Through this exercise, students hopefully see both their own and other cultures in a new light one that understands how we are all so embedded in a culture that it is difficult not to see dramatically different rituals as exotic or weird. We in Europe have smaller things What I liked when I was over there was the service level, it was very high. So that finally, outsiders will feel they belong. WHAT MAKES AMERICANS AMERICAN? Non-Americans of reddit, what aspect of American culture strikes you as the strangest. It was reported to me that the ritual consists of inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth, along with certain magical powders, and then moving the bundle in a highly formalized series of gestures.. But while these American traditions might seem normal stateside, they are certainly not universal. The amount of older people I saw on my trip wearing college gear was insane. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); 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. But one thing for sure, they cannot make beer." In America, however, these advertisements are everywhereand unsurprisingly, they confuse foreign visitors. The American was easy to talk with and we had a lot of things in common. And after 9/11, the world grieved with America. What may feel totally normal to Americans is often far from it for outsiders. Build a pillow fort on your bed in any clear space using four chairs, an abundance of blankets and all the pillows you can find. The paper,written by University of Chicago trained anthropologist Horace Miner wasoriginally published in 1956. It's not uncommon to chat up a stranger while waiting on line or traveling on public transportation. On my search I was pleasantly surprised to see the opposite view. To non-Americans the fact that we have a choice of, what kind of bread we want our sandwich on, and what kind of cheese we want on said sandwich, along with what kind of dressing, is just mind blowing. I came to realize how many things are truly American and what makes us great people of a great nation. So yes, they are fortunate, and it is God bless America - that's what makes America, America." To me a pumpkin spice coffee is so strange!-- TallGrass2, dressing up young girls in short skirts and getting them to dance around and cheer on young men strikes me as odd preparetodobattle, I work at a summer camp and there is nothing funnier than watching the international counselors be totally weirded out by the flag ceremony we have every morning/evening (5-7 camper colorguard raises flag, salutes, 60-90 people recite pledge and girl scout promise in unison, we turn on our heels and file out silently in the morning, in the evening we fold the flag, sing taps, turn on our heels and file out silently to dinner) izzielosthermind, Eating/drinking coffee as you go, to me the best part of eating is sitting down, talking, and relaxing tallgrass2, I know this does not apply to everyone but your attachment to your college/university AFTER you have left. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. But people expect to be tipped so that is why they are so services-minded. The channels subjects and reporting are unassailably American. So when it is too cold for an ice cream party, you can have a hot chocolate party instead! Works Cited. While I dont think its exactly a secret that a stereotype of Americans portrays us as arrogant, ignorant, loud and so on. The reporter, Lori Jane Gliha, made deft use of practiced innocence. Curious about which things are considered freaky by foreigners' standards? When described the way the Miner does, it sounds strange and maybe even a bit gross. I dont wear any shoes that I cant run in, she said. This extraordinary insight highlights the power that outsiders have, forcing us to see ourselves from an altogether different perspective. - Rosa Moscoso, 42, Havana, "A country of freedom, particularly freedom of thought. Our collective workaholism is totally bizarre to outsidersand quite frankly, we can see why. For example, Miner writes The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. Native Americans are adapting to the pandemic with online events and educational videos to share their culture. It is especially hard for an outsider to gain access to certain private rituals, which may be important for understanding a culture. Anyone can have a good idea, so you could expect the distribution of U.S. patents to resemble the demographics of the workplace. These kind greetings can catch foreigners by surprise, and usually it takes a few "hellos" before they trust that it's not some kind of scam. But in America, you are expected to add upwards of 20 percent to your bill just to avoid a dirty look from your server. 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. If you're a member of B, then . - Gennelyn Escopete, 33, DVD street vendor, Manila, Philippines, "There is a lot of misconception about their politics. Required fields are marked *. To outsiders, Blacks may appear terse or disinterested. The most peculiar act, however, has yet to be done. - Marren Cahilig, 21, bartender, Manila, Philippines, "A friend had an American friend over and he was surprised to see how laid back we are. (She believed) that the people's voice should be heard." That . It has gone beyond the usual New York-Washington presence of overseas networks, with plans for bureaus in Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Detroit; Los Angeles; Miami; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans; San Francisco; and Seattle. - Knut Braaten, 43, handyman, Oslo, Norway, "Everything in America is high tech!" I explained it was a joke, I was from Canada. The fish fry, a long-established Friday staple during Lent, is roaring back from COVID with an assist from something decidedly newfangled: an interactive map built by local volunteer coders that points the way to scores of churches, fire halls and other places that offer battered and breaded seafood for the taking. