Elements of American Culture

Hi and welcome to America.

I'm super excited to tell you all about America as

a born and raised american.

So first off we have bloom food.

I'm sure you probably guess this, even if you're not

from America, you probably know that americans really, really, really

love their food.

Um if you've ever been to America, which you are,

um I'm sure you've seen tons and tons of advertisements

for places like Mcdonald's, if you're in texas, water burger,

um chick fil a Subway, all that good stuff um

or not so good stuff and the reason it's not

so good is because everybody eats it and a big

majority of our population is obese obesity rates are huge

in America.

Um but there's also a different part of food and

that is diet culture um were really big on bad

diets like kyoto and just random non sustainable diets that,

you know, even if you do lose weight, you'll probably

get it back because you're probably taking like step pills.

Those aren't actually diet pills.

Um but there's also sustainable diets like veganism and pesky

terry in that are treated more as lifestyles than just

diets and food is a big part of cultural in

general. You know, me as a Texan.

I'm, you know, I know all about the soul foods,

like chicken and dumplings and corn bread and lots of

butter and then I can go somewhere up north, then,

you know, go to like a little italy in new

york or something like that and it's um very integrated.

You know, everybody, it's a little bit of everything, I

can have chinese tonight, I can have text next tomorrow

and I think that that's super cool.

Um so next off we have social media um most

social media is a huge part in just about all

over the world, um it's also big in America because

we like to capitalize off of it and what I

mean by this is that we have influencers which are

still prominent in other countries, but America, we take it

to another level um I don't know what these people

are influencing.

Their usually just famous for being famous, such as the

Kardashians, but they can also be famous for just being

pretty um or because they can move their hips on

Tiktok, um just really whoever people are drawn to most

of the time, it is attractiveness as a big part

to do with this because they are posting quite frequently

but can't, that's not always the only reason people are

drawn to them, sometimes they're actors as well, sometimes they

have brands of their own, um sometimes they have Youtube

channel, sometimes they're funny, um there's a whole plethora of

different influencers um but they are all paid quite well

um for doing what seems to not be so much

work, I know they do put in a lot of

work, um but as a normal person, it is easy

to look at that and think, wow, that's like a

dream job because they just get paid to look cute

on instagram Um, but yeah, pretty neato.

We also use it as a huge form of communication.

I'm sure if you are a teenager or have a

teenager, you know that it is a lot more convenient

to just Snapchat someone and call them.

It's also a lot less formal, which is a big

thing for teenagers.

Um we don't, we're not gonna send an email to

know where our friends that we're just going to send

him a little snap and say where you at.

Um, so you know the impacts of 9 11.

So as someone who was born in 2005, I never

knew America pre 9 11, but I have definitely seen

the impacts post 9 11, I went to the 9

11 museum two years ago before that I never, I

understood 9 11, but um, you know, as a child

having my teachers explain Where they were on 9:11 and

seeing them start sobbing while recounting the stories, I felt

sympathy for them, but I never really understood why.

Um, they felt this way.

I didn't really understand it.

Um, but until I went to the museum and there's

a part of the museum where you pick up these

telephones that are on the wall and you get to

hear the last things that these people told their families

and I just started crying and I didn't understand it

at first and then it just don't a wave of

emotions and I really understood that 9 11 was um,

and there's a big deal.

I just really all the effects of 9 11 just

really get thrown onto me and it um made me

realize a lot of different things.

And one of those things is islamaphobia.

Um, as ever since I was younger, I'd see someone

um, you know, with the traditional religious garments and I'd

get, you know, scared or nervous and I never really

understood why my parents never said, oh, you should be

scared of them.

But I'd hear like little jokes around the playground and

you know, little things in movies um that always made

me feel as if I should fear that.

And as I've grown and learned more about the culture

and religion.

I've realized that that is so wrong and that we

have it completely wrong and I hope that a lot

of other people are able to come to this epiphany

who have been raised this way because It's not a

great way to think and um, but I am really

glad that we are taught about 911 and those who

say never forget truly will never forget.

Um because I think it's a very important part of

our history.

So next we have cultural diversity.

We talked about this a little.

Um sorry, my computer just froze.

Um so cultural diversity is huge in America because we

are seeing as a place for the american dream and

what this means is it's a promise that going to

America, you can find something better, you can find something

bigger. You can make more money.

There are so many opportunities in America.

If you've ever seen Aristocats, you've probably seen that little,

there are no cats in America.

You know, that's what I think of when I think

of the american dream because um, we, we're pretty cool,

we're pretty cool.

I like that.

We can serve as a refuge for people who just

want a better life.

I like that we are seen as a clean slate.

I like that.

We are seen as something bigger, something better.

Um, and that we are able to provide opportunities for

people and I like that we get along with so

many different races.

I like that.

Um, um, bi racial couples are more common in America

and accepted.

And while there always is, you know, there's a always

gonna be those racist people that aren't, you know, getting

with the times and whatnot.

But there's always going to be outliers everywhere.

But the general consensus seems to be very accepting in

America and I really like that.

And next off we have sports, this is a little

lighter. Um, so if you've ever met a foreign exchange

student, you might have heard them say how excited they

are to attend their first high school football game and

I absolutely love this.

