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My American studies courses here have given me the opportunity to observe America from an outsider's perspective and really get an understanding of what Europeans actually think of us. While I thought this over, I also began to think of why people, myself especially, are so enthralled with other countries. Not in America it isn't! I came to realize how many things are truly American and what makes us great people of a great nation. } ); A lot of dresses, and cars, and all that. Let's move to the music, more specifically, blues and jazz, which are two personal loves of mine. And you don't have to settle for regular milk! Yes, we Americans admittedly like to go big or go homeand when foreigners come to visit, this is a concept that they quickly notice. It is a great country and would love to live there. Due to the individuals moulding as an anthropologist and as a person by society, ethnographies can be clouded by researchers views on subjects as active agents through upbringing, sex . In a Reddit thread asking the weirdest things Americans do, many users discussed how strange they thought it was that the US advertised prescription drugs. American Culture: The Outsider's Perspective. northern resident killer whale catalogue; incredibox character creator; peugeot 3008 panoramic roof problems. - Ksenia Smertova, 21, student, Moscow, "America? Americans really love their ice. I can imagine that persons evaluation would be something like the following: During this holiday called Christmas, families take great care to ensure that they decorate their houses and various shrubs with wires. Throughout the novel The Outsiders, readers can see just how harshly culture can change people. In the U.S., every food order requires several decisions. } else { - Marren Cahilig, 21, bartender, Manila, Philippines, "It is powerful." They look super fake. It is more cozy (laughing), less restrictive (made drinking gesture)." xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); In addition, for some reason, the tree must be a rather large tree with lots of foliage. Despite the fact that these people are so punctiliousabout care of the mouth, this rite involves a practice which strikes the uninitiated stranger as revolting. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.". Curious about which things are considered freaky by foreigners' standards? WHAT MAKES AMERICANS AMERICAN? This writing helped me understand others' perceptive of the things that I find normal. What one culture does and believes to benormal, others may see as unusual. In this book, American culture refers to pattern and behavior of the mainstream. Americans love their free refills. I'll call the first one "A" (Americans, for instance). By adding some whipped cream and a cinnamon stick, a regular cup of warm chocolate powder in milk becomes more like a dessert. For example, 84% of those ages 18 to 29 in Taiwan hold this view . In American-Indian culture, silence is valued as sacred. when we mean "hello", Carding people who are obviously not under 21, Shopping at pharmacies that are mini shopping malls, And prescription drug makers that advertise, Pronouncing the last letter of the alphabet as "zee". But, besides the Willy Wonka level of sugar, we use a substantial amount of cheese in everything. For inquiring minds, think of our food. You have your hot chocolate made, playlist downloaded, movie set and books chosen. The authors' research uncovered four factors: (1) The outsiders were not. Throwing Tailgate Parties. - Sam Wang, 20, university student, Beijing, "My image of America is a country that goes to war anywhere in the world," - Susumu Inoue, 82, retired agricultural lab technician, Tokyo, "I think of Major League Baseball," Ayumi Takeoka, 41, housewife, Tokyo. they aren't actually looking for an answer. Obviously (the people) don't have much to do with the government's political decisions but I do think that it is a big, powerful country that has always tried to dominate countries it doesn't favor." Miner takes the approach of explaining the body ritual among the Nacirema from an outsider's point of view, with no real understanding of the American culture. The report reflected the networks seeming vision of the United States more generally: as a nation dynamic and promising and, at the same time, brutal in ways that distinguish it from its rich-country cousins. Then they leave hard biscuits shaped like men and a cup of milk out next to the tree. There was a bit of a culture shock when I first went there because the way people dress there is very much different from the way we dress here. The paper, written by University of Chicago trained anthropologist Horace Miner was originally published in 1956. It did the same for a story from New Orleans on how murder victims survivors cope with their loss. Al Jazeera America has brought this approach to Chicagos violence, actually arranging a sit-down interview with working gang leaders, openly discussing their drugs, guns and ways. Nacirema, that exotic, far-off place where people do strange things is one of the best ways to help students look at Americanculture as an observer rather than as the standard by which all other cultures should be compared. All Rights Reserved. Not sure whether I actually am ready to move there because it must be a tough country to live in. However, if the commercial itself isn't clear, the long list of side effects the narrator rattles off at the end should at least tip them off. if( 'moc.enilnoefiltseb' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { An emic view of culture is ultimately a . but don't tell them (laughing)." It's like your entire concept of beauty hangs on it. Flashnewb, many Chinese people do not understand how America can function so "well" since the people here are all so different. By the time you've been inside an American establishment in the summertime for just 10 minutes, you'll be freezing cold and eager to get back out into the sweltering sun. They are big and loud and they are in charge of everything." Cultural relativism is the idea that the beliefs and practices of a culture should be understood within the context of that particular culture's background, history, and current events surrounding it. We're desensitizing the wrong thing. Read more, CC Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike, The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. This small lifestyle change could make a big difference to your long-term brain health. The first is that, for the longest time, reporters from foreign news organizations sent reports back to the countries that dispatched them, and those reports were seldom seen locally. While New York City famouslynever sleeps, it's not the only city with 24-hour businesses. From the exotic to the ancient, and to the high end cities of the world, we are obsessed. If you have Netflix or Hulu, the possibilities of movies are endless. But people expect to be tipped so that is why they are so services-minded. Wrapping up in a warm blanket with a hot drink and some calming music is one of the best ways to spend and indoor kind of day. The amount of older people I saw on my trip wearing college gear was insane. has brought about most of the customs and activities. Americans are, apparently, much friendlier than most people around the world. They simply don't see us as their equal but we are. This one might seem obvious, but what if I told you that having a cup of hot cocoa is more than chocolate powder in warm milk? Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. This will make any chill session that much more enjoyable. The most peculiar act, however, has yet to be done. Extra-Large Food Portions. Go to many other countries and the smallest differences in culture, language, and background will almost automatically cause some major issues. This story deals with issues that are very close to the hearts of teens, whether in the 1960s when this book was written or today. - Ziva Meizels, retiree, Jerusalem, "I think their patriotism, you know, God bless America. - Summer Abu Ltaif, outside the American University of Beirut, "I think everyone is very tolerant there, in a way that there are all kinds of people, whether from different ethnicities, different countries, different religions. This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator. "Body Rituals Among the Nacirema, " by Horace Miner, is an essay written about the Nacirema, or American people, from an outsider's perspective. Starting off your day this way could increase your odds of cognitive decline. Money rules everything. But, I digress. For foreigners, the excessively large cracks in the stall doors in public restrooms are just plain confounding. Instead, it's meant as a simple greeting, similar to "Hi there!" - Marren Cahilig, 21, bartender, Manila, Philippines, "Many things their arrogant ideology of a powerful country and above all they have a language that is practically universal and almost everyone depends on that language. They have to lift it up and tie it to the top of their vehicle, and then drive very slowly so the tree will not fall off the car. A society that has more things than our society." Americans are gallant." - Men Xuezhi, 54, doctor, Beijing, "I don't like American guys who always pursue their own personal interests. A journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. But when Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based television empire that has long broadcast to . America stands out because people recognize merit out there." Many posts I read from spoke about not being able to even eat our bread because it was so sugary. The background. The greasers live on the east side and are known as "hoods". - Kenni Friis, 28, computer technology student, Copenhagen, Denmark, "They're generous. However, while the quarter makes senseseeing as its value is equivalent to one-fourth of a dollarthat's the only coin whose name is at all logical in terms of its worth. In cultural anthropology, our fieldwork is referred to as ethnography, which is both the process and result of cultural anthropological research. And in the opinions that came back, some clear threads emerge, anecdotal yet illuminating. The channels subjects and reporting are unassailably American. -- B_Underscore, A friend came from the UK and he said Wal-mart was the weirdest thing, you could buy 24 rolls of toilet paper and a 12 gauge shotgun in the same store. Many said they found it to be one of the weirdest things about being in the US. The material items that are kept, though, seem to consume all the time of the children. In most European countries, service fees are included in the price of a meal, and tips don't usually go above 8 to 12 percent. Works Cited. 1. The general consensus is that Americans are very optimistic dreamers and have been; that we believe that anything is possible with hard work and perseverance. But to watch Al Jazeera Americas reports is to discover that the truth lies somewhere in between these visions the network as fundamentally foreign versus the network as all-American. Shopping malls, meals, people, cars. This termas well as terms used in the United States such as "Native American" and "American Indian"refers to hundreds of culturally diverse groups who inhabited the Americas before Europeans settled there. the United States, along with further themes such as African-American culture, racism, religion, slavery, a sense of home,[5] segregation, migration, feminism, and more. Oh, and side note, the customer service in America is seen as amazing. Foreigners might not realize right off the bat that those soft-focus commercials featuring happy couples prancing through corn fields are advertising medications for diabetes and back pain. First off, there are a variety of flavors, from White Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, Mint, Caramel and the list goes on. The Reddit user NoDownvotesPlease said: "That was the weirdest one for me. "Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is . Foot binding was to stop the growth of the foot and make them smaller. -- Nionvox, and extreme violence/gore is considered normal, and shown regularly on TV. But its one thing for big media companies from the prosperous West to make these domestic inroads overseas, and another thing for a network based in Qatar to reverse the flow and give Americans their version of the foreign gaze. Ethnocentric people compare their culture to others on such elements as religion, behavior, language, customs, and norms. -- KevinDevogel, That the price on things in your stores are not the actual price but the price without tax and such -- 77-97-114-99-111, You guys can't separate nudity from sex. as well as other partner offers and accept our. After doing a little adventuring on the web and seeing all different kinds of opinions and views from people all over the world, I came to love my country even more. Lawrence Wetsit misses the days when his people would gather by the hundreds and . I found the people very hospitable, nice and very cordial." But if you were to use this pronunciation in conversation with an English speaker from another country, they'd probably give you a puzzled look. And it's a country with quite advanced technology industries. Hash browns or home fries? This works in making work more enjoyable too. 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