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Todd Beer, PhD, is a faculty member in the department of Sociology and Anthropology at Lake Forest College, a wonderful liberal arts college north of Chicago. 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. As well as supporting your college as an alumni. Miner gives an insight on the Nacireman people, which he describes in his essay as an unknown tribe, and the completing of the Nacireman's magical beliefs . While many love how so patriotic we are as a people, some, to be blunt, find it a bit creepy. And for more on why we pronounce this letter differently, check out Why the World Pronounces "Z" as "Zed" And Americans Don't. Stay up to date with what you want to know. A society that has more things than our society." The greasers live on the east side and are known as "hoods". var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest(); While many Americans feel their nation is divided as never before, a sampling of the rest of the world reflects a more charitable view. I'm sure you have left over hot chocolate from November and December, so it's time to finish them off. And it is a great country; I have visited it. He clearly thought that was more important than spending time with his family or friends. (New York: Penguin . But now its not Nigeria or China being looked at like this, but the great superpower by an upstart Arab network, no less. 5. 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? By Beth Anne Macaluso, Adam Schubak and Kara Ladd. I think sometimes we take our freedom and our way of life for granted, not realizing how great it really is. Shopping malls, meals, people, cars. Extra-Large Food Portions. 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. Then they leave hard biscuits shaped like men and a cup of milk out next to the tree. To examine these facts other cultures are taken into consideration to accurately without prejudices towards African Americans. Not sure whether I actually am ready to move there because it must be a tough country to live in. The difference is one of cultural ownership and general acknowledgement, of giving credit where it's dueespecially when credit is long overdue to a historically oppressed people. The particular Skittles flavor we call "grape" is an American curiosity of its own, but for those in the United Kingdom and Australia, this flavor doesn't even exist. Persons from religious perspectives other than Christianity, which emphasizes "individual salvation," may see the individual as equal to all living things, as on a journey toward individual fulfillment, or even as . NEW YORK Al Jazeera wants to make its name as American as pizzaburgers. Americans go nuts with air conditioning, cranking it up on hot days to the point that you might actually need a sweater. The only way to properly do this is to be comfortable, because why relax when you could relax? No, this isn't the standard bottle of wine in the States, but it's a common sight at any American supermarket or wine store and something you'd rarely encounter in the wine countries of the world like Italy or France. There's an undercurrent of savagery and violence waiting to be expressed on a grand scale it seems, and I believe it's because American culture is unwittingly pushing for complete atomization of society, people can no longer rely on the elite for virtuous principles and leadership, and that people are starting to realize that . Americans are nothing if not by the book about the little things, so most foreigners quickly learn that it's wise to keep some form of ID on them at all times if they plan on having a drink. Americans love their red, white, and blueeven when it's not the Fourth of July or Veterans' Day. 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. When they do, the house and shrubs look very bright, and not a single house on the street is without these wires. The material items that are kept, though, seem to consume all the time of the children. Figure 1.6. They must be of some great importance or have some great wisdom, which allows them the honor of completing this task. 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. Eggs are a universal delicacy, but outside of the U.S., they are seldom stored in the fridge. Their approach is different from ours we do it because we care about others, they do it because they get tips they were raised that way." Now, I am sure this doesnt just extend to us Americans, but I thought about how each country has their own beautifully unique world of its own. "My one piece of American culinary advice: order the medium," one New Zealander wrote in a piece for Stuff. Through the eyes of an etic perspective, we can view the American higher educational system that we all accept as normal and question the system with critical comparisons between ours and those of other . I hope that, without sounding whiny, sharing this might help others who also feel like outsiders see that, strangely, they are part of a community. 