Gender: Male Location: The Proud Nation of Kekistan
From my observations and contemplation, I came to the conclusion two years ago that progress and opportunity are built upon a harmony between individuality and conformity, a reciprocal relationship between the individual and the overarching societal structure where the individual is inculcated within and dwells within the social structure but also where the individual is a force for thoughtful criticism and rejuvenation of said structure. When the two are in harmony progress ensues, and if such a relationship is dismantled with either the individual not having due respect for the overarching social structure or the overarching social structure not having respect for the individual tragedy ensues.
And I think the beauty of the deeper American culture is that it has a particular respect for that harmony. The Founding Fathers certainly recognized this, which is why it's embedded within the founding of our government. The Founding Fathers intended to create a resilient and stable society not easily overturned by individual whims, with a structure of checks and balances and separation of powers embedded within the government, as well as constitutionally outlined things with an amendment process making it such that those things cannot be lightly overturned, as well as having a federal government. At the same time however the Founding Father's absolutely respected the efficacy of the individual, which is why the Declaration of Independence emphasized the significance of individual inalienable rights to paramount importance, wrote within that constitution a bill of rights designed to protect the individual against the government, and has a separation of powers between the federal government and state governments so the individual can be closer to defining the laws they live under with their state governments.
The part about American culture's respect for the individual is something that really comes out and is reflected in the difference between the laws and structures of governance in America and the rest of the west. For example, America certainly respects it's citizens right to freedom of speech more than the other countries in western civilization, since virtually every other country has abhorrent and disgusting hate speech legislation. Now I'm not a fan of racism, but the idea that the state can punish you with force for the content of your speech and demand what you can and cannot say is something I find to be disgusting and intolerable. In the UK for example a man who made Nazi jokes with his girlfriend's dog as a prank on her is now facing court hearings and potential legal repercussions FOR MAKING A JOKE. The UK police are actually working on a police hub specifically to combat hate speech on the internet... because that's really something the government should be spending resources and police manpower on... and there were also UK police tweets about how they're going to crack down on people who say mean things on twitter behind a computer screen... yep totally nothing Orwellian to see here... Also in Canada in the debate on Bill C-16 Canadian senators actually had the gall to defend the morality of the government having the authority to compel its citizens to use certain words. Free speech aside, which is something very important, the US also has a lot of respect for the efficacy and right of the individual to their own self-defense in the constitutionally respected right to bear arms, which a lot of other western countries don't allow for example. Lastly, the American government is involved in varying international agreements and organizations, such as NAFTA or the UN, but nothing to the same extent as the European Union. In my opinion, by becoming so embedded within an international organization such as the EU, many EU member states have given up some of their national sovereignty where the citizens of those countries have to live under laws, regulations, and border policy to an extent where such decisions are removed an order of magnitude further than the national level from the voting power and decision-making of those country's own citizens. Quite frankly, I don't think the Canadian or European laws or governmental bodies have the same level of respect or trust in the individual as is embedded in American government and legislation... which makes me happy I live in America. Not a country where the police can arrest me for saying something the government disagrees with and where a governmental body removed to a further extent from the voting power of myself and my fellow countrymen has that much of a heavy hand dictating how my society is ruled and regulated.
This is something reflected in all of the cliches. American Patriotism is one example of American faith placed our overarching civilization, where Americans hold a great deal of respect for their nation and culture, which at times can admittedly be a bit cartoonishly exaggerated. "The American Dream" is a different example illustrating the faith placed in the individual, and the idea of the American dream is a story of opportunity and success, whereby an individual in America or who goes to America seeks to build a successful life for themselves, and where the efficacy of the individual is believed in. There's also the association of liberty with America, which is something of a cliche at this point, but given some of the policies above I just described I think it's a well earned cliche.
And lastly while I think the disgusting and arrogant culture of self-victimization being touted by the regressive left in parts of our universities and media and the reciprocal rise of the alt-right have had an effect in undermining our respect for our civilization (the regressive left ranting about how America is a white supremacist capitalist heteropatriarchy and how bad that is) and for the individual (this identity based collectivism of both the regressive left and the alt-right that is incompatible with individualist principles and the authoritarian and unethical solutions proposed by them), I think it's apparent from Pew polling that the majority of Americans still hold these cultural attitudes in a greater proportion to those of some of the most prominent European Nations.
