American Culture And Identity Who Term Paper

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, at the same time, this very power has given it negative traits. Americanization has thus become a huge problem in the world as it is considered synonymous with globalization. American identity has also changed and developed with changes in the cultural fabric. Since American is basically a multicultural society, its people cannot boast of one homogenous source for their identity. American identity is not produced or generated by one specific source but comes from a vast variety of sources including different cultures, backgrounds, languages, attitudes, beliefs and values.

An average American is a person who wants change, craves excitement and wants fame and success. In other words, he is still chasing the American Dream...

...

American identity is thus deeply grounded in American culture and since there is not one specific source of this culture, there is no definite source for American identity. Just like the American culture, American identity is also in its developmental and experimental stage. It would take a long while for America to finally develop its own culture and to have some definite identity. "American culture, like the American people, is a blend of elements that come from a variety of ethnic sources -- including the aboriginal, African, Hispanic, and Asian as well as the European. This does not mean that all groups have contributed equally to the prevailing mix. So far, English remains the national language, and the political system is primarily English in origin." (Current: 19)
American culture is a powerful entity and so is American identity but like a powerful young horse, it doesn't really know where it is headed. It is only when it gains maturity that we can comment on real American culture and identity and maturity definitely comes with time. And time it is that America needs to give a definite form to its ever0-changing cultural fabric and its growing identity.

Sources Used in Documents:

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


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