mormon influence in Utah and other places? These are just a few prominent cultures that are predominately shaped by Anglo Americans.
By the way - Cajun food is not African American food - you are confusing the term "Cajun" with "Creole" which IS a mix of Anglo and African culture. "Cajun" is the abbreviated form of "Acadian" and the Acadians are French.
You left out country and western music, heavy metal, alternative, bluegrass, and folk music - just to name a few styles that are very popular in the US - and very Anglo in creation and influence.
As for architecture, have you ever heard of Frank Lloyd Wright? What about the Empire State building? The Golden Gate bridge? Biltmore Estate? The Chrysler Building? The Hearst residence? Have you heard of Low Country style? Federalist? Prairie School? Etc Etc Etc
Ever heard of Geoffrey Beene? Bill Blass? Liz Claiborne? Kenneth Cole? Tommy Hilfiger?
Personally, I love the mix of cultures in the US, and I am very glad for both African American and Latino influences, but there are many cultural icons and styles and trends emanating from the US that are not heavily influenced by either.
It's pretty pathetic how people (and even americans themselves) allways down- talk everything that originated in the USA. EVERY new music- art- food- sport- architectual style was originated from a former style. That's called EVOLUTION. New music styles in America may have originated in England or Ireland, but they EVOLVED into a completely new, different style.
Take the Seatle Grunge music for instance. Yes it has it's roots in Brittish Punk Rock and Hippie music but these styles were mixed and evolved into a completely new music style.
Rock and Roll and Country may have originated from black Blues and Irish Folk, but that too was mixed and took the best of both and evolved into a completely new style.
Yes Blues and Jazz is definetely a black invented music style but that too has it's roots in Irish and French Folk music.
And that goes for everything in this world.
I don't think it's necessarily anti-Americanism, some people (mostly the older generation) just dismiss everything that was created after the 1970s. Modern music, modern architecture, modern fashion etc. is all rubbish to them because they don't understand it nor do they care to understand it.
The OP mentioned Disney as the antithesis of "cultured". Why is that? Disney has created many great movies that brought joy to millions of people around the world. Nobody can tell me The Lion King is not a work of art. Something does not have to be old and exclusive in order to be considered "art".
You didn't type intereferences, you typed inferences LOL Damn that auto correct.
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