In a global Pew Research study between the US, Britain, Germany, France, and Spain, there were three pertinent questions addressed that caught my eye. The first of which is whether it was more important for the government to respect individual rights or provide a safety net, and the US was the only country of the five where the majority believed the protection of individual rights was more important, revealing a stronger American respect for individual rights and liberties. The second of these questions was regarding whether or not success is determined primarily by the decisions of the individual or external factors beyond their control, and of those five countries only the majority of people from the US and Britain responded that the decisions of the individual were of more importance, and US respondents did so at a noticeably greater proportion, revealing a greater trust in the self-efficacy of the individual than in other western nations. And the third of these questions that caught my eye was a question of agreement with the statement that one's culture may not be perfect but that it is better than other cultures, to which the highest proportion of US respondents agreed relative to the other four nations, again revealing a more patriotic attitude overall.
So again, I'd say American culture is largely based around its emphasis on individualism and patriotism, even relative to the rest of Western Civilization. And in this respect, when I am patriotic or proud of my country, that's not a sentiment I hold out of some misplaced sense of superiority to individuals from other countries, but a sentiment I hold out of a well earned respect for American culture and the sacrifices and labor of generations past to bring my nation to the point it's at now.
__________________
Shadilay my brothers and sisters. With any luck we will throw off the shackles of normie oppression. We have nothing to lose but our chains! Praise Kek!
THE MOTTO IS "IN KEK WE TRUST"
I'd say American culture is largely based around its emphasis on individualism and patriotism, even relative to the rest of Western Civilization. And in this respect, when I am patriotic or proud of my country, that's not a sentiment I hold out of some misplaced sense of superiority to individuals from other countries, but a sentiment I hold out of a well earned respect for American culture and the sacrifices and labor of generations past to bring my nation to the point it's at now.
Thats the last paragraph of Emerordmb's wall of text, which no one's going to actually read.
It summed up my feelings on the thread subject pretty well.
Gender: Male Location: The Proud Nation of Kekistan
Appreciate the agreement and compliment there.
Also is that Doctor Gravity in your sig?
__________________
Shadilay my brothers and sisters. With any luck we will throw off the shackles of normie oppression. We have nothing to lose but our chains! Praise Kek!
THE MOTTO IS "IN KEK WE TRUST"
Gender: Female Location: Poppin Pills on the Rainbow Bridge
You all are awfully wordy for such a simple premise.
When I ask what is american culture im referring moreso to traditions. Like what it makes an American an American? Like at one point in time when i envisioned home i always thought about white picket fences and little houses with manicure lawns. Bbq grills, muscle cars etc.
That's sort of the 1950's version of American culture.
In general, I think DMB's emphasis on individuality is a big part of it. There's a sort of pioneering spirit that has always embodied the image of what it meant to be an American. When the country was founded, it was just a collection of different colonies with no real nationality or history binding them together. So then the European immigrants that later flooded the country saw it as a land of opportunity where you could potentially make a better life for yourself.
But it was of course always a country for white people. The "nation of immigrants" mantra that we have now always applied... but for the majority of the country's history is was primarily a "nation of white immigrants." The idea of truly embracing any sort of multiculturalism is pretty recent. Even in that 1950's white picket fence version of America, that was pretty much an explicitly white version of what life in America was supposed to be like.
Gender: Male Location: The Proud Nation of Kekistan
Says the guy from the UK.
__________________
Shadilay my brothers and sisters. With any luck we will throw off the shackles of normie oppression. We have nothing to lose but our chains! Praise Kek!
THE MOTTO IS "IN KEK WE TRUST"
Within 5-10 years we might potentially have a way to take care of the fat problem at least.
__________________ Chicken Boo, what's the matter with you? You don't act like the other chickens do. You wear a disguise to look like human guys, but you're not a man you're a Chicken Boo.
I dunno, but you guys are responsible for blues (and thus rock and roll), much of the techniques and practices employed in filmmaking, and a whole lot of modernist and post-modernist literature, so you're a-OK with me.
__________________ Chicken Boo, what's the matter with you? You don't act like the other chickens do. You wear a disguise to look like human guys, but you're not a man you're a Chicken Boo.
KMC Community Forums
Jan 14th, 2018 05:08 AM
Official pimp of Steverules 
