Everything about United States Culture totally explained
Toward the end of the
millennium, consideration of American poetry had diversified, as scholars placed an increased emphasis on poetry by women,
African Americans,
Hispanics,
Chicanos and other subcultural groupings. Poetry, and
creative writing in general, also tended to become more professionalized with the growth of
creative writing programs in the
English studies departments of
campuses across the country.
Comic books
Since the invention of the
comic book format in the 1930s, the United States has been the leading producer with only the
British comic books and the Japanese
manga as close competitors in terms of quantity.
Comic book sales began to decline after
World War II, when the medium was competing with the spread of
television and
mass market paperback books. In the 1960s, comic books' audience expanded to include
college students who favored the
naturalistic, "
superheroes in the real world" trend initiated by
Stan Lee at
Marvel Comics. The 1960s also saw the advent of the
underground comics. Later, the recognition of the comic medium among academics,
literary critics and
art museums helped solidify comics as a serious
artform with established
traditions, stylistic
conventions, and artistic evolution.
Music
The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse array of styles.
Rock and roll,
country,
rhythm and blues,
jazz, and
hip hop are among the country's most internationally-renowned
genres. Since the beginning of the 20th century, some forms of
American popular music have gained a near global audience.
The earliest inhabitants of the United States were
Native Americans who played the first music in the area. Beginning in the 17th century,
immigrants from the
British Isles,
Spain, and
France began arriving in large numbers, bringing with them new styles and instruments.
African slaves brought musical traditions, and each subsequent wave of immigrants contributed to a
melting pot.
Much of modern
popular music can trace its roots to the emergence in the late 19th century of
African American blues and the growth of
gospel music in the 1920s. The African American basis for popular music used elements derived from European and indigenous musics. The United States has also seen documented folk music and recorded popular music produced in the ethnic styles of the
Ukrainian,
Irish,
Scottish,
Polish,
Hispanic and
Jewish communities, among others.
Many American cities and towns have vibrant music scenes which, in turn, support a number of regional musical styles. Aside from cities such as
Detroit,
New York,
Chicago,
Nashville and
Los Angeles, many smaller cities have produced distinctive styles of music. The
Cajun and
Creole traditions in
Louisiana music, the folk and popular styles of
Hawaiian music, and the
bluegrass and
old time music of the
Southeastern states are a few examples of diversity in American music.
Film
American cinema has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early
20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the
silent film era,
Classical Hollywood cinema,
New Hollywood, and the contemporary period (after 1980).
Television
Television is one of the major mass media of the United States. In an expansive country of more than 300 million people, television programs are some of the few things that nearly all Americans can share. Ninety-nine percent of American households have at least one television and the majority of households have more than one.
Dance
There is great variety in dance in the United States, it's the home of the
Lindy Hop and its derivative
Rock and Roll, and modern
square dance (associated with the
United States of America due to its historic development in that country--nineteen U.S. states have designated it as their
official state dance) and one of the major centers for
modern dance. There is a variety of
social dance and
concert or performance dance forms with also a range of traditions of dances.
Visual arts
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, American artists primarily painted landscapes and portraits in a realistic style. A parallel development taking shape in rural America was the
American craft movement, which began as a reaction to the
industrial revolution. Developments in modern art in Europe came to America from exhibitions in
New York City such as the
Armory Show in 1913. After World War II, New York replaced
Paris as the center of the art world. Painting in the United States today covers a vast range of styles.
Architecture
The
United States has a
history of
architecture that includes a wide variety of styles.
The United States of America is a relatively young country, and the Native Americans didn't leave any buildings comparable to the grandeur of those in Mexico or Peru. For this reason, the overriding theme of American Architecture is modernity: the skyscrapers of the 20th century are the ultimate symbol of this modernity.
Architecture in the US is regionally diverse and has been shaped by many external forces, not only English. US Architecture can therefore be said to be eclectic, something unsurprising in such a multicultural society.
Sculpture
The history of sculpture in the United States reflects the country's 18th century foundation in Roman republican civic values as well as Protestant Christianity, both of which sought truth in the spoken word of orator or minister and neither of which required the visualizaton of magnificence, power, solemnity, or profundity that characterized the sculptural traditions of European (as well as Asian) civilizations.
Theater
Theater of the United States is based in the
Western tradition, mostly borrowed from the performance styles prevalent in
Europe, especially
England. Today, it's heavily interlaced with American
literature,
film,
television, and
music, and it isn't uncommon for a single story to appear in all forms. Regions with significant music scenes often have strong theater and
comedy traditions as well.