It makes my heart very happy because I love sports.

Um I don't like the actual sport all the time.

But I love the environment?

It is truly an intoxicating environment going to a football

game. And that's because it's more than just a sport.

It is the sport itself, it is seeing the people

in the crowd get excited.

It's seeing that people get dressed up for the themes.

It's seeing the people, you know perform on the fields,

whether it be cheer band or color guard or drill

team, there are so many different elements and it is

just marvelous.

I think it is the coolest thing that America has

to offer.

I will never get over.

I am in awe of high school football games.

Uh and this isn't just a high school football games,

like college football games, to pro football games and it's

not just football.

You know, I really like you know going to uh

an Astros game and eating a hot dog.

I don't even like hot dogs.

I hate hot dogs but will I eat five of

them at an Astros game?

You bet I will.

Sports are huge in America.

Um and I really like it.

I really like it.

I think it's super cool.

I think it's neat.

So next off we have health care.

Um it is very, very big topic.

Um you know, a lot of people talk about how

we should have universal health care.

You know.

Um like it was especially talked about with the vaccines.

They were like, well the vaccines are being offered for

free. Why isn't everything off for a primary.

Um And this was coming from people who were far

right which is usually opposing for um universal healthcare which

a lot of people found funny um It's like coming

full circle.

Um but um our healthcare is still very advanced, you

know it's not government mandated paid for by tax like

a lot of other places are but because it's paid

for out of pocket and you know through insurance I

guess that fueled is a lot more sought after because

I guess they're getting paid more.

Um And same with cosmetic surgeries especially because those are

out of pocket not insured at all most of the

time. You know there are some cosmetic doctors in real

hospitals but you know if you're going to get a

boob job unless you've had a mastectomy for breast cancer,

usually you have to pay for that out of pocket.

So um jobs like that are usually sought after because

they get some good money's.

Um So yeah health care is a really big deal.

Um Don't get hurt unless you have money or entering

or else it will be very bad.

Um Next up we have education.

Um So it is usually the norm in America to

go to college for secondary school after high school.

It's slowly starting to become more accepted to just go

to like a blue collar kind of institution um than

in the past.

It is also more acceptable to get a certificate of

some sort rather than going full for your college like

real estate, um social media marketing, stuff like that.

Just random like vast courses you do because a lot

of people are just um more open to pursuing a

job that they personally want rather than what they're expected

to do because you know, times are changing and people

want to do what they love instead of being tied

down to a job they hate.

And I also really like that, I think I respect

that idea.

Um now we have the patriarchy, so in America we

have this new wage feminism um feminism has always been

pretty big in America, you know burning of bras back

in the seventies and now we have bigger issues or

wants a bigger issues because women suffrage is pretty big.

But now we have new issues such as the wage

gap in sexualization of women abortion, you know, topics um

and um problems with rape and cases being dismissed because

the woman was asking for it because of what she

was marrying stuff like that.

Um so the patriarchy is still pretty, you know, a

big part of America, you know, white men are still

kinda running everything.

Um we are getting better obviously, but it's still one

of those things that it's kind of lingering um hopefully

one day we can get past that, but there's also

a lot of poems with internalized misogyny and women just

a big example of something I'm sure a lot of

teenage girls have experience I know I have um as

someone who is christian and usually dresses very modestly.

Um I will get comments from, you know, random grown

women. Um, sometimes, you know, mothers of my peers um

saying stuff about what I'm wearing, what I'm posting etcetera.

Um and that is, They might not realize it, but

that is internalized misogyny, you know, seeing a 16 year

old girl an automatically automatically criticizing with criticizing what they're

wearing. Um, even whenever it's something that, you know, deep

down you might might have worn in high school.

Um, so yeah, even and there's also a big, you

know, I guess this is less about the patriarchy and

more uh huh at a piss complexity.

But there are a lot of females who really want

to have sons.

The idea of having a girl discussed them Repulses them

um because women, you know, the Madonna whore complex, women

are seen as objects, even by women.

Um which I think is really gross and I don't

think a woman should be um thrown to the side

because she's seen as a sexual object and nothing more,

but it's it's it's a very big problem and there

are so many different topics to explore, but those are

a few that I know I come into contact with

on the daily, those are the ones that I think

about a lot.

So I'm sure I'm not the only one, I'm sure

they're teenage girls also run into those problems.

So we also have family relationships, you know, in America,

there are a lot of single parent households, there are

a lot of mixed households, there's also um, a lot

of adoption.

Um, you know, more new little family relationship is a

couple will adopt a child and they will keep that

adoptive parents or the birth parent in that child's life,

which I think is very important.

A lot of people frown upon this and they're like,

well if I'm adopting them, then I want them to

only see me as their parents, but no child has

ever had a problem because they received too much love

as a child.

So I know me personally, if I were to adopt

and the birth mother wanted to stay in my life,

I would totally be down for that because that is

their child just as much as it is mine.

Um, and I think it is beautiful that they are

willing to give you their child anyways, you know, and

last we have gun control americans really love their guns

and they think they are very important and without them

they would die and I'm running out of time

Elements of American Culture

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