Thomas Edison, John Wayne, Superman Big Steel, Oil, Transportation, Utilities American Standard toilets Flag worship Banjos six guns depleted uranium oil drilling; Red Adair The Dollar Footprints on the moon "We come in peace. Shoot to kill."
(Red Adair went to Hell where he enjoys an air-conditioned palace. It was that or all the fires gone in 30 days.)
Thanks for your contributions! Please feel free to repeat what has already been said, I count. I didn't want a simple poll just because it wouldn't have been possible for you to suggest items.
Uncle: You have disqualified. I said 5 items, no names, no places.
From hip-hop culture (and maybe gangs by roundabout), the young people often wave by putting one or two "v-signs" hands-down. I don't think the hip-hop thing has hit any other nation the way it has the USA (and we have the most "authentic" flavor.) BTW this is not meant as a put-down of US, I think the artsier non-thugish forms of HH are cool and enriching ... I employ it myself when dancing as "Uncle Sam" for Liberty Tax Service (an avocation for an eccentric, don't try to understand why an "intellectual" would do that ...)
Also, how about elaborate clever advertisements and ad series and themes, that try to make a big cultural splash?
BTW Bee, is "Democrazy" a typo or did you mean it as a clever snarky take on our style of democracy? I want to think the latter ... If a typo, let's make up a cool spin for it anyway; if deliberate, what did you mean? ;-)
Actually, the Green Arrow is one of the few official regulations of the former GDR that has survived German reunification ;-)
Cheers, Stefan
8:00 PM, March 27, 2009
Low Math, Meekly Interacting said...
Exceptionalism.
That one pretty much says it all.
8:51 PM, March 27, 2009
Anonymous said...
Positive can-do attitude unbiased easy-going energetic ingeniosity and creativity youthfulness tolerance open to new ideas latte macchiato civilized general manners Santa Claus (the red one is due to Coca Cola) round doorknobs artificial fingernails lack of taste in dressing loud cool talk everywhere
This is the opinion of a Frency who has lived some years in the US.
1. Teeth whitening (because American people have known that smile was important much before other people in the world) 2. Shaved public hair (at least for women. On nudist beaches in California or Florida, that's the decisive factor to know a priori if a woman is really American or a French or Italian tourist...) 3. American only sports (Baseball, American football, NASCAR races). 4. The only country in the world to still use old English measures and not the metric system... 5. ... And of course puritanism (the US is the only country of the western world where Clinton's affair with Monica could have led to an impeachment procedure, which is still considered in France as worst than Bush election...)
No, it is "Frenchy", not "frency", the "h" is not working well on my keyboard. And this leads me to the point 6 about what is typically American:
6. Hope. Even if you're a homeless one, in America, there's still hope you can come back in the economic game.. if you're not already burnt by alcohol or drugs. But if you're a rich one, there's also still hope you could quickly become a homeless. Future, even immediate future, is not written for American, while Europeans have some difficulty to imagine their life could change dramatically in a few days.
9:44 PM, March 27, 2009
CoffeeCupContrails said...
Cheeseburgers with the yellow cheese sticking out.
Reality shows of blonde women looking for love fighting other blonde women
Reality shows of middle aged women looking for love fighting other middle aged women
'International news' - or the absence of it
10:54 PM, March 27, 2009
Anonymous said...
Bee:
1. rugged individualism 2. intense competitiveness 3. forthright openness 4. love of family 5. distrust of bigshots
Well, I will continue to ignore those who can't count to 5. It wasn't my intention to brain-storm everything anybody could possible connect to the USA but what are the most frequent first associations. I totally fail to see what's supposedly American about Latte Macchiato? Best,
Your right about that, yet I think the reason it was forgotten is that there are fewer moms and girls next door that make them, not to mention knowing how to :-)
Burgers, Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers: 5 Political Correctness: 4 SUV's, Big Cars: 4 Christian Fundamentalism, Creationism: 4 Teeth Whitening: 3 Baseball: 3 Wastefulness: 3 Stars and Stripes/Patriotism: 3 Space Exploration, NASA, Spaceshuttle: 3 Obesity: 2 Filmindustry: 2 Guns: 2 Intense competitiveness, Winner/looser: 2 Drive Thrus, No Sidewalks, Driving everywhere, Long commutes Consumerism, Shopping Malls, Shopping network channels, Strip Malls Small Talk, Forthright openness, "Friendliness", Helpfulness, Politeness Brownies, Peanut butter Fast Food Chains, Supersized portions Writing checks Refusing to use the metric system Shaved pubic hair Air conditioning run amock (walk-in fridges) Democracy Exceptionalism, National Interest, Nabelschau (navel gazing), Pride, Absence of International News Great Landscapes Reality Shows Democrazy Believe in own propaganda Daylight saving time Country Music, Jazz, Hip-Hop Religious tolerance Fast and cheap but with low quality Anti-intellectualism, Math phobia Terrorism, War, Nuclear Weapons, Military Ivy League QED Native Americans Iced tea with sugar Root beer floats Freedom Simplicity Ingenuity Stubbornness Puritanism Rugged individualism Love of family Distrust of bigshots Extreme need for privacy Wheat Ipods Size (Big, Bigger, American), Big cups, Big screen TVs Starbucks Bailout "Oh my God!" screams College/University T-shirts Satire Scientology Televangelists
PS: You don't have to come up with items that are not already on the list. I count how many times they were named, I just didn't want to use a standard poll because this way you can suggest items yourself.
