What is an American?
In our current state of what feels like an increasing divide
amongst our nation, it is hard to picture in our heads of what it means to be
American. Our news headlines are filled with controversial topics like police
who abuse their power and a racist president. Although these articles are what
get the most views from readers, they should not be what defines us as
Americans. If I were to define what an American is, I would say it is a person
who takes advantage of and acknowledges the powers and freedoms that we are
granted in this great nation.
America has long been praised as a “Land of Opportunity,”
and many people see this as true when their hard work pays off in forms of
successful careers and accomplished dreams. It’s not just those who are raised
in this country that take advantage of that opportunity, like Oprah Winfrey andUrsula Burns, but also immigrants who have made a major impact like Sergey Brin and Elon Musk.
Another characteristic of Americans would be individuality. This is something that we are taught from a young age with sayings like “be yourself” and “do as you please.” Americans take much pride in this and it is seen in our sense of style, how we talk, and our individual body language.
I have never noticed Americans level of individuality more than when on my recent trip to Japan. As soon as I stepped foot in this country it came across as a major culture shock. The majority of women were wearing the same tan colored coat, men had the same hairstyles, and people with matching outfits could be seen everywhere. When it comes to Americans, I see our individuality as a form of expression that allows us to showcase our unique sense of taste.
Equality is another characteristic that is attributed to being American. Although it may not seem as prominent at the moment during a time in our nation where there seems to be increasing cultural divide, America is based on the declaration that “all men are created equal.” This foundation of equality allows us the freedom to work towards what we want and not be held back by our family roots or different cultural backgrounds. For example, some parts of India still adhere to a caste system divides people into several hierarches typically based on the family they are born into.
Defining the term “American” is not an easy task to do. Some may say it’s how you look, how you act, or where you
come from. In my opinion, being American is none of these. I believe that being
American means representing the positive and progressive values and beliefs
that helped shape and continue to grow this nation.
It's almost like you looked at Gary Althen's "American Values and Assumptions" from the American Identity readings on Blackboard. He identifies multiple values that Americans hold that make us stand out from the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, progress is one of those values as is the belief that we can make things better. It's a sort of optimism that pretty powerful and makes us resilient.
That might be a good direction for a research article.
Hi Eljhon,
ReplyDeleteI like how you outlined specific qualities (equality, individuality, ambition), to define what being an American is. The comparison you drew between Japan and the United States is really cool. It's interesting how it took traveling to another country to recognize a quality we have here. I think that our individuality is one of the most awesome things of being American! We embrace other cultures, ways of dressing, different foods, music, and so much more. All this diversity contributes to what makes living here so great. Awesome post!
I really enjoyed your article! I too was not aware of the individualism of the United States until taking a Human Rights class and learning that the Eastern world often does not value the human rights the west imposes due to the individuality of them and the fact that they are specifically granting rights to the individual rather than the community. I really like how you broke up your article into different characteristics and went into each one in its own paragraph. This kept the article really structured and clear.
ReplyDeleteI also think it is hard to answer the question: "What is an American?" Historically, the image of a white nuclear family would have been the idealized picture of America, but we obviously know better; the real answer is that an American is the product of a diverse pool of cultures and ethnic backgrounds, so, as you put it, it's not necessarily WHAT a person looks like, rather what a person DOES that makes them American. Individuality and equality are important concepts that outline American values and thus create the picture of an American. These two ideas underlie a lot of what the majority of us believe--the only differences that still separate us is exactly HOW to express individuality and how to achieve equality. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Eljhon!
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should not let the negatives of what America is define the country. America does provide so many opportunities, which is why so many immigrants are draw to this country. Even though we have a negative history, we must acknowledge and learn from our mistakes so that can improve as a country. I agree that the individuality that America has is an asset that most countries do not have. Looking back at my trip to Japan, I realize that your observations are correct! We need to embrace our individuality because that is what makes our country unique.