Musical theater may be the most popular form: it's certainly the most colorful, and choreographed motions pioneered on stage have found their way onto movie and television screens.
Broadway in
New York City is generally considered the pinnacle of commercial U.S. theater, though this
art form appears all across the country.
Off-Broadway and
off-off-Broadway diversify the theatre experience in New York. Another city of particular note is
Chicago, which boasts the most diverse and dynamic theater scene in the country.
Regional or resident theatres in the United States are professional
theatre companies outside of
New York City that produce their own seasons. There is also
community theatre and
showcase theatre (performing arts group). Even tiny rural communities sometimes awe audiences with extravagant productions.
Cuisine
Mainstream
American culinary arts are similar to those in other Western countries.
Wheat is the primary
cereal grain. Traditional American cuisine uses ingredients such as
turkey,
white-tailed deer venison,
potatoes,
sweet potatoes,
corn,
squash, and
maple syrup, indigenous foods employed by Native Americans and early European settlers. Slow-cooked pork and beef
barbecue,
crab cakes,
potato chips, and
chocolate chip cookies are distinctively American styles.
Soul food, developed by African slaves, is popular around the South and among many African Americans elsewhere.
Syncretic cuisines such as
Louisiana creole,
Cajun, and
Tex-Mex are regionally important. Iconic American dishes such as
apple pie,
fried chicken,
pizza,
hamburgers, and
hot dogs derive from the recipes of various immigrants. So-called
French fries, Mexican dishes such as
burritos and
tacos, and
pasta dishes freely adapted from Italian sources are widely consumed. Americans generally prefer coffee to tea, with more than half the adult population drinking at least one cup a day. Marketing by U.S. industries is largely responsible for making
orange juice and
milk (now often fat-reduced) ubiquitous breakfast beverages. During the 1980s and 1990s, Americans' caloric intake rose 24%;
Fashion
Apart from professional business attire,
fashion in the United States is eclectic and predominantly informal. While Americans' diverse cultural roots are reflected in their clothing, particularly those of recent immigrants,
cowboy hats and
boots and leather
motorcycle jackets are emblematic of specifically American styles.
Blue jeans were popularized as work clothes in the 1850s by merchant
Levi Strauss, a German immigrant in San Francisco, and adopted by many American teenagers a century later. They are now widely worn on every continent by people of all ages and social classes. Along with mass-marketed informal wear in general, blue jeans are arguably U.S. culture's primary contribution to global fashion. The country is also home to the headquarters of many leading
designer labels such as
Ralph Lauren and
Calvin Klein. Labels such as
Abercrombie & Fitch,
American Eagle,
Hollister and
Eckō cater to various
niche markets.
Popular culture
American
popular culture has expressed itself through nearly every medium, including movies, music and sports.
Christina Aguilera,
Mickey Mouse,
Britney Spears,
Barbie,
Elvis Presley,
Madonna,
Aerosmith,
Babe Ruth,
Baseball,
American football,
Basketball,
screwball comedy,
G.I. Joe,
jazz,
the blues,
Rap & Hip Hop,
The Simpsons,
Michael Jackson,
Superman,
Gone with the Wind,
Marilyn Monroe,
Michael Jordan,
Indiana Jones,
Sesame Street,
Catch-22—these names, genres, and phrases have joined more tangible American products in spreading across the globe.
It is worth noting that while America tends to be a net exporter of culture, it absorbs many other cultural traditions with relative ease, for example:
origami,
soccer,
anime, and
yoga.
It can be argued that this ability to easily absorb parts of other cultures and other languages is its greatest strength and helps American culture and language spread. Americans in general don't worry about protecting their "indigenous culture" (see below) but instead eagerly create and adopt new things and then change or modify to make them their own.
Exportation of popular culture
The
United States is an enormous exporter of
entertainment, especially
television,
movies and
music. This readily consumable form of culture is widely and cheaply dispersed for entertainment consumers worldwide. It's even considered to be an "entertainment
superpower" along with
Europe,
India, and
Japan.
Many nations now have two cultures: an indigenous one and globalized/American popular culture. That said, what one society considers entertainment isn't necessarily reflective of the "true culture" of its people. More popular syndicated programs cost more, so overseas entertainment purchasers often choose older programs that reflect various, and dated, stages of United States cultural development. Pop culture also tends to neglect the more mundane and/or complex elements of human life.
Further Information
Get more info on 'United States Culture'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://culture_of_the_united_states.totallyexplained.com">Culture of the United States Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