posted by Sabine Hossenfelder at 5:51 AM on Mar 27, 2009
"Quick, don't think: What's typically American?"
45 Comments -
Democracy
Patriotism
National Interest
Space Exploration
Baseball
6:42 AM, March 27, 2009
Shopping Malls
No sidewalks
Fast Food Chains
Great Landscapes
Small Talk
... impressions of a tourist from Germany
6:45 AM, March 27, 2009
Democrazy
Believe in own propaganda
Political Correctness
Nabelschau (don't know a translation)
Daylight saving time
8:06 AM, March 27, 2009
I guess I can add to the list, so here it is:
Teeth whitening (thanks to the Coen Brothers to make this even clearer)
Baseball
Country Music
Wastefulness
Christian Fundamentalism
10:18 AM, March 27, 2009
Peanut butter
Fast and cheap but with low quality
Anti-intellectualism
Math phobia
Religious tolerance
10:32 AM, March 27, 2009
Jazz
Feynman
Terrorism
Creationists
Ivy League
11:19 AM, March 27, 2009
Replace Feynman with QED :P
11:21 AM, March 27, 2009
post consumer waste
hollywood
nasa
war
native americans
2:04 PM, March 27, 2009
Thomas Edison, John Wayne, Superman
Big Steel, Oil, Transportation, Utilities
American Standard toilets
Flag worship
Banjos
six guns
depleted uranium
oil drilling; Red Adair
The Dollar
Footprints on the moon
"We come in peace. Shoot to kill."
(Red Adair went to Hell where he enjoys an air-conditioned palace. It was that or all the fires gone in 30 days.)
2:17 PM, March 27, 2009
Root beer floats
Supersized portions
Driving everywhere
Shopping network channels
SUV's
Writing checks
Iced tea with sugar
Hamburgers
3:12 PM, March 27, 2009
Hi All,
Thanks for your contributions! Please feel free to repeat what has already been said, I count. I didn't want a simple poll just because it wouldn't have been possible for you to suggest items.
Uncle: You have disqualified. I said 5 items, no names, no places.
Sojourner: I've dropped Hollywood, it's a place.
Best,
B.
3:14 PM, March 27, 2009
Turn right on red. Definitely un-European
3:34 PM, March 27, 2009
freedom
pride
simplicity
ingenuity
stubbornness
3:48 PM, March 27, 2009
From hip-hop culture (and maybe gangs by roundabout), the young people often wave by putting one or two "v-signs" hands-down. I don't think the hip-hop thing has hit any other nation the way it has the USA (and we have the most "authentic" flavor.) BTW this is not meant as a put-down of US, I think the artsier non-thugish forms of HH are cool and enriching ... I employ it myself when dancing as "Uncle Sam" for Liberty Tax Service (an avocation for an eccentric, don't try to understand why an "intellectual" would do that ...)
Also, how about elaborate clever advertisements and ad series and themes, that try to make a big cultural splash?
BTW Bee, is "Democrazy" a typo or did you mean it as a clever snarky take on our style of democracy? I want to think the latter ... If a typo, let's make up a cool spin for it anyway; if deliberate, what did you mean? ;-)
6:07 PM, March 27, 2009
Hi Thomas Larsson,
Turn right on red. Definitely un-European.
Actually, the Green Arrow is one of the few official regulations of the former GDR that has survived German reunification ;-)
Cheers, Stefan
8:00 PM, March 27, 2009
Exceptionalism.
That one pretty much says it all.
8:51 PM, March 27, 2009
Positive can-do attitude
unbiased easy-going
energetic
ingeniosity and creativity
youthfulness
tolerance
open to new ideas
latte macchiato
civilized general manners
Santa Claus (the red one is due to Coca Cola)
round doorknobs
artificial fingernails
lack of taste in dressing
loud cool talk everywhere
8:53 PM, March 27, 2009
Hi Anonymous,
You left out sincere, humble, modest, understated and unassuming, oh I’m sorry the one I was thinking of was actually English :-)
Best,
Phil
9:17 PM, March 27, 2009
This is the opinion of a Frency who has lived some years in the US.
