{"id":651,"date":"2019-03-24T04:17:41","date_gmt":"2019-03-24T04:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/03\/24\/2019319defining-american-culture\/"},"modified":"2021-01-30T03:12:17","modified_gmt":"2021-01-30T03:12:17","slug":"2019319defining-american-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/03\/24\/2019319defining-american-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Defining culture: Revealing an American perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

What unifies a nation known for its diversity?<\/em><\/p>\n

By Rachael Durand<\/p>\n

A group of millennial-aged college students sat in a dull blue-lit room surrounded by people they thought were strangers. Their professor had an accent: English with a Spanish twang. She asked the students to introduce themselves as if they were meeting her for the first time.<\/p>\n

Students introduced themselves by describing their positions in extracurricular activities, hometowns, family backgrounds, favorite animals and what they liked to do for fun.<\/p>\n

The responses turned strangers into neighbors, relatives and classmates; each finding a commonality between them. They were students, journalists, Italians, Americans, animal-lovers, travelers, males, females, humans.<\/p>\n

It seemed easy for them to identify with a category to define themselves for an introduction. They defined who they were according to labels, titles and interests. But when asked to define American culture, it was blank stares and gaping mouths.<\/p>\n

But it is precisely that attempt at defining their own culture that presents the biggest challenge. It is a challenge not just faced by university students. More than 10 people interviewed struggled to come up with a satisfactory definition of American culture.<\/p>\n

Well what does America consist of demographically?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The United States of America. The states. The home of the brave. The red, white, and blue. Whatever you decide to call it, 327.5 million<\/span><\/a> people call it home.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Data from the United States Census Bureau 2018 annual report.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the <\/span>Census Bureau<\/a>, most people in the United States are classified as white.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

However culturally Americans consider the United States a diverse country.<\/p>\n

Regardless of race and other demographics, Americans are mothers, fathers, workers, immigrants, activists and humans. But what brings together these individuals and how does this create a common culture?<\/p>\n

Our culture is the way we connect, but how is American culture defined?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break it down piece by piece.<\/p>\n

What is culture?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Culture is not clearly defined because it encompasses a wide variety of ideas. There are so many factors that contribute to the definition that the Merriam-Webster dictionary<\/span><\/a> has more than six definitions for the word \u201cculture.\u201d If the authors of the dictionary can\u2019t create one cohesive definition, then can we?<\/p>\n

The main definition for culture is, \u201cthe customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group,\u201d according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.<\/p>\n

Jason Burke, a 53-year-old Navy veteran and the Director of Veteran and Military Affairs at Quinnipiac University, was one of many who had trouble finding the right words to define culture.<\/p>\n