Many countries take strong efforts to attempt to preserve regional identities and cultures that make area unique. Typically, the US has not done this and has encouraged a more standardized version of the US (for example Louisianan French).
Do you think that the US and/or individual states should begin or strengthen efforts to preserve some of our more unique regional cultures such as the previously mentioned French influence in Louisiana or southern culture more broadly?
12 comments
I don’t think preserving culture is a bad thing. I think that would probably be a better use of government funds than most things we spend money on.
No, the states don’t work that way. We are a hodgepodge of all nations. If you want to preserve your home culture, stay there.
That doesn’t mean you can’t, or shouldn’t honor that culture by remembering it, but being an american is more about creating a whole new culture.
Like, a federal program to preserve Gullah culture? There already is one, it’s a [National Heritage Area.](https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritageareas/discover-nhas.htm)
I think you’ll have to be more specific about how you’re defining “regional culture” and you’ll find that there ARE preservation efforts for most of them. That’s what things like museums are.
No
Have you ever been to South Louisiana? Cajun culture is alive and well down there. It doesn’t need to be preserved; it is very much still alive.
Like an effort driven by the government? No of course not. But I would love if radio stations focused on local artists rather than what is nationally popular. We have Spotify for that anyway
This is something that the government has no business getting involved in. If you want to preserve culture, just preserve it. Have a tight knit community and pass on your values to your kids. No one is stopping you.
Getting the government involved in it kind of defeats the purpose.
Our entire culture could be described as “fusion”. It’s constantly changing, so why should we arbitrarily “protect” one era of that process?
No. Telling people they must do A not B is fucked.
Approved name lists like some European countries? Forced language?
Fuck that.
This isn’t something the government needs to get involved in.
If the people living in these areas want to preserve the regional cultures, that’s up to them.
Not really. The cultures maintain themselves. Aside from a few spats, it really isn’t much of a problem. The USA is a pretty cohesive nation, things considered.
It makes sense for like Quebecs provincial government to preserve its French-North American culture but Quebec is pretty divergent compared to the rest of Canada. It probably made sense for Louisiana in the past, but the culture will revive itself if it wants to be revived
We aren’t big on outside forces forcibly shaping us.