1. Teeth whitening (because American people have known that smile was important much before other people in the world)
2. Shaved public hair (at least for women. On nudist beaches in California or Florida, that's the decisive factor to know a priori if a woman is really American or a French or Italian tourist...)
3. American only sports (Baseball, American football, NASCAR races).
4. The only country in the world to still use old English measures and not the metric system...
5. ... And of course puritanism (the US is the only country of the western world where Clinton's affair with Monica could have led to an impeachment procedure, which is still considered in France as worst than Bush election...)
9:38 PM, March 27, 2009
Ooops, I meant "fancy Frency" not "fency" of course...
9:39 PM, March 27, 2009
No, it is "Frenchy", not "frency", the "h" is not working well on my keyboard. And this leads me to the point 6 about what is typically American:
6. Hope. Even if you're a homeless one, in America, there's still hope you can come back in the economic game.. if you're not already burnt by alcohol or drugs. But if you're a rich one, there's also still hope you could quickly become a homeless. Future, even immediate future, is not written for American, while Europeans have some difficulty to imagine their life could change dramatically in a few days.
9:44 PM, March 27, 2009
Cheeseburgers with the yellow cheese sticking out.
Reality shows of blonde women looking for love fighting other blonde women
Reality shows of middle aged women looking for love fighting other middle aged women
'International news' - or the absence of it
10:54 PM, March 27, 2009
Bee:
1. rugged individualism
2. intense competitiveness
3. forthright openness
4. love of family
5. distrust of bigshots
10:55 PM, March 27, 2009
Bee,
Is Hollywood a place or an industry?
So:
Hamburgers,
Hollywood movies,
Big cars,
12:24 AM, March 28, 2009
Hi Neil,
I thought Democrazy was a deliberate typo (came from George, see above). There is plenty of Hip-Hop also in Germany. Best,
B.
5:02 AM, March 28, 2009
Hi Anonymous,
Well, I will continue to ignore those who can't count to 5. It wasn't my intention to brain-storm everything anybody could possible connect to the USA but what are the most frequent first associations. I totally fail to see what's supposedly American about Latte Macchiato? Best,
B.
5:06 AM, March 28, 2009
Hi Peter,
Hollywood is a place. Could mean many things. Like, bad actors, bad plots, starlets you'll never see again, obsession with looks? Best,
B.
5:14 AM, March 28, 2009
Political Correctness
Guns
Extreme need for privacy
"Friendliness"
Consumerism
10:20 AM, March 28, 2009
helpfullness
politeness
wastefullness
filmindustry
wheat
11:44 AM, March 28, 2009
Hamburgers
Big screen TVs
SUVs
Ipods
Long commutes
11:56 AM, March 28, 2009
Nuclear Weapons
Burgers
Size (Big, Bigger, American)
Patriotism
Military
1:46 PM, March 28, 2009
Size (Big, Bigger, American)
Did you fly American lately? Maybe I'm paranoid but I believe their kneespace is constantly shrinking.
3:41 PM, March 28, 2009
obesity
big cars
air conditioning run amock (walk-in fridges)
strip malls
obesity
(as seen from the 4th floor in this part of Scandinavia.)
4:00 PM, March 28, 2009
Creationism
Bailout
MIT
Spaceshuttle
Starbucks
4:41 PM, March 28, 2009
Winner/looser
Big cups
"Oh my God!" screams
College/University T-shirts
Obesity
5:18 PM, March 28, 2009
Hello Neil, Bee,
that Democrazy was deliberate.
But rather spontaneous, a kind of
"Freuds Typo" :=)
I wondered, whether somebody would
see it.
Georg
6:15 PM, March 28, 2009
Hi Georg,
I noticed it also. In that respect I’ve heard us Canadians being connected with Maple saps and Germans being Mercedes-Bent :-)
Best,
Phil
8:19 PM, March 28, 2009
hi bee,
Hollywood meant the film industry, you can count it there.
best,
11:49 AM, March 29, 2009
What the American Dream means to me:
Wake up!
8:05 PM, March 29, 2009
Satire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn9FlD_IPOE
8:12 PM, March 29, 2009
Televangelists
Creationism
Scientology
Guns
PC
11:04 PM, March 29, 2009
come now people.. APPLE PIE!
11:37 PM, March 30, 2009
Anonymous Snowboarder,
Your right about that, yet I think the reason it was forgotten is that there are fewer moms and girls next door that make them, not to mention knowing how to :-)
Best,
Phil
4:40 AM, March 31, 2009
Hello Bee,
spitting this poll into Americans
vs non-Americans might be interesting.
Georg
10:30 AM, March 31, 2009
Dollar$
Dollar$
Dollar$
Dollar$
and, la$t but not lea$t:
War$
5:58 AM, April 11, 2009