American Culture A Paradox

1. How can an understanding of the complexities of culture help us make sense of the day-to-day world which we live? Give an example from your life to illustrate your answer.

American culture has been referred to as a “melting pot.” Different cultures have added their own distinct aspects to society, making America a diverse country. Despite the plethora of cultures, certain norms, mores, and folkways are evident in American society. These ideas are vital to the function and stability of America. They provide guidelines for what is acceptable and not. In virtually every society, there are people who engage in deviant behavior and do not abide by the values that the rest of society follows. Theorists have debated if people are socialized into acting this way and if it is a social or personal problem. The sociological study of culture focuses on norms, mores, and folkways.

Culture is a very vital part of the world as we know it today. There are very many different cultures all around the world. In the USA, we have a mix of all the different cultures and and family values. From the original Native Americans that inhabited America to the Middle Eastern people in Afghanistan. These people groups have brought their language, food, values, and customs with them.

American Lore is just like any other lore it has myths, legends, and fairy tales, but American lore shows the history of America and how we live today, with a twist to the story. With Legends, myths, and fairy tales it expresses the way americans think and how creative we can be to come up with these stories from things that could actually happen. Legends are based on historical facts Myths are based on religion and gods and goddesses. Fairy Tales are made believe not real, includes special creatures. Tall tales and legends are more based in American lore and is heavily based on history and the many traditional stories that are spread from generation to generation. American lore is based on, “power social status and prestige, control or dominance over people and resources. Achievement which is a personal success through demonstrating competence according to social standards . Hedonism pleasure or sensuous

The United States is shaped by its cultural myths. Cultural myths are widespread views or notions that are held and propagated by a nation to enforce its values. Among the great American cultural myths is the cultural myth of “educational empowerment” (Mann 110). It is the idea that the quantity of schooling is the yardstick of intelligence and the singular predictor of success. The notion that children fed into the machinery of education at an early age will be extruded further along the process equally and efficiently educated. However, like all cultural myths it is misleading, if not outright false. Problems in education throughout American history have made access to a good education difficult, if not

My American Dream consists of traveling, education, and a successful career. Experiencing the world and learning are aspects that I value and Dream of attaining; conversely, I do not dream of a family, white picket fence, or money, those ideals are not important to me. This is an example of how the Dream differentiates for each individual. “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (Amadeo) James Truslow Adams, an accomplished historian and promoter of the American dream in the 1930s, gives a broad definition for the term. Ever since the birth of the Dream it has been distorted and transformed by not only the people; but, the culture and time as well.

Over time, Americans have proved that the American dream is resilient and a very unique concept. It is not defined or rooted in religion, lineage, or even history. It is shaped and defined by the collective values of Americans themselves. The values consists of being individual, preserving life and

Americans hold the concept of individuality very near and dear to their hearts, but despite backgrounds and disparities that accompany them, all Americans share one commonality. They possess the ability to achieve the American dream through perseverance. The American dream represents an opportunity to live up to one’s full potential through hard work and persistence, regardless of their background. Citizens that devote a willingness to take advantage of opportunity that presents itself, will reap the rewards of the American dream, even though it might not develop effortlessly. For those presenting ambition to strive for it, the American dream stands welcoming and attainable for all.

The past and present models of the American Dream have greatly influenced the nation 's ever growing population and economy. They possess some significant differences, but share important similarities as well. In order to be truly successful in one 's pursuit of happiness and prosperity, it is relevant to define and understand these attributes, both good and bad.

The core of the book is the fallacies of American culture and human nature. The book exposes how people in the industrial age were just as cruel and grimy as the machines they worked with. They had fowl mouths and terrible drinking habits. The men were always the one to support the family, but in reality, wastefully spent their money and time. The women were similar to men in that they had terrible drinking habits and never truly supported their families. Women who weren’t heathens were prone to men that were and eventually became the alcoholic wives and moms to cope with their “piece of shit” husbands. What made it even worse is that no one ever seemed to attempt correction. They all happily lived in the slums of lives without a thought of

“No culture is as dedicated to making each individual’s dream come true”. (Lipset, 1996, p. 25). Individualism is a big part of living in America, people believe that they are independent and self-reliant. They believe in working things out as a society rather than relying on outside bodies. This independency is looked at as the ‘American Dream’ in which people have better opportunities in life.

Throughout different era’s and periods of time the American dream has slightly varied, but the ultimate end goal remains the same; based on independence, a need for freedom, and the ability and desire to achieve greatness in one’s lifetime

Often, I consider whether there are other living creatures around that we have not yet found. A while prior I had a thought to investigate the universe all the more intently. In light of my interest, I recently went by an irregular planet called Earth. As I landed on Earth, everything was extraordinary; it was as though I was trapped in a snow globe all my life and did not know anything past. Consequently, I felt ecstasy as I walked through a narrow pavement exploring the nature around me. Our own particular planet varies in a wide range of viewpoints. In addition, there are frequent significant differences in other living creatures. I observed a common species and examined them well; they refer to themselves as humans, more specifically Americans.

Do Americans believe meritocracy exists in America? Do talented people who work hard earning the reward that they deserve? Do talented people have enough challenges for their promotion that they merit? Living in the United States, many people think meritocracy exists because people expect about the opportunities to learn, to work, to earn, and to deserve. People also think they may have chances to earn what they deserve because the trusting of meritocracy. However, talented people do not receive any adequate reward as they expect. Meritocracy does not exist in America and becomes a myth for many debates. Moreover, most talented people in America who work hard still have fewer resources, less promotion,

American culture refers to the traditions and practices of the people of the United States. Culture comprises of the nature of buildings, religion, music language and marriage. The population of the United States is more than 320 million people making it the most culturally diverse country in the globe. Books such as Crabgrass Frontier, Manifest Destination and Muscular Christianity are important sources of information about American culture. This paper is a reflection on the methods that these books use in providing information about the evolution of the US culture. The paper examines the relationship between these three sources and ways they challenge or inform an understanding of the American society during the late 19th and early 20th century. There is an analysis of the efficiency of the issues tackled by these books in influencing the contemporary discourse surrounding American culture. The major argument of this paper is that Crabgrass Frontier, Manifest Destination and Muscular Christianity provide reliable information about the evolution of the US culture and they supplement each other through the use of relevant examples.