Help paint a picture of America / American Culture for me?

20 comments

1. [American Culture, at Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_the_United_States)

   Your inquiry is, to be frank, impossibly broad. Are you looking for names of cowboys, Native Americans, actors etc? What’s the reason we’re doing this exercise?

2. >Cowboys

   Largely a thing of the past.

   >Actors, Gangsters, Soldiers…social protestors, money, gas/oil

   Definitely not something unique to the US.

3. •Walmart

   •McDonald’s

   •[Small town parades](https://dailyiowan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/top-1.jpg). The mayor’s waving at everyone from a convertible, the high school marching band’s playing a rendition of a pop song, and you’ve got first responders with their lights on.

   •Off-ramps [that look like this](https://i.imgur.com/Vg1fs5T.jpg?desktop=1)

   •Bright yellow school buses.

   •[Goofy local news reporters](https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/mm/image?q=60&c=sc&poi=face&w=612&h=306&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F6%2F2014%2F11%2Ftaylor-swift-dance_612x380_1.jpg) who are well-known to everyone in your county/region. You may not watch the news that often, but you and your neighbors all know who Todd the Weatherman is.

4. 😐

5. Apollo 11 and the space shuttles.

6. A lot of people have already made good suggestions. But I think of anything that prompts unity… like people protesting for civil rights.

7. Classic country and western music

8. NFL Sunday and brawls at Waffle House

9. Pork roll or Taylor ham… of course it’s pork roll!!!

10. We don’t have one culture. It’s too big here, we have many subcultures. I’ve lived in many states and cities (big and small) and they’re all different!

    Currently in SoCal. People are laid back, outdoorsy, health conscious, like to party. Think beach volleyball, bars and clubs, music festivals, healthy food, water sports etc.

11. American culture is basically whatever you want it to be. (With a few legal constraints…we do have a constitution and laws.) Americans define it, and we have a lot of people from a lot of backgrounds with a lot of viewpoints.

    Here’s a couple examples of American culture that are opposite of each other:

    [Playing our national anthem using guns that are shooting at different sized metal targets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHLlwiLebkc)

    and

    [Nationwide protests pushing for more gun control](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnmcCZHlilw)

    Both of those are part of American culture.

12. Baseball is a very American thing. Especially in the Northeast with the New York Yankees and Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, and Boston Red Sox. It’s America’s pastime in the oldest most historic cities.

13. Fireworks on July 4.
    Summer festivals and community fairs.
    Voting in a little booth at the neighborhood school on Election Day, then staying up late to watch the results come in.
    Thanksgiving: watching a parade, watching the Detroit Lions probably lose their annual football game, then a big family dinner with turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.

14. Check out Street Food USA on Netflix. It’s a well made documentary about real and diverse people overcoming whatever struggles are presented, following their passions, and building community. It’s a great representation of the cultural diversity and independent spirit of Americans.

15. A sponge

16. Legal weed.

17. Norman Rockwell’s art.

    Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.

    Times Square New Year’s Eve

    The Boston Pops on the 4th of July

    Turkey on Thanksgiving

18. Read *Democracy in America* by Alexis De Tocqueville.

19. My cat’s breath smells like cat food.

20. Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet.