American Culture
America is the land of contradictions: fast-food restaurants with low-carb menus; prefabricated pizza parlors next to organic juice stands; "Trading Spouses" and "Trading Spaces." With an income disparity as large as most third-world nations, the United States has clearly become a land of contrasts. Nowhere was this contrast as clearly visible as in the last presidential election. Perhaps more than any other in recent history, the 2004 results elucidated the currently conflicted character of the nation: America is divided into two camps: the red and the blue. During the election, news stations broadcasted what many citizens already knew: the country is divided, and these divisions characterize American culture. Rural America is almost uniformly politically conservative and Christian, at least according to the ways people in "red" states voted. More homogenous than our urban centers, rural America demonstrates a view of American culture that conflicts sharply from what we see…...

American culture is the result of different social forces mixed together to create something unique: a society which is based on impermanence and change, always looking to the future for something better. There is always something better, something that will help create the perfect society just around the corner, about to hit the market. Because of this view that the future will be better than the present, Americans are rarely content with what the present has to offer. People are willing to sacrifice what they have now for the promise of a better future. This causes people to become fixated with the future at the expense of the present. In short, American culture is in a constant state of dissatisfaction, always seeking something better and never realizing how good things are right now.
endell Berry, in his 1977 book The Unsettling of America described how he viewed American society. He found…...

mla

Wendell Berry, in his 1977 book The Unsettling of America described how he viewed American society. He found that American society was the result of a mix of different social forces which have created a society where average Americans are detached from their home, work, and geography so they turn to technology to create a better future. Berry claimed that mankind has made himself the arbiter of all things, and therefore is able to shape the future to his liking. This idea is at the very heart of American culture, from the earliest days Americans have always felt the need to create something new out of what they saw as untamed wilderness. Because the United States of America started from nothing, everything had to be created. This gave birth to two ideals which have become the basis of American society: Americans can built the future and the future will be better than the present.

But these ideals come with an unexpected paradox, because Americans can make a future which is better than the present, no one is satisfied with the way things are, they always want something better, they always long for that next better thing. The future becomes the goal and the present becomes just something Americans have to get through so they reach the future. This creates a certain amount of impermanence in American society. Because the future will be better, whatever needs to be done, however destructive, can be justified in order to create the future. In this way Americans are destroying the future in order to create the future, thereby creating a never ending journey toward a future that is impossible to achieve. American culture risks being in a constant state of transition, never achieving the goal of permanence, but always moving toward a future that is just out of reach.

The result of this paradoxical society is what George Will described in his article Comfort as "social hypochondria:" a society which is completely dissatisfied with the state of their being, even though it is better than anything that has come before. And he is right, Americans are constantly complaining about the inadequacies and injustices of a society that is wealthier and freer than ever before in human history. But because Americans are fixated on the future and how much better it will be, they must find "wrongs" in the present to "fix," no matter how small or insignificant. And Americans are helped along in their hypochondria by the intellectuals, lawyers, politicians, and media who all profit from the wrongs in society that must be "fixed." American society is change, but if Americans do not decide what they want to change into, the future will never be attained. A vague concept of a brighter future cannot be all that America stands for, if Americans are ever to be rooted in their culture they need a focused goal, something concrete which can be attained.

American culture and the consumption (patterns) of American youth in television, film, and other entertainment venues
Mommy I want that!" hen discussing how American culture 'corrupts' children, the first words to come to mind are usually four letter words, or words pertaining to highly sexualized scenarios. Yet the culture of American capitalist cultural consumption is if anything more omnipresent and equally damaging to American children. It has created a legacy of conspicuous consumption of unnecessary consumer products over the course of the past, present, and future of American television and culture. It is likely to continue to affect the minds of children, creating a generation who believes they are what they buy, rather than what they believe -- "Generation Bling! Bling!" As the generation to come after Generations X and Y are often called. Identity is being reduced to a commodity rather than a real culture of art, literacy, and moral…...

mla

Works Cited

Rotunda, Ronald. "The FTC Report on Hollywood Entertainment." The Federalist Society. 2003.  http://www.fed-soc.org/Publications/practicegroupnewsletters/PG%20Links/rotunda.htm 

Hennessy, Patrick. "Burger Off TV ads: Fighting Flab in Children." May 31, 2004. SMH.  http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/30/1085855439912.html?from=storylhs

American Culture and the institutionalization of the 'sage' in the American political discourse -- are sages necessary?
According to the philosopher Plato, the ideal form of governance was not a raucous democracy, along the lines of the ancient Athenian state or polis. Nor would the ideal form of government take the guise of a modern republic, where popular sentiment was judiciously filtered through the wisdom of elected officials. Instead, under Plato's system of the rule of the philosopher-sage, the popular will and all disseminated knowledge by the media, would be controlled by oligarchs. Plato advocated not the rule of those not of high birth, but those who knew best, namely a tribe of philosopher kings or sages.

Frank Fischer and Brian Martin, in their recent analysis of the failures of the American political system do not offer as radical a solution as the ancient Greek. However, Frank Fischer's analysis does implicitly propose…...

mla

Works Cited

Fischer, Frank. Citizens, Experts and the Environment. Durham: Duke University Press, 2000.

Martin, Brian. Confronting the Experts, 1996.

American Culture and Values
American culture highly regards individuality compared to many other cultures. For this reason, it is more difficult to distinguish the dominant values, beliefs, and traditions of American life, because the lives of Americans differ so much, depending on their race, class and beliefs. Tracy Ore, John Langston Gwaltney and Lillian ubin each add a unique perspective to the values that dominate our culture.

Ore makes an excellent point when she says that Americans categorize each other by race and culture. In many cases, race and culture work closely to create significant distinctions among groups within a larger society.

Often, race plays a part in establishing separate cultural groups. In the United States, people are disturbed when they are unable to classify someone based on their race. If it is unclear what race someone is, they will ask one another, "What are you?" (Ore, p. 1)

According to Ore, "the culturally…...

mla

References

Gwaltney, John. Drylongso: A Self-Portrait of Black America. New York: The New York Press.

Ore, Tracey E. The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality. New York: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Rubin, Lillian B. Families on the Fault Line. Nee York: Harper Collins.

American Culture and Values

Food advertising is even worse, because while a parent might be able to avoid the toy store, in the grocery store he or she is subject to food masquerading as a toy. The only possible resistance is not taking the child shopping, which forces the parent to deprive the child of a parent-bonding experience where he or she could teach the child about budgeting and nutritional food.
The AAP study also notes that advertisers are aware that children and adolescents are more susceptible to advertisements for unnecessary goods, thus they are more often the targets of product placement ads ("Children, Adolescents, and Advertising,"AAP, 2006). Then, once consumption patterns are established early on in life, they can be difficult to eradicate. "By the time we reach adulthood, unhealthy food practices can be embedded in our subconscious mind and we must work hard to overcome these ingrained behaviors. Since rooting out bad…...

mla

Works Cited

Beder, Sharon. '"A Community View', Caring for Children in the Media Age."

Papers from a national conference, edited by John Squires and Tracy Newlands, New College Institute for Values Research. Sydney, 1998, pp. 101-111. "Children, Adolescents, and Advertising." 24 Sept 2007.  http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/sbeder/children.html#RTFToC1 

Dora the Explorer Cereal." The Breakfast Bowl. Jun 2006. 24 Sept 2007.  http://breakfastbowl.blogspot.com/2006/06/dora-explorer-cereal.html 

Martin, a. (2007). "Kellogg to Phase Out Some Food Ads to Children."

Any other expression of love is considered to be abnormal and therefore not legally valid. In the past, interracial marriages were illegal because they did not conform to the national standard of legitimate love. Many of the normative behaviors we take for granted were at one time forbidden: such as women being able to vote or own businesses.
Although minorities have become more visible in American culture recently, a dominant culture is still assumed to be the correct one. Males are by default the norm so that doctors are sometimes called "female doctors." When we see an African-American or a Jewish comedian on television, that person plays up his or her ethnic identity in ways whites are not expected to do because being white is the norm.

A often feel that people like me who are Native American possibly experience the most outsider status of any other ethnic or cultural group…...

mla

References

Wise, T. (2007). Op-Ed: Assimilation Blues: Immigration and the Dysfunctions of the Dominant Culture. Civil Rights. Retrieved Jan 31, 2009 at  http://www.civilrights.org/library/features/op-ed-assimilation-blues.html

Culture and the Ipod
American Culture and the IPod

Apple first introduced the iPod in October 2001, beginning what many would consider an enormous revolution in the music industry. While music had been previously made available on MP3 players, the iPod became the first product that was also linked to computer software designed to help consumers both manage and purchase files. In fact, by the end of 2001, consumers had the option of loading their entire music collection from compact discs into iTunes, and carrying up to 1000 song files on their iPod (Apple, 2011).

The iPod irrevocably changed the way we purchase, store, and listen to music. Prior to 2001, most consumers purchased and stored music on compact disks, but iTunes allowed anyone with a computer and CD drive to transfer all of these music files to their computers. iTunes also enabled users to organize music files, create playlists, and even mark…...

mla

References

Apple. 2011. The Complete History of the IPod. Web. October 25, 2011.

 http://www.apple.com/pr/products/ipodhistory/ 

Ian Paul. Apple's New iPods: What Critics Are Saying. PC World. 2010. Web. October 25, 2011

 http://www.pcworld.com/article/205002/apples_new_ipods_what_the_critics_are_saying.html

American Culture
American society is an amalgamation of diverse cultures, and American cultural norms and behaviors reflect a wide range of beliefs. Cultural standards in the United States can be fairly predictable, however. For example, when two friends greet each other, they will shake hands or hug, depending on the closeness of the friendship and the gender of the persons involved. Generally females are more prone to displays of physical affection in public such as hugging or kissing. Also, casual words of greeting such as, "Hi! How are you doing?" are common when friends greet each other. Strangers who meet for the first time will usually shake hands and smile at each other. Younger people use different slang and body language than their older counterparts but the basic rituals are the same.

In a grocery store check out line, sometimes people will avoid making eye contact or speaking to strangers. However, friendliness…...

Our country is very young and may be compared with an adolescent who feels he is powerful and at the same time is unsure of himself because he is still a child. Then there are many immigrants from many countries, and on the whole people here do not remain situated in any one location for any great length of time; they move from place to place rather frequently, thereby not establishing roots and without a feeling of permanence and stability. Also, because of this country's great size and heterogeneous population, resulting in various kinds of customs, habits, and living conditions in general, tension and unrest are bound to grow, and friction and violent reactions, often of a criminal nature, frequently follow. No group is immune to the effects of such sociological phenomena." (p.18)
It is for this reason that while on the one hand our culture is powerful and influential,…...

mla

References

David Abrahamsen. The Psychology of Crime. Columbia University Press New York. 1960

Larry L. Naylor: Cultural Diversity in the United States. Bergin & Garvey. Place of Publication: Westport, CT. 1997

Richard Nelson Current: What Is an American? Abraham Lincoln and "Multiculturalism." Marquette University Press. Milwaukee, WI. 1993

It is important to keep progress as an enduring goal for culture and society because it keeps people more aware, more interested, and more interesting. Without goals of progress and technology, people have little to strive for, and that is not good for society or the individual. Progress is more than technology, it is progress in the values of society, and it may be here that progress has undergone change. I believe many aspects of society are no longer based on progress or positive growth, and that is seen in negative areas of society, such as lack of respect for others and the need to make money and achieve over all else.
For the most part, I do agree with many of the impressions and assessments of immigrants and experts. Americans do not understand much of other cultures and societies, and they often make generalizations or "arrogant" assumptions about other…...

However, in addition to being part of the Americanization process, this has also sparked hostility and anti-American sentiments as well, for some Canadians who believe Canadian culture is being lost to the United States. Demonstrations in front of American enterprises, boycotts of American iconic products like Coca-Cola, and even vandalizing McDonald's outlets have all been a part of this effort to not succumb to Americanization.
Mechanisms Underlying America's Influence on Canada

There are several mechanisms underlying the Americanization of Canada, and thus affecting its political processes and outcomes. These, Craig, Douglas and Bennett state, are similar to the mechanisms involved in internationalization and globalization of consumption. Increasing foreign travel, to America, is one such mechanism. This increases direct Canadian exposure to American customs, lifestyles and mores. This mechanism has been in place for generations, with the expansion of railway systems being one of the first transportation improvements that facilitated easy travel…...

mla

Works Cited

"Canada: History." Encyclopedia. World News Digest. Facts On File News Services, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. .

Canadian Industry Statistics (CIS).21 Sept. 2009. Canada Statistics. 11 Nov. 2009 .

Canadian International Merchandise Trade. Nov. 2008. Statistics Canada. 11 Nov. 2009. .

Canadian Tourism Performance 2006. 2007. Canadian Tourism Commission. 11 Nov. 2009 .

How is the white wedding (think of the dress and so much more) constructed in American Culture? What does it mean- what does this wedding symbolize? How does the construction of the wedding differ for men and women? For same sex couples? The white wedding, and the significance of an elaborate wedding that symbolizes purity, is a relatively recent cultural development, but one which has spawned an entire industry. Even women who have liberated lives covet the image of innocence, of being a princess for a day, as suggested in the essay “The Trouble with Charlotte.” As many problematic products such as makeup and clothing have coopted the language of choice to be marketed to women who might lead independent career-driven lives, but who still long for the traditional symbolism of dependency. Women are sold a white wedding as a special day for themselves, as if the groom’s worthiness did not…...

In her book "adio," Dianne Benedict (1999) paints a vivid portrait of the transformative power of radio broadcasting in the early 20th century. She argues that radio played a pivotal role in shaping American culture and society, enabling new forms of entertainment, education, and political discourse (Benedict, 1999, p. 2).
Benedict traces the origins of radio to the invention of the telegraph and the telephone, highlighting the contributions of scientists and inventors like Guglielmo Marconi and Thomas Edison (1999, p. 17). She describes the early days of broadcasting, when amateur enthusiasts experimented with sending and receiving signals over the airwaves (1999, p. 24).

As radio technology advanced, it quickly gained popularity as a form of entertainment. Benedict discusses the rise of commercial radio stations and the development of popular programming such as music, variety shows, and news broadcasts (1999, p. 47). She notes that radio provided a shared experience for millions of…...

mla

References:

1. Benedict, Dianne. \"Radio.\" New York: Random House, 1999.

2. Marconi, Guglielmo. \"Invention of Radio Broadcasting.\" Journal of Electrical Engineering 5.2 (1901): 17-25.

3. Edison, Thomas. \"Early Contributions to Radio Technology.\" American Journal of Invention 8.4 (1895): 24-30.

4. National Educational Association. \"Educational Programming on Radio.\" Journal of Educational Broadcasting 12.3 (1930): 80-85.

5. Roosevelt, Franklin D. \"Fireside Chats: Political Communication on Radio.\" Presidential Studies Quarterly 25.2 (1933): 109-116.

6. Coughlin, Charles. \"Controversial Radio Broadcasts.\" American Political Science Review 40.3 (1936): 115-120.

7. Federal Radio Commission. \"Regulation and Licensing in Radio Broadcasting.\" Federal Communications Law Journal 2.1 (1928): 125-130.

Essay Topic Examples

1.The Melting ot: Exploring the Diverse Influences on American Culture:
    This essay could examine how various cultures from around the world have blended together to shape the unique aspects of American culture. It should discuss the contributions of Native American traditions, European colonization, African American heritage, and the impact of later immigration waves from Asia, Latin America, and other regions, all converging to create a multifaceted cultural landscape.

2.The Impact of Technology on American Lifestyle and Communication:
    An analysis of how technological innovations, especially in the past century, have transformed American cultural practices, communication methods, and daily life. The essay could explore the relationship between technological growth and changes in social behavior, leisure activities, and the American way of life.

3.The Role of Sports in Shaping American Cultural Identity:
    This essay could delve into the significance of sports in America, both as a popular pastime and a cultural phenomenon. It would discuss how…...

mla

Primary Sources

de Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America. Translated by Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop, University of Chicago Press, 2000.

Lorde, Audre. Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches. Crossing Press, 1984.

Smith, Zadie. Speaking in Tongues. The New York Review of Books, 26 Feb. 2009, www.nybooks.com/articles/2009/02/26/speaking-in-tongues-2/.

Federal Writers\' Project. American Stuff: An Anthology of Prose & Verse. Viking Press, 1937.

The Declaration of Independence. Published 4 July 1776. National Archives and Records Administration.

You can take various approaches when writing an essay about sexism in advertising.  Knowing that it is an essay gives you a good starting point.  That is because knowing what type of essay you are supposed to write provides you with the structure of the essay, the goals of the essay, and the tone of the essay.  In an analytical essay you need to bring critical thinking skills to discuss the topic. You could approach it as a question of history and show how the history of sexism meant that older advertisements were even....

Globalization is an interesting topic because the term means different things to different people.  Globalization specifically refers to the interactions and integration of the people of the world.  There are various types of globalization, with the three main types being economic, political, and cultural.  Of course, these three types of globalization rarely, if ever, occur in isolation.  Exposure to other people, ways of life, and worldviews leads to changes in various sectors.  It is no wonder, then, that so many people find the idea of globalization to be very threatening.  In fact,....

Nonverbal Communication: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Nonverbal communication, often referred to as body language, is a form of expression that conveys messages without the use of words. It includes gestures, facial expressions, posture, and eye contact. Nonverbal communication plays a vital role in human interaction, conveying emotions, attitudes, and intentions. However, its significance and interpretation can vary widely across different cultures. This essay delves into the intricacies of nonverbal communication in various cultures, exploring how cultural factors influence the way people communicate nonverbally and the implications for cross-cultural communication.

1. Greetings:
Greetings set the tone for any interaction and often involve nonverbal cues.....

Gender Equality in Contemporary American Culture: A Historical Perspective

Introduction:
In the tapestry of American culture, gender equality stands as a vibrant thread, woven amidst centuries of societal evolution and sociopolitical struggles. This essay delves into the historical trajectory of gender equality, exploring the shifts, triumphs, and ongoing challenges that have shaped its current status in American society.

Historical Roots:
The seeds of gender equality were sown in the early days of the American republic, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Constitution (1789). These foundational documents enshrined the principles of liberty and equality, yet they fell short of extending....