Comparative Analysis of Aspects of American Culture Essay

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Millions of individuals from all over the world travel to various parts of the world just to experience and appreciate the diversity of the world’s various cultures. Culture is said to be the way of life of people. In most cases, the dress code, food and delicacy, arts, religion, the government, economic activities, language, customs and practices, events, beliefs, and the technology they have, outline a people’s culture. In African societies, housing designs are also part of the culture. The customs and practices in the African setting also include circumcision for the boys and girls. On its part, the Indian society has a payment of dowry done to the man’s parents as opposed to most cultures including Congo as mentioned by Dodoi in the interview. This document intends to outline the American culture. The cultural aspects will be outlined and compared with other cultures. The aspects will then be analyzed critically. Finally, a resourceful conclusion will be drawn (Dotty 26).

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America has many immigrants from various parts of the world. The reasons for their immigrations are searching for better jobs, pursuit for education, and residence in the United States. As a result, immigration has led to the uprising of mixed culture in America. Being the most popular culture in the world, the American culture is expressed in form of film, fashion, shopping culture, comics, toys, entertainment, music, sports, fast foods, religion, fancy vehicles, and the different use of gadgets (Dotty 32).

The mentioned aspects are mostly a product of the advancing levels of technology and developments in the world of science and innovations. In terms of fashion, American designers are known to dress top society leaders and influential people. Annually, thousands of dollars are spent at the many shopping malls in America. To enhance the popularity, there are times when shopping exhibitions are held to boost the industries. Comic books and catalogs are popular in America. These comics touch on political, social issues. There are also popular fast-food chains that serve the Americans’ appetites. A popular character in the fast-food industry is the McDonald’s franchise, which is popularly known for its burgers and French fries. The average American is expected to have a communication gadget either in the form of a computer, cell phone, pager, payphone or beeper. These gadgets enhance communication. There is also the presence of religion. The most popular religions are Christianity, Islam, or Hinduism. The citizens engage in religious meetings and try to convert their fellow friends at times to their religious inclinations. The film industry is also a major aspect of American culture. Hollywood is a clear indicator of how much the film culture is valued in America. There are more people currently working in the industry as compared to five years ago. The production of movies, which are then watched by people in cinema rooms creates a source of entertainment also an aspect of the American culture (Dotty 25). The interview held, helped to establish the unique American culture.

All these aspects of the popular American culture can only be popular if they have mediums of transfer to the Americans and the world at large. There are many ways of popularizing the trends but media through advertising and broadcasting has developed as a key player in the popularization. Advertisements are posted on the radio or the television and others on print media like magazines and newspapers. All these advertisements aim at luring the buyer to become loyal by purchasing the product.

The internet was initially developed during the wartimes to enhance the secret transmission of commands and sensitive war strategies among comrades. The internet according to Dotty (21) was to operate regardless of the war situation at the time. Its main work according to him was to generate communication networks despite the possibility of an attack of high magnitude like nuclear bombs. The network was able to direct its traffic to other places. This network was later, advanced by various companies in America and is now a leader in linking people and engaging in social and commercial activities. The internet has been a tremendous boost to the sharing of ideas, knowledge, news, and teachings on any topic that society needs to know. The internet has lead to the development of fashion trends and the music industry. The internet has created a source of income for people in society. The introduction of electronic business commonly known as e-commerce has led to people buying things online. This has negatively affected the social lives of people since they rarely interact with fellow Americans at shopping stalls. Another medium of propelling the popular American culture into dominance is the social interaction of humans. There are those people who are viewed as more privileged, talented, richer, or more beautiful than the rest of society. These persons are held in high esteem and their trends tend to be popularized by their admirers. Consequently, many of their followers emulate them hence creating a culture (Kendall 34).

There are many trends characterized by the diversity of races and ethnicities in America. Using one language namely, English has enhanced unity. Sociology as a principle aims to explain the diversity in culture yet state the common features among all the cultures of the world. The common factors include the presence of values, beliefs, laws, and aspects of the existence of a supreme being. These aspects may vary in terms of concepts or frame of reference but they are culturally universal. America is one of the major countries that are spearheading globalization. Some critics say that globalization is equal to Americanization. The aim is to make the world a little more accessible to its inhabitants. The internet creates a global village where everything is accessible at one point (Kendall 23).

America is a global leader in many of the leading industries. The country is known for its support to other countries in terms of mediating between countries at war and creating policies that help create global peace and harmony. There are also many inventions in sectors like medicine that originated from America. These inventions help contain certain diseases or outbreaks that exist in the world. They also help to feed the starving nations in the African continent mostly by providing food. The country has major income-earning industries that often cater to the global market.

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It is from this aspect that the American culture has been identified to differ from several other cultures. To be precise, each region has some unique cultural aspects that make it different from other regions. While trying to identify the differences, an interview was carried out. The results pointed out that while America could be leading the concept of globalization. Its culture still varies from other cultures. The following interview was carried out:

Interview

I conducted an interview on four African nationals namely from Kenya, Congo, Nigeria and Guinea. All these nationals have been to America for visits for up to a period of three months on an exchange program. The interview aims to establish the unique aspects of American culture.

Interviewer: Which is your country of origin?

  • A: I am John Kitau Hiko from Kenya.
  • B: My name is Jaque Dodoi Nzambe Congo.
  • C: I am Hawa Deka Ogoido from Nigeria.
  • D: I am From Guinea. My name is Samuel Etto Giati.

Interviewer: Name one aspect of your culture.

  • John: Music.
  • Dodoi: Social Ties.
  • Deka: Attires.
  • Etto: Cultural events.

Interviewer: What are the aspects of your culture that differ from those of the American culture?

  • John: Kenyan music is differentiated from American music by the use of traditional instruments.
  • Dodoi: The culture in Congo has more neatly tied families. The American culture on the other hand has loosely helped social ties to the point of family members not knowing each other.
  • Deka: Big headscarves, baggy shiny polyester clothes, and well-fitting extravagant dresses are major characteristics of the Nigerian dress code as compared to the skimpy designs of the American fashion industry.
  • Etto: In Guinea on the other hand there are many cultural events like circumcision, weddings, burials, and harvest feasts which are held and attended by many people. In America on the other hand the most recurrent social events are weddings and burials that are attended only by close family members.

In conclusion, there is a high emphasis on pop culture among the developing societies of the world. There is a lot of media coverage on famous people. They pose as a role model for young people in various countries. There is also a great need for globalization. The American culture is characterized by fashion, music and film. These aspects help the rest of the world to define American society. Culture is a way of a people, ought to have unique aspects. Globalization has led to the merging of cultures. This may eradicate individual cultures of the world societies.

Works cited

Doty, Alexander. Making Things Perfectly Queer: Interpreting Mass Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1993

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Kendall, Diana. Sociology in Our Times. 7th edition. New York: Thomson-Wadsworth, 2008.

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IvyPanda. 2021. "Comparative Analysis of Aspects of American Culture." December 11, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/comparative-analysis-of-aspects-of-american-culture/.

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