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With the 4th of July approaching, let's talk American. There are a lot of people who are dissing America and Americans - and honestly, they have a lot of material with which to work. Most of that material, however, is being generated by only a small portion of Americans. But that's not what I want to talk about.
Let's start with ethnicity. That's been big in the news about immigration issues and race relations and all of that. What always amazes me in these discussions is that I've never actually seen anyone say, simply, "I'm an American." It always has to be qualified, as if being American isn't good, they have to drag their ancestors' roots into it. "I'm an Irish-American" or "I'm a German American" or "I'm an African-American" or "I'm an Italian-American." No one's apparently an American anymore.
That's not true. I'm an American. When the Census came out and it asked what ethnicity I was, I proudly wrote down that I was "Other" and listed "American" as the "Other" that I was - because there was no checkbox for "America." I found it rather strange that "American" wasn't listed as an ethnic choice on an American Census form, but I took care of the matter in the American Way.
When I speak to friends and acquaintances about food, we talk of Chinese Cuisine and French Cuisine and German Cuisine and British Cuisine and Lebanese Cuisine. They all laugh and tell me there is no "American Cuisine". But there is. It's a smash-up of all the favorite dishes and comfort foods of every immigrant who came to America and met and married someone of some other ancestral ethnicity and their family dishes merged. American Cuisine is a fusion, a melting pot, of all the cuisines of the world, spiced and altered by American minds and tastebuds until it became uniquely ours - stir-fries, wraps (formerly burritos), sandwiches, iced tea, and more. So much more.
We have a delicious and varied American Cuisine.
Others lament that we either don't have an American Culture, or that "they" are taking our culture away from us. Which is it, people? You really can't claim both. Although we can claim the reverse. We do have an American Culture, and no one can ever take that away from us. What is our culture? Individualism is the finest manifestation of American Culture, from border to border. America's a big country. There's room for us to be individuals, even if we live in cookie cutter houses set in cookie cutter neighborhoods. The differences may be subtle - the color of paint, the choice of plants, the way we decorate our domiciles. Our individualism pops out in little ways everywhere. Our culture can't even be called "eclectic", it's too individualistic for that. And yet, as individualistic as we are, Americans are clannish. We reach out to help one another, casually, just because they need it and we can. Americans are generous - with others and with themselves. Americans are kind - with others, but not always with themselves. Americans act, or want to act if they just knew what to do, and will pour out whatever help they can in the meantime.
That is the American Culture. It grew out of the American Dream.
America is the only country with a proclaimed "Dream" - the American Dream. The true American Dream, stripped of the media spin and gloss, isn't about Things like cars and houses and electronics (even though it often looks that way). It's about individuals, each able to strife for their personal dreams without artificial barriers placed in their way, for each life to be as rich and full as possible. It's not about keeping up with the Joneses or getting the newest latest techie toy; it's more about creating the newest techie toy. It's about living one's life without a lot of outside control - other people telling them what they can and can't buy, where they can and can't live, where they can and can't vacation or visit, how they can and can't live. That, ultimately, is the American Dream, to be free of authoritative control and free to pursue one's inner dreams.
America has a lot going for it, if we'd just stop suppressing what makes us great - our individualism, our dreams, our risk-taking and experimentation, our innovation, our freedom.
Don't buy into the media's depiction of us, and certainly don't accept our politicians' view of us - both of them are vested in profiting off of depicting us as stupid, incompetent, and incapable.
If you're a US citizen (born or naturalized), when the next Census comes around, forget about all those checkboxes asking about your ethnicity. You are American. That's what your ethnicity is.
And this weekend? Revel in being American. Fly our flag, sing our songs, enjoy our huge variety of American foods, and play those wonderful American games.
Me, I'm going to grill bulgogi and veggies, and eat sno-cones and drink sweet iced tea while barefooting it in sweat pants and a T-shirt and playing the greatest American game of all - D&D. After dark, I'll climb up on the roof with a bag of chips and dip and watch the fireworks from the 3 cities and the State Fairgrounds that are all visible from my house.
