The American Perspective of: What Is Culture? (article) by Randall Raus on AuthorsDen

Americans have a different perspective of what culture is, and some unique insights. It's important to allow for the American perspective. First we'll examine (in a humorous way) how advanced America's culture is, then delve into the question of how Americans perceive culture in general: Questions and Answers (Q & A) on American Culture It's often been said, although not as much in recent years, that the U.S. doesn't have much culture. The following reasons are given: 1. The architecture of cities in the U.S. (New York, Chicago) is comprised of boxes. There are two kinds of boxes: short rectangles (for small buildings), and elongated rectangles (for skyscrapers). They are built of either glass, or concrete, but they are still box-like. Answer: There more variety than just boxes. Some buildings--admittedly, not many--are cylindrical, and there are other variations. But it's true, American cities are mostly boxes. However, anybody that's seen the skyline of an American city, from a mile or two distance, following a rain, when the sun has just broken through the clouds, knows it's a sight to behold. 2. Although people in the U.S. work in cities, they live in suburbs, where houses all look the same. Answer: The houses in the suburbs do not look all the same. For one thing, in most suburbs there are two basic variations: an upside down L-shape, and the mirror image of an upside down L-shape. Also, providing even more variety, every other house has a second floor covering part of the upside down L. Also, in some suburbs, houses have an I-shape, instead of an upside down L (with some I-shaped houses having a second floor). In addition, there are remarkable neighborhoods in cities like Long Beach (immortalized in a famous song, "The neighborhoods are gorgeous, they glimmer in the sun"). They appear breathtakingly beautiful compared to neighborhoods consisting only of L and I shape dwellings. Houses built up to the mid-forties were designed individually, but also were designed to fit in with their neighbors. The net result, is that Americans have a great appreciation for quality residential architecture (mostly because it's so rare). 3. The only American classical composer of any note was Aaron Copeland. Answer: One is better than none. 4. The only influential artist in American history was Jackson Pollack, and he was a drunk. Answer: The world has yet to hear of Steve Schmidt. I have three, of four, excellent pieces of his work (the fourth got lost--he's furiously working on his organization skills). Besides, there was Remmington, who painted cowboys, horses, and cows during the days of the old West. How many Europeans, or Asians, painted cowboys? 5. America, say the critics, has no cuisine of their own. Ameica is filled with Italian restausrants, French restaurants, Mexican restaurants, Chinese restaurants, and Indian restaraunts, but the only Americans restaraunts are MacDonalds. Answer: A strong case can be made for American cuisine. In addition to the Big Mac, the U.S. gave the world the hot dog, and the peanutbutter and jelly sandwich. 6. The only uniquely American music, beside jazz, is Rock 'n Roll, and that's not really music. Answer: For better or worse, Rock 'n Roll conquered the world. In addition, Americans invented other musical forms: Blues, Gospel, Rythym and Blues, Country-Western, Swing, Blue Grass, Soul, Pop, Ragtime, American Folk, and even the music of broadway during 20's through the 60's was a unique musical form. Besides, anybody who thinks Rock 'n Roll is bad, hasn't listened to Rap. 7. There were no American playwrites during the 1600's. Where is the American equivalent of Shakespeare? Answer: There was no America during Shakespeares' time (unless you count a Dutch colony on Manhattan). 8. What great philosophers were nurtured by U.S. culture? Where is the American equivalent of Plato? Answer: Where is the Greek equivalent of Plato in modern times? If ever there was a country in decline, it is Greece. 9. What is U.S. culture, besides music aimed at the masses, and massed produced hamburgers? Answer: If you take a broad definition of culture: All the accumulated knowledge, art, beliefs, and folkways of a people, than Americans know how to invent. It may be a lost art, and this may be an Eurocentric view, but it has been said that, "the French paint, the Italians sing opera, the Germans compose symphonies, and the Americans invent." The U.S. gave the world the lightbulb, the motion picture camera, the airplane, the washing machine, the safety pin, the television, the mass produced automobile, the computer, the computer chip, the telephone, the copy machine, the plastic tip on the end of a shoelace, the transistor, the microprocessor, and on and on. This is not to mentioned sports invented in America: baseball, basketball, and football. 10. America imports religions, just like a lot of other aspects of its culture. No major religions originated in the U.S. Answer: The Mormon religion (a form of Christianity) originated in the U.S. However, it is true, much of American culture has been imported, and continues to be. This gives Americans a different, and completely unique perspective on exactly what is cuture. Numbers Matter When the Europeans got to America, there were two sets of indigenous people: The Native Americans of Northern America (living in what is now the Northern part of Mexico, the USA, and Canada), and The Native Americans of Southern America (living in what is now Southern Mexico, Central America, and South America). In 1986 the population of Southern America was 12% Native American, and 34% Mestizo (Half Native American, with the other half being Spanish or Portuguese) So 46%, or 192 million people, were either Native Americans, or Mestizo (half Native American). In 1986 the population of Northern America was 1/4 of 1% half Native American and 1/8 of 1% Native American. So 3/8 of 1%, or 850 thousand people, were either Native American, or half Native American. The reason for the disparity, 192 million vs. 850 thousand, was that the Native American population of Southern America was sixty times as great as the Native American population of Northern America, when the Europeans arrived in the Western Hemisphere. There were also two sets of Europeans who came to America: the Hispanics (Spanish and Portuguese) who conquered the fairly advanced civilizations of the Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas, and the Anglos (British and French), who settled (with minor, but widely publicized, resistance from small Native American tribes) in the mostly vacant land of Northern America. How Did a Whole People End Up Without a Name? My Q & A about American culture pertained to the United States of America. We referred to our country as America--as if we're the only country that counts in the Western Hemisphere. There is a good reason our citizens do this: Our country doesn't have a real name. In a way similar to the citizens of the United Kingdom (they refer to themselves as British, English, Scottish, Welch, or Irish), or the citizens of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (they refer to themselves as Russians, Ukranians, Georgians, Lithiuanians, and so on, ad nauseum), we had founding fathers who, unfortunately, lacked the common sense to just make up a name. When Christopher Columbus discovered America, he discovered a small island off of the coast of Cuba--not what is now the United States of America. So: Is America what was discovered by Columbus (all of the Western Hemisphere), or what is now the U.S.A.? It's never been clarified, so confusion creeps in. Also, Columbus called the people on that island, Indians, leading to more confusion. The net result is there is now a whole people without a name (unless you call Native American a name). The Circle for the Learning Disabled Getting back to the subject, it has become politically correct (whatever that means) for all conversations related to the Native Americans to degenerate into a useless analysis of whether we had the right to take their land, or not. The problem with that approach is: 1. We learn nothing of their heritage by debating an unanswerable question, 2. Their land was going to be taken anyway, sooner or later--either by the Chinese, the Yapanese, or somebody else, because the population density was only 1 person per 10 sg. miles. Americans, until the above political correctness set in, were enthralled with Native Americans. For three hundred years: they were romanticized, vilified, glorified, admired, and despised, and endlessly studied. Much of the U.S. landscape was named using American Indian words, they became an important part of Americana: the Cigar store Indian, the names of sports teams. All children in this country grew up knowing the names of famous American Indian Chiefs, like: Geronimo, Cochise, Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull. Much of our literature (e.g. The Last of the Mohicans), and cinema (e.g. I Will Fight No More Forever) was concerned with American Indians. The point is they captured our imagination, and their culture has been preserved like no other culture--of a people so few in number--was ever served. What is now the U.S. was populated by small tribes of aborigines (the largest