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Geography has a lot to do with ethnicity in the US (and lots of other countries).
This is true to an extent. But some places in the U.S., especially in the larger metro areas, have very mixed ethnicities. So you kind of get a taste of everything.
There's certainly not as much cultural isolation as there used to be. With cable TV and internet in a huge percentage of households, even in rural areas, and with the advent of social media, even your average country bumpkin is tweeting, posting pictures on Facebook, and watching American Idol or The Voice or some other stupid crap.
Yes, regional differences exist. Yes, the urban/rural divide exists. Yes, there are huge political divides as well. But as a culture, I think we share more in common as a nation than we ever have.
This is true to an extent. But some places in the U.S., especially in the larger metro areas, have very mixed ethnicities. So you kind of get a taste of everything.
I think that cultural diversity is part of what makes urban culture different from rural culture, in general. Not that there can't be quite a bit of diversity in small towns, but that does seem to be a general distinction.
There's certainly not as much cultural isolation as there used to be. With cable TV and internet in a huge percentage of households, even in rural areas, and with the advent of social media, even your average country bumpkin is tweeting, posting pictures on Facebook, and watching American Idol or The Voice or some other stupid crap.
Yes, regional differences exist. Yes, the urban/rural divide exists. Yes, there are huge political divides as well. But as a culture, I think we share more in common as a nation than we ever have.
I don't think it's so much a case of "TV and Twitter making us more the same" but rather, the Californian lifestyle, culture and accent is heralded as the "ideal" at the expense of the other regional cultures so the older people end up ashamed of their local heritage and do not pass it on to their children.
I mean England has had television for 60 years yet their regional cultures are still quite strong. Maybe even stronger than they were in say the 1970s since regional accents have gone back in vogue and RP is on the way out.
I think a lot of it has to do with America being molded into a homogenous "nation" so we can better serve the "Fatherland" rather than feel connected to our community or region. A similar phenomenon happened in France, Germany and Italy, 200 years ago those countries had dozens of different dialects and people did not think of themselves as French or German or Italian, but rather as residents of their nearest city or its hinterland.
Presently the same thing is happening in China with the imposition of the Mandarin language, and probably to a lesser extent in India as well.
I don't think it's so much a case of "TV and Twitter making us more the same" but rather, the Californian lifestyle, culture and accent is heralded as the "ideal" at the expense of the other regional cultures so the older people end up ashamed of their local heritage and do not pass it on to their children.
I don't think it's so much a case of "TV and Twitter making us more the same" but rather, the Californian lifestyle, culture and accent is heralded as the "ideal" at the expense of the other regional cultures so the older people end up ashamed of their local heritage and do not pass it on to their children.
I haven't seen anything like that anywhere I've lived. I've heard a lot more people snicker and sneer at stereotypical Californians and their laws and culture than anything else, and I've found that many people in the US have local pride, and have no desire to adopt some other culture wholesale.
All areas have McDonald's, iPhones, Big Box Stores, Chevrolets, Beyonce on the radio, Levi's, Nike, Slurpees, college and pro sports, and all areas speak English as the common language....yadda, yadda, yadda.....
No matter how much we like to think we are different (or better) from others, we are more similar than we are different.
All areas have McDonald's, iPhones, Big Box Stores, Chevrolets, Beyonce on the radio, Levi's, Nike, Slurpees, college and pro sports, and all areas speak English as the common language....yadda, yadda, yadda.....
There's a lot more to culture, at least outside of the suburbs, than that kind of materialistic junk. A rancher in Wyoming can buy the same brand of shoes or root for the same football team as a stock broker in Manhattan, but there are very significant differences in their lifestyles.
There's a lot more to culture, at least outside of the suburbs, than that kind of materialistic junk. A rancher in Wyoming can buy the same brand of shoes or root for the same football team as a stock broker in Manhattan, but there are very significant differences in their lifestyles.
....and you are on the Web participating in a forum with people all over the country. Yet another example of our similarities.
Sure we are different but I still contend that our cultural influences are more similar than many might realize.
I've lived in several different US regions, and I agree with those who say that differences are more determined by ethnicity and how urban/rural an area is. Residents of Atlanta, Denver and Seattle aren't that different. Atlantans probably have more in common with people from Denver than with people from south Georgia. Ethnicity does come into play, however. The only non white majority place I lived (southern California) does have some differences from the rest of the US. Even white Californians have adopted some aspects of Mexican culture. Most white folks I know who are still back home have tamales on the Thanksgiving table along with the other traditional staples and love a good horchata.
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