I'll do my best to make sure my descendants enjoy life as much as I do because I am an American.
It's good to be American.
Let's start with ethnicity. That's been big in the news about immigration issues and race relations and all of that. What always amazes me in these discussions is that I've never actually seen anyone say, simply, "I'm an American." It always has to be qualified, as if being American isn't good, they have to drag their ancestors' roots into it. "I'm an Irish-American" or "I'm a German American" or "I'm an African-American" or "I'm an Italian-American." No one's apparently an American anymore.
That's not true. I'm an American. When the Census came out and it asked what ethnicity I was, I proudly wrote down that I was "Other" and listed "American" as the "Other" that I was - because there was no checkbox for "America." I found it rather strange that "American" wasn't listed as an ethnic choice on an American Census form, but I took care of the matter in the American Way.
When I speak to friends and acquaintances about food, we talk of Chinese Cuisine and French Cuisine and German Cuisine and British Cuisine and Lebanese Cuisine. They all laugh and tell me there is no "American Cuisine". But there is. It's a smash-up of all the favorite dishes and comfort foods of every immigrant who came to America and met and married someone of some other ancestral ethnicity and their family dishes merged. American Cuisine is a fusion, a melting pot, of all the cuisines of the world, spiced and altered by American minds and tastebuds until it became uniquely ours - stir-fries, wraps (formerly burritos), sandwiches, iced tea, and more. So much more.
We have a delicious and varied American Cuisine.
Others lament that we either don't have an American Culture, or that "they" are taking our culture away from us. Which is it, people? You really can't claim both. Although we can claim the reverse. We do have an American Culture, and no one can ever take that away from us. What is our culture? Individualism is the finest manifestation of American Culture, from border to border. America's a big country. There's room for us to be individuals, even if we live in cookie cutter houses set in cookie cutter neighborhoods. The differences may be subtle - the color of paint, the choice of plants, the way we decorate our domiciles. Our individualism pops out in little ways everywhere. Our culture can't even be called "eclectic", it's too individualistic for that. And yet, as individualistic as we are, Americans are clannish. We reach out to help one another, casually, just because they need it and we can. Americans are generous - with others and with themselves. Americans are kind - with others, but not always with themselves. Americans act, or want to act if they just knew what to do, and will pour out whatever help they can in the meantime.
That is the American Culture. It grew out of the American Dream.
America is the only country with a proclaimed "Dream" - the American Dream. The true American Dream, stripped of the media spin and gloss, isn't about Things like cars and houses and electronics (even though it often looks that way). It's about individuals, each able to strife for their personal dreams without artificial barriers placed in their way, for each life to be as rich and full as possible. It's not about keeping up with the Joneses or getting the newest latest techie toy; it's more about creating the newest techie toy. It's about living one's life without a lot of outside control - other people telling them what they can and can't buy, where they can and can't live, where they can and can't vacation or visit, how they can and can't live. That, ultimately, is the American Dream, to be free of authoritative control and free to pursue one's inner dreams.
America has a lot going for it, if we'd just stop suppressing what makes us great - our individualism, our dreams, our risk-taking and experimentation, our innovation, our freedom.
Don't buy into the media's depiction of us, and certainly don't accept our politicians' view of us - both of them are vested in profiting off of depicting us as stupid, incompetent, and incapable.
If you're a US citizen (born or naturalized), when the next Census comes around, forget about all those checkboxes asking about your ethnicity. You are American. That's what your ethnicity is.
And this weekend? Revel in being American. Fly our flag, sing our songs, enjoy our huge variety of American foods, and play those wonderful American games.
Me, I'm going to grill bulgogi and veggies, and eat sno-cones and drink sweet iced tea while barefooting it in sweat pants and a T-shirt and playing the greatest American game of all - D&D. After dark, I'll climb up on the roof with a bag of chips and dip and watch the fireworks from the 3 cities and the State Fairgrounds that are all visible from my house.
I'll do my best to make sure my descendants enjoy life as much as I do because I am an American.
It's good to be American.