was the Sioux Nation--several tribes added up to 30,000 for the whole nation). Sioux tribes traveled in small bands of about 200-300. The total Native American population was, historically, 350,000. Below is the table of contents of a work that was read to most American children--when I was child. The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Contents Longfellow's Introduction I. The Peace Pipe II. The Four Winds III. Hiawatha's Childhood IV. Hiawatha and Mudjekeewis V. Hiawatha's Fasting VI. Hiawatha's Friends VII. Hiawatha's Sailing VIII. Hiawatha's Fishing IX. Hiawatha and the Pearl-Feather X. Hiawatha's Wooing XI. Hiawatha's Wedding-Feast XII. The Son of the Evening Star XIII. Blessing the Corn-Fields XIV. Picture-Writing XV. Hiawatha's Lamentation XVI. Pau-Puk-Keewis XVII. The Hunting of Pau-Puk-Keewis XVIII. The Death of Kwasind XIX. The Ghosts XX. The Famine XXI. The White Man's Foot XXII. Hiawatha's Departure Many writers and poets have been attracted by the clarity of his words, and Longfellow's effortless simpliciy--and some have gone to great lengths to imitate Longfellow's style. The Song of Hiawatha is Longfellow's most recogizable work. He diligently studied the legends, and stories, compiled by Michigan historians Jan and Henry Schoolcraft. Henry Schoolcraft was an explorer, and a geologist, servomg as State Superintendant of Indian Affairs. His wife Jane was an Ojibay Indian. Schoolcraft's Ojibway Indian name translated into English as 'The Woman of the Sound Which the Stars Make Rushing Through the Sky'. It took Longfellow a year and a half to write Hiawatha, finishing in November of 1855. His work strongly influenced some of Earnest Hemingway's writing. For example, Hemingway's Nick Adams character is strinkingly similar to Hiawatha. An Important Concept One of the point's I'm trying to make is that American's culture is, in a very broad sense, somewhat like the Native Americans: It is a deep culture without all the trappings. The Native Americans built no cities, preferring to live in tents, or simple structures. They had no writing, but they had a deep culture. America has had much simpler architecture than other cultures, For example, from about 1900 to 1950, most Americans lived in small towns: in large, but simple wooden framed houses. Their meals were simple: an entree (chicken, beef, pork, fish, or beans), a vegatable (carrots, peas, etc,), a staple (usually a form of potatoe), and a desert (pie, etc). American has not had the Great Artists like Michelangelo, or Da Vinci, or the great composers, like Bach, or the great tenors like Pavarotti. Their cities don't have Gothic architecture, etc. America doesn't have the equivalent of Plato, or the Equivalent of Shakespeare. It is no accident that the great Shakesperean actors are British, and not American. Sure, we are part of the West, but much of Western culture has been very distant. However, America has a deep culture--without the trappings normally associated with culture. The Romance and Adventure of the Old West I have a tape that contains recordings of my brother Calvin Ross (also on Author's Den) performing Country-Western music. Although, Calvin is not ethnically (for lack of a better word) Country-Western, his songs serve to illustrate a concept: the Old West provided the genesis of Country-Western music. The Old West has been romanticized quite a bit, but seldom been discussed in an historic context. It was the result of a bunch of Southern men--who had a lot of ideas about chivalry--who drifted Westward following the Civil War. (That's why, even today, people in rural Western and Southern states speak with very similar accents.) It Goes Back to the Middle Ages In the Middle Ages in Europe, from about 1000 AD until about 1500 AD, there was a concept called chivalry, where the knight would defend the honor of the fair maiden, or his own honor, no matter what the risk, no matter what the cost. The demands of chivalry were so great, that its practice seemed to die out, and was even considered dead by 1500 AD. But that was not the case, not really. Consider the following: Andrew Jackson, our greatest fighter of Native Americans, and the hero of the Battle of New Orleans (against the British), also served as our president from 1821 until 1829. However, here's a key point: Mr. Jackson, a Southerner, was involved in a total of 24 duels: as a participant, a second, or a referee. (Surprisingly, Andrew Jackson was also a great friend of the Red Indians--see Brief Essay on Culture.) Andrew Jackson was characteristic of the South in the 1800s. For example, the Southern troops during the Civil War were outgunned, underfed, and wore