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. Sure, fried chicken is hardly a foreign conceptbut try explaining chicken-fried steak or deep-fried Oreos to a non-American. C. It is important for Asian Americans to learn American culture as quickly as possible so they don't feel like outsiders. Basically, I am wondering what non-Americans think of our culture, and of us in general. We love our cheese. There are few countries in which you'll encounter a billboard or bus ad for a divorce attorney or see several personal injury spots while watching half an hour of daytime TV. From an etic perspective, American practices probably seem just as strange or unusual to outsiders as other cultural practices sometimes appear to us before we understand the cultural context behind them. And he drank tap water oh no!" Scouring forums and blogs, I found that most found Americans very friendly, caring, welcoming, and open people who live in a geographically diverse nation! . One could almost call them obsessed, as some houses have giant men, white bears, and black and white birds puffed full of air in front of their houses. While we do have some American comfort food, especially here in the South, what is there that we created ourselves? Some of the answers are pretty hilarious and/or eye-opening. DESCRIBE THE COUNTRY AS YOU SEE IT: "The first word that comes to mind when I hear the word America is 'Arrogance.' Andersen, Margaret L. and Taylor, Howard F. 2008. This I do not know. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. In 1,100-1,500 AD, it is reported that the first signs of Navajo culture emerged. At another moment, she sits beside an 11-year-old as he plays the game, asking him, simply enough, what he likes in it. The Socs live on the west side and are known as the west side rich kids who have all the breaks. They are taken to a store where, when presented with a slip of paper, can be exchanged for currency. Jun 25, 2018. used by the People to entertain and amuse themselves.". Sometimes, you need an outsiders perspective to get a clearer and wider view of things. I threw dirt, I threw stones. the culture being studied such that he/she can blend his/her etic (outsider) perspective with the emic (insider) perspective of the society being studied. American Culture: The Outsider's Perspective. All of them wear shorts." The biggest thing I found was that non-Americans are almost disgusted by the sheer amount of sugar in almost all our food. 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. 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. You can describe American culture in general, as Miner does, or you can describe an American subculture, such as a specific geographical group (e.g., New Yorkers), a particular ethnicity (e.g., African Americans), or an agerelated category of Americans (e.g., millennials). Every once in a while, an outsider comes along with a new vision or a new way of doing things that revolutionizes a . 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." I think it comes from two places: sports, and a sense of community. But when Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based television empire that has long broadcast to . A European, on the other hand, "will launch into a monologue about their health and wellbeing and ask [how are you?] Y'all get snow up there.'" So much hard work gone to waste. The way its often described to me is that Americans have a very "open mind", and that we can handle having a lot of different people around, even when we don't agree. Fair enough! Still, and after more than a decade following the publication by Headland, Pike and Harris (1990), discussions about insider versus outsider status of the researcher remain alive and relevant. And it's a country with quite advanced technology industries. 1) Outside Marketing Firms Bring Fresh Thinking. Everything else, I do not understand.. Americans are also seen from afar as generous tippers, friendly, uncomplicated, rich and the standard bearers of freedom, equality, creativity and technological power. 20 American Habits That All Other Countries Think Are Crazy. I prefer it here. Many of the novel's characters, whether they were labeled as Socials (Socs) or greasers . I encourage others to take a step outside, in any situation, to see the broader view of things because what you find may surprise you. Like so much else in the United States, we go big with our roads, which are a huge contrast to the tight city streets of most European towns and winding mountain roads found in much of the rest of the world. Cheese is life people. The Outsiders was written by a teenager about teenagers. They just don't get the idea of loyalty to the school. On TripAdvisor, one German tourist even commented on her love of visiting New York, save for these restroom door gaps. If movies aren't your style or you need a quieter way to relax, pick up a good book. Such houses, I have observed, draw peoples eyes as they pass by. As an American this is something I love. Native Americans believe that the beating of the drum is a uniting force, bringing together people of different tribes, as well as uniting a person's spirit to their body and mind. See the appropriate sections in the textbook, based on your chosen topic from Week Three, for information on how to approach your paper from an anthropological perspective. The authors' research uncovered four factors: (1) The outsiders were not. The foreign gaze makes Al Jazeera America treat nothing as obvious. 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. In continuation with time, the culture of the native people developed. White or wheat? In most other English-speaking countrieslike Canada, Ireland, or England, the letter Z is pronounced zed. For example, 84% of those ages 18 to 29 in Taiwan hold this view . Lawrence Wetsit misses the days when his people would gather by the hundreds and . The growth and diversification of the Asian American population in recent years has been nothing short of phenomenal. It has been seen as the land of plenty, freedom and equality where Indian migrants could head behemoths like Google, Microsoft and Pepsi, and a South African could capture the imagination with an electric car.
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