In the United States, pharmaciesthe closest things we have to chemistsdouble as convenience stores, with aisles upon aisles of food, cleaning supplies, and even makeup products. I read on several different forum sites how things such as the pledge of allegiance and how our flag is plastered everywhere you go is quite strange to outsiders. The Greek term "ethno" refers to people, and "graphy" refers to writing. Supersizing Food. Through this exercise, students hopefully see both their own and other cultures in a new light one that understands how we are all so embedded in a culture that it is difficult not to see dramatically different rituals as exotic or weird. Included 600 grams of cheese. Americans love their free refills. They were floored (and clogged probably) -- Marcvsgrippa, Pumpkin flavored things, pumpkin is a vegetable yet it is always in seasonal items in combination with sweet flavors. They are big and loud and they are in charge of everything." That is curious. People are nice but superficial. My American studies courses here have given me the opportunity to observe America from an outsider's perspective and really get an understanding of what Europeans actually think of us. The biggest thing I found was that non-Americans are almost disgusted by the sheer amount of sugar in almost all our food. 37 Weirdest Customs in American Culture - Unique US Traditions - Redbook Foreigners, on the other hand, aren't even familiar with the concept. To non-Americans the fact that we have a choice of, what kind of bread we want our sandwich on, and what kind of cheese we want on said sandwich, along with what kind of dressing, is just mind blowing. Two Views of Culture: Etic & Emic | Cultural Anthropology - Course Hero Americans go nuts with air conditioning, cranking it up on hot days to the point that you might actually need a sweater. Once they do, everyone admires the tree even more. For example, Miner writes The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. Cultural Insiders & Outsiders Scouring forums and blogs, I found that most found Americans very friendly, caring, welcoming, and open people who live in a geographically diverse nation! It has gone beyond the usual New York-Washington presence of overseas networks, with plans for bureaus in Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Detroit; Los Angeles; Miami; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans; San Francisco; and Seattle. american culture from an outsiders perspective Examine your own culture from an etic (outsider's) perspective and The Outsiders was actually published when the author was only 17 years old. Interpersonal relations among Americans are much more practical, in contrast to the complicated way that we Chinese people treat each other." Here, we're far too busy to waste time, so we have drive-through restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, liquor stores, and more. It is so much work to get a hold of the tree and to decorate it, and it seems very important, yet at the end of the day many of the trees are thrown away. While every region of the United States has its own quirks and identity, there are also certain customs that are commonplace nationwide. I think it comes from two places: sports, and a sense of community. Saysthingsfromabush, In Scotland our equivalents are ceilidhs and in school you just go and f***ing dance. But one thing for sure, they cannot make beer." Foreigners Reveal: 17 Weird Things Americans Do (That We Think - Forbes Anyone can have a good idea, so you could expect the distribution of U.S. patents to resemble the demographics of the workplace. I thought you had to go to a dedicated gun store for that. From our portions to our PTO, here's where we differ from the rest of the world. Americans are nothing if not by the book about the little things, so most foreigners quickly learn that it's wise to keep some form of ID on them at all times if they plan on having a drink. - Knut Braaten, 43, handyman, Oslo, Norway, "Everything in America is high tech!" Figure 1.6. Innovation is widely viewed as an engine of progress not only for driving economic growth, but also for bringing vital improvements in a variety of domains, from science and medicine to inequality and sustainability. - B.S. What is even more confusing is that these items in the boxes are often not kept. There's the American way and then there's everybody else. In America, however, these advertisements are everywhereand unsurprisingly, they confuse foreign visitors. examine your own culture from an etic (outsider's) perspective and An Outsider Looks at Life in America. What is Ethnocentrism? - WorldAtlas For those who are used to a more leisurely meal with little interruption, all of those check-ins and the waiter's eagerness to bring the bill can be a bit grating. The Associated Press sent reporters across the world to ask ordinary people about their views of America. There is some discussion of dolphin infant mortality, but not so much about the issue in America even though it ranks close to the bottom among the advanced economies. To be fair, most Americans don't either. I mean, for the love of our sacredly majestic Bald Eagle, apple pie isnt even American! 33 "Normal" Things in the U.S. That Freak Everyone Else Out - Best Life The etic perspective is data gathering by outsiders that yield questions posed by outsiders. One could almost call them obsessed, as some houses have giant men, white bears, and black and white birds puffed full of air in front of their houses. It has hired big-name stars, including Soledad OBrien and Ali Velshi, from American networks. In this game you can.. American Culture: The Outsider's Perspective. It is especially hard for an outsider to gain access to certain private rituals, which may be important for understanding a culture. For a country that's the center of the global economy, America's currency is pretty dull. has brought about most of the customs and activities. The reality doesn't match the ideal. This extraordinary insight highlights the power that outsiders have, forcing us to see ourselves from an altogether different perspective. But now its not Nigeria or China being looked at like this, but the great superpower by an upstart Arab network, no less. At one moment, she is playing the game while addressing viewers, and, standing before us, begins to beat an innocent man with a golf club: fresh, jarring, thought-provoking television. The way its often described to me is that Americans have a very "open mind", and that we can handle having a lot of different people around, even when we don't agree. The Lost Culture & Practices of the Native Americans: The Navajo paper from an anthropological perspective. In England, the so-called "chemist" is the place you go to for medicine and medical suppliesand that's it. I can imagine that persons evaluation would be something like the following: During this holiday called Christmas, families take great care to ensure that they decorate their houses and various shrubs with wires. In the Final Research Paper, you will examine your own culture from an etic (outsider's) perspective and another culture from an emic (insider's) perspective to demonstrate your understanding of cultural relativism and examine misconceptions and ethnocentric beliefs concerning each of these cultures. By looking at our own cultures as outsiders we can see that we are under the same influence of the power of culture as others are. Some of the answers are pretty hilarious and/or eye-opening. The background. Instead, it's meant as a simple greeting, similar to "Hi there!" Suppose we have two cultures in presence. There are two gangs in this novel, the "greasers", and the "Socs". They are also unified in the sense that the dream isn't really a real thing anymore. America stands out because people recognize merit out there." Consider that it was written directly from the perspective of a teenager - experiencing life and writing about it. when we mean "hello", Carding people who are obviously not under 21, Shopping at pharmacies that are mini shopping malls, And prescription drug makers that advertise, Pronouncing the last letter of the alphabet as "zee". It's the many electronics we have the bridge in San Francisco." PDF Cultural Perspective on African American Culture - ed In many instances, the name of a coin will tell you something about how much it's worth. In addition, for some reason, the tree must be a rather large tree with lots of foliage. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Todd Beer, PhD, is a faculty member in the department of Sociology and Anthropology at Lake Forest College, a wonderful liberal arts college north of Chicago. Many are so flabbergasted by the amount of choices we have in, not only our restaurants, but our grocery stores as well. One of the reasons why we see so much of servers in the States is because they are constantly refilling customers' water glasses. This will make any chill session that much more enjoyable. - Kenni Friis, 28, computer technology student, Copenhagen, Denmark, "They're generous. Why did they not just give them to the people in the first place? After searching the web, I have found a few answers to my questions and quandaries about what makes usus. Due to the individuals moulding as an anthropologist and as a person by society, ethnographies can be clouded by researchers views on subjects as active agents through upbringing, sex . cota main grandstand; chocolate pudding with 2 percent milk -- B_Underscore, A friend came from the UK and he said Wal-mart was the weirdest thing, you could buy 24 rolls of toilet paper and a 12 gauge shotgun in the same store. However, if the commercial itself isn't clear, the long list of side effects the narrator rattles off at the end should at least tip them off. These kind greetings can catch foreigners by surprise, and usually it takes a few "hellos" before they trust that it's not some kind of scam. They have to lift it up and tie it to the top of their vehicle, and then drive very slowly so the tree will not fall off the car. But its way of seeing is foreign, the perspective of the curious outsider for whom nothing is obvious and whose questions are big and nave and, in their navet, important. 1.6: Cultural Relativism - Social Sci LibreTexts -- Countsblink, Made Mac n cheese for my aussie cousins. if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { - Pedro Ivan Gonzalez, 35, juice seller, Havana, "It is a world imperialist power country. Americans can come across as self-interested, aggressive and rude to some outsiders. NACIREMA: UPDATING A CLASSIC TO SEE YOUR OWN CULTURE AS AN OUTSIDER. Shopping malls, meals, people, cars. Native Americans believe that the beating of the drum is a uniting force, bringing together people of different tribes, as well as uniting a person's spirit to their body and mind. An emic view of culture is ultimately a . For inquiring minds, think of our food. It did the same for a story from New Orleans on how murder victims survivors cope with their loss. Although the insight of an outsider can clearly observe another's culture, I do not agree with him or her criticizing it as if it is his or her own country. If even we Americans don't get it, we can't expect anyone else to either. The photo below shows different tools for cleaning ones teeth yes, even the sticks. The reporter, Lori Jane Gliha, made deft use of practiced innocence. you will examine your own culture from an etic (outsider's) perspective This works in making work more enjoyable too. If you want a second soda in a place like Paris, for example, be prepared to dole out some extra cash. But in the U.S., people are happy to just toss their card in a folder with the bill and let the server take it away for swiping. Trick-or-Treating. The greasers live on the east side and are known as "hoods". american culture from an outsiders perspective This one might seem obvious, but what if I told you that having a cup of hot cocoa is more than chocolate powder in warm milk? You have your hot chocolate made, playlist downloaded, movie set and books chosen. Mehta, 34, health insurance agent, New Delhi, "Has a very liberal culture, great people and a country that drives innovation." But to watch Al Jazeera Americas reports is to discover that the truth lies somewhere in between these visions the network as fundamentally foreign versus the network as all-American. - Marren Cahilig, 21, bartender, Manila, Philippines, "It is powerful." Most European travelers expect to place their order and then be done interacting with their server for the remainder of their meal. So that finally, outsiders will feel they belong. Culture, or the environment a person is exposed to, can alter how people behave, along with shaping part of someone's, or their whole, life. They rip up all of the paper covering the boxes, and leave a mess on the floor. They look super fake. The Reddit user NoDownvotesPlease said: "That was the weirdest one for me. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 'Get away!' I screamed." (234) Claudette resists the urge to use wolf like communication to talk to Mirabella to stop chasing her, and instead uses human communication . All Rights Reserved. Few embrace the spread of American culture in the predominantly Muslim nations surveyed, although many Lebanese (41%) do want American ideas and customs. I explained it was a joke, I was from Canada. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. - Gennelyn Escopete, 33, DVD street vendor, Manila, Philippines, "Probably capitalism, but I see it more as freedom that every person can do what he wants, when he wants - true freedom, but it costs a lot I think, and sometimes it brings you lower than takes you higher." We should not ethnocentrically impose our own beliefs and opinions, which are products of our own enculturation. You can describe American culture in general, as Miner does, or you can describe an American subculture, such as a specific geographical group (e.g., New Yorkers), a . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. - Knut Braaten, 43, handyman, Oslo, Norway, "I think there obviously is the American dream, the idea that unifies them all. The more multi-cultural our cities become, the more globalization and hyper-mobility affect our culture, the more it's normal not to be normal. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); Do people of different nationalities and tongues think of our star spangled flag and hyper-patriotism? "hey would you like to come and get bruised with me doing some fast dances to violins?" 2022 Galvanized Media. - Liu Xiaodan, 30, hotel manager, Beijing, "My impression of Americans is that they uncomplicated. Using an etic perspective, we can gain an outsiders view on our cultural practices that we deem "normal" in comparison to other cultures. Obviously (the people) don't have much to do with the government's political decisions but I do think that it is a big, powerful country that has always tried to dominate countries it doesn't favor." Despite the fact that these people are so punctilious, about care of the mouth, this rite involves a practice which strikes the uninitiated stranger as revolting. People also stop and like to gather around the tree and gaze at it. } else { They just don't get the idea of loyalty to the school. But when Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based television empire that has long broadcast to . All the pomp and circumstance surrounding prom, I have cousins who live in the US and just hearing about the number of hoops they had to jump through to ask someone to a dance is hilarious. What am saying, or asking rather, is what makes us American to non-Americans? Whether we're dropping by the post office or shopping for groceries, we Americans are surprisingly comfortable with wearing our clothes typically reserved for bed out in public. Even though winter is ending soon, it does not mean the cold is. For example, 84% of those ages 18 to 29 in Taiwan hold this view . If we ask for a high price, they don't bargain. What we know so far about the Chinese spy balloon and other objects shot down by U.S. How big the country is and the amount of time you guys are willing to drive. And yet the "Ugly American," it would seem, isn't all bad. By the time you've been inside an American establishment in the summertime for just 10 minutes, you'll be freezing cold and eager to get back out into the sweltering sun. They cannot generate these results, because they are based on, and restricted by, the ethnocentric perspective. "It's uncomfortable and I just don't get why," she wrote. 2 - A Chinese Golden Lily Foot by Lai Afong, c1870s. I prefer it here. 8 Things About Americans That Might Surprise Visitors Required fields are marked *. Where unity and selflessness or altruism are valued traits in collectivist cultures, independence and . Insider and Outsider Perspective in Ethnographic Research On my search I was pleasantly surprised to see the opposite view. Especially if you have school work to do, background music can help fill the silence of late night studying. "My one piece of American culinary advice: order the medium," one New Zealander wrote in a piece for Stuff. Baby Showers. She was a happy person, better than my Chinese roommate there were three of us in the room. Lawrence Wetsit misses the days when his people would gather by the hundreds and . Things Americans Do That Seem Just Bizarre to the Outside World Nacirema: Updating a Classic to See Your Own Culture As an Outsider The idea of being self-sufficient is valued highly in the U.S. (PDF) An Outsider's View of an Ancient Culture - ResearchGate First off, there are a variety of flavors, from White Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, Mint, Caramel and the list goes on. Lastly, the best part is the toppings. While New York City famouslynever sleeps, it's not the only city with 24-hour businesses. Therapists say it can damage your connection. I have recently begun thinking about my country and our culture, and wanted to learn more about what exactly makes an American. An etic view of a culture is the perspective of an outsider looking in. Independence. To discover more amazing secrets about living your best life, click hereto follow us on Instagram! Many said they found it to be one of the weirdest things about being in the US. Foot binding was to stop the growth of the foot and make them smaller. How it Feels to be an Outsider: Making Abnormal Normal Flashnewb, many Chinese people do not understand how America can function so "well" since the people here are all so different. DESCRIBE THE COUNTRY AS YOU SEE IT: "The first word that comes to mind when I hear the word America is 'Arrogance.'