tattered uniforms. But neverless--according to a Northern woman who observed them--they had, "more dash than our own men in blue could ever have". Significantly, the Southern Troops considered themselves gentlemen, and considered the Northern troops rabble. The cowboys of the old West, who mostly came our of the South, also, considered themselves gentlemen: They would not fight with their hands. They might fight with a knife, but preferred fighting with guns. According to their code, a gentleman--who ran into difficulties--had a right to make a play with his gun, without being criticized. In other words (although the word wasn't used, a cowboy had the right to defend his honor, or perhaps, his woman's honor). In Dodge City, in the old West, a city where cattle drives ended, their were 500, or more, musicians, and a lot of dancehalls and bars. Eddy Foy, a famous Dodge City musician, wrote a book about his experiences (in 1928). Mr. Foy said, "In the Dance Halls where I played, all the woman [most were widows forced to dance to make ends meet, but some were courtesans--prostitutes] were treated with respect. Even the courtesans, were treated with respect. This was because a Cowboy knew, if he didn't, he would be in trouble." Unfortunately, a lot of Cowboys killed each other in shoot outs, defending their honor (while they were drunk). So the town got Wyatt Earp, who finally figured a way to bring the violence under control. Instead of shooting it out with the Cowboys, he would manhandle them (hit them on the forehead with his gun), drag them down the street, and throw them in the calaboose. This took away their dignity, so the cowboys avoided shoot outs, knowing the town marshalls (Earp's marshalls included the legendary Bat Masterson, and Bat's brother) would quickly step in. Wyatt Earp killed a total of one man in his four years in Dodge City (he shot the unfortunate in the arm, but he later died of an infection). By contrast, Earp's predecessor, "Buffalo Bob" Brooks, had wounded or killed 15 cowboys in one month. Wyatt Earp set a precedent followed by other Lawman in the Old West. Mr. Earp's precedent helped bring violence under control, and discouraged shootings. This is because Earp understood the culture, which was "chivalry" (to quote Louis Lamour, who wrote strictly Western novels, and at one time was the bestselling novelist of all time, about 100 million sold, Ronald Reagan was an avid Lamour reader). In Dodge City, in the Old West, where their was a lot of violence, the man who spent years of his life writing the definitive book about Dodge, could find "scarcely any evidence of a woman being raped". He could find no evidence of "wife beating". The woman of Dodge were put on a pedestal, and protected. They were statistically far safer than woman living in modern U.S. cities. Also, a man could pull his wagon into Dodge, leave all his valuable property on it, and come back in a couple of days, and nothing was stolen. Note: the definitive book, referred to above, is Dodge City: Queen of Cowtowns by Stanley Vestal. What happened in the Old West, was a concept that had died in Medieval Europe, had somehow survived all that time, and still was a part of their culture. That was chivalry. One of the truly great quotes was by William Faulkner, "The past isn't dead, it isn't even past." There is a lot more to say about what culture is from the perspective of an American, and it includes a lot more than cowboys and indians. To Americans culture is a way of life. The art, the architecture, the music, and literature of a people may reflect their way of life, and certainly, an advanced culture tends to result in considerable creativity in those areas. But from the American perspective, what makes a culture alive; what makes it vibrant, and lifts people to great heights of progress, is their way of life. And, that way of life may not necessarily have much in the way of trappings--it may be deeply ingrained in some way. The Past Is Dead, Finally? To sumarize, up to this point: Wyatt Earp found a way to change the behavior of the Cowboys, and reduce the violence. Also, the old Western cattle drives have been replaced by cattle cars on trains, and, although some ranch hands remain, they don't carry guns. Thus, one would expect the way of life of the Western Cowboy, including the concept of chivalry, to be long dead and buried in the new milenium. Does this disprove William Faulkner's statement: "The past isn't dead, it isn't even past"? Not really. Let's examine the facts. A significant number of Americans, about 120 million, speak with a Southern accent. This accent is also found outside the South, in pockets of several Western states: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, and Montana. The reason is the Cowboys brought their accent with them when they came out of the South, following the Civil War (ended in 1865). Cowboy Music A popular musical form in the U.S. is Country-Western. For example, five of the six songs on Calvin's tape are Country-Western. Country and Western performers sing with a Southern accent; even the few artists, who don't converse with a Southern accent, still sing with one. It is basically an accent put to music. Even the instrumentals, the twangy guitar, banjo, and fiddle are reminescent of the way Southern people talk. A Southern accent (also called a Southern, or Western, drawl) has a way of accentuating the character and personality of individuals who speak with it. It can accentuate a fine manly voice. For example, George Bush speaks with a Southern accent; so does Bill Clinton. It can also accentuate a womanly voice. Some of the prettiest vocals ever--which have to be heard to be believed--can be found on some of Patsy Klein's old records. One of the greats of County music, Kris Kristofferson, once said, "Country music is the white man's soul music." Unfortunately, Mr. Kristofferson, though brilliant and a Rhodes Scholar, got it wrong. The Real Story With Soul The inventor of Soul music, Ray Charles--a black man--grew up listening to Country music. The reason being it was the only music played by the single local radio station. Known as "The Genius" (a title I've aspired to for years), Mr. Charles managed to derive Soul music from Country. If the truth be known, Soul is the black man's country, and not the other way around. In fact, Ray Charles even recorded four Country Western albums--including one I own: "Ray Charles and Friends". These People Aren't Snobs Country music is aimed at the working class: the truck driver, the oil field worker, the farmhand, the waitress in a road side cafe. Popular country themes include hard times, wanderlust, drinking in bars, "cheatin", "fallin' angels", religion, and patriotism. Although not technically Country (an orchestra played in the background), a hit song in the 1950's, "The Wayward Wind", captured the spirit of Country Western music. Sung in a deep, rich Southern accent by Gogi Grant, it told of a woman's soulful lament--that her man was "a slave to his wandering ways". The Past Isn't Dead? There is a funny thing about Country music--its performers wear Cowboy hats. So: Does this mean, that incredibly, the Cowboy, and his manly ideals, are still alive--even in the 21st century? It's been argued that today's cowboys--who slug it out drunken brawls--lack the dignity of the gentlemen Cowboy of the old days. (This is not to mention that they also lack the horses, and the cattle.) But the Cowboys of the old West also got drunk sometimes; it's the ideals one strives for, that really count. Also, when visiting a real Country Western establishment (for example, where guys from Texas hang out), people are often surprised at how polite everyone is. There is more to the story than that, however. The South, with its military tradition, has supplied America with fighting men during its recent unpopular wars. It is no accident that military institutes, such as The Citadel, and The Virginia Military Academy, are located in the South. Just watch movies like Platoon, or Hamburger hill, and it's obvious the important part the Southern soldier has played in fighting the wars of an increasingly passive U.S. The war in Vietnam was a nasty war, with atrocities on all sides. But the Vietnamese villagers always moved South, never North, in order to escape ensuing battles. It was the soldiers of our elite combat units, men who understood the meaning of honor, who were responsible for this phenomenon. These "gentle giants", somehow, found a way to treat the Vietnames civilians with a sense of decency. It's significant that many of those soldiers spoke with a soft Southern drawl, and listened to Country music. And so, though it is never ever talked about, or even mentioned, chivalry still lives. It lives in the hearts and minds of Southern men. Men, who wear Cowboy hats on a night out, and drink a little more than they should--sometimes. So, William Faulkner's statement: "The past isn't dead, it isn't even past" turns out to be an astute observation, after all. Get George! To the anti-war crowd, the worst thing that can be said about a president is that he is a "Cowboy". George Bush has been called a Cowboy, once in a while in the press, and a million times in private (by Americans arguing politics at the dinner table). Bush takes it as a complement. Other Musical Forms Other forms of music innovated in America include Jazz and Blues, both invented and popularized by black people, but later embraced by white musicians. The "cool dudes" of Jazz, mostly black, but often white nowadays, were just as cool, and unflappable, as their music. Blues was derived from black gospel music, and it containes more than a trace of the black idiom. It is obviously lived by its performers (they walk around looking depressed), who have "paid their dues" by living in poverty in America. Rock N' Roll originated from the fusion of R&B (Rhythm and Blues--black peoples music), and Country (white people's music) in the 1950's. It's early performers, like Elvis, were "cool", "hip", and loved to have fun. Multi-Culturalism But their is much more to America's view of culture than musical forms. The U.S. is unique in the sense that we not only have more "multiculturlism" than any courtry in the world, we always had multiculturlism. We observed the Irish (brawlers and prostitutes), the Italians (very excitable people), and Jews (brilliant, but crazy in the extreme) gradually become completely assimilated--well, almost. They have been replaced by new waves of immigrants from Vietnam, from Taiwan, from India, from Mexico, from Brazil. We identify the culture of these people, the same way we did previous waves of immigrants, not by their architecture, which we never see, or by their art, but by what we observe from the way they act, or dress. For example, the sing-song voice of a little ball-of-fluff Vietnamese girl, who somehow is studying computer engineering. Or the mannerisms of a Twaiwanese shopkeeper, who is always communicating, via body language, "I work very hard, I work very hard." (In America, it's not cool to communicate, "I work very hard", even if you do.) We observe the exotic dress of beautiful Indian womean in Little India, and the self-assurredness of Indian dentists and physicians, who somehow became professionals in one generation. We observe Mexicans playing Mariachi music on little radios, while working harder than any American ever worked, and apparently thinking nothing of it, nor exhibiting any fatigue. We observe Brazillian women at ethnic festivals wearing clothes that run the gamut from covered from head to toe, to almost naked. To Americans, a people's culture is not their architecture, or their literature, their art, or their cities, it is the way the way the speak, and act, and dress. And maybe their cuisine. Martial Arts Experts But there's more to it than even that. Both a popular television series, and a popular movie, featured martial arts. The TV series starred David Carredine (in real life a white American), who played a half Chinese, half white, priest (with a shaved head), who wandered the old West (walked the Earth). The character was totally at peace, and always humble. But when provoked by bad guys this character would explode into action pounding these hapless bullies into the ground. The premise may have sounded silly, but the script writing was skillfully done. And Mr. Carridines acting was masterful. It led to two long running series, and also to David Carridine (who eventually became a master of martial arts and Eastern meditation) marketing millions of how-to videos. I own six: four Tai-Chi, one Kung Fu, and one Chi-Kung. The martial arts movie, which starred Ralph Machio, was called The Karate Kid. It was about a teeager beset by bullies. The Okinawan gardiner, played by Par Morita, communicated the ancient wisdom of Japan and Okinawa, to the Karate Kid. He did this by the things he said, and by the way he acted--and also taught him Karate along the way. Mr. Morita's brilliant performance earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (I think, at least a nomination). In both cases, it was the way they acted, and their customs, and maybe the way they dressed that communicated their culture. The Main Point The point I'm trying to make is not that American lack culture. We have the Gothic architecture of Europe, plays of Shakespeare, the philosophy of the Greeks, and the wisdom of the East. We have all these things. We have them at a distance, perhaps, but we have them. But Americans view culture as the way people act, and speak, and dress, more than any other people. Even movies made about the Roman times, or Alexander the Great, show them speaking in a certain way. And it is in a way that is consistent with the grandiosity we imagine of those days. Americans need, in a book about culture, lots of examples, to be able to relate to it. That is my opinion. I hope this has been helpful, I did my best. Randall Raus
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