American Culture is a Buffet

With the luxury of the world getting smaller due to technology and social media I have the opportunity to learn about other cultures better than a book or documentary describes. I myself am American, a Michigander, and central lower Michigan to be exact. While many cultures are more straightforward about what they present in identity I always go back to the question of "what is my culture?". On the surface it seems to be a lot of complaining, consuming and entertainment. But of course it goes deeper than that. 

Watching some videos on Youtube of foreign students speaking about what they see, it was very enlightening. Especially the concept of hugging one another. I will make no apologies, if I care about someone male or female and I have not seen them in some time or will not see them for some time I will give you a crushing bear hug. It is a physical way for me to show you what you mean to me. And apparently we put cheese on everything. I am not complaining. A burger isn't a burger without some good pepperjack.

The common thread was that no one could actually define our culture, so I will sum it up for everyone. We have used the phrase "America is a melting pot" for most of our history. America is more like a buffet. Each example is a metaphor for music, food, sports, language, careers, family and friend interaction, individual identity and whatever else makes a culture a culture.

Think of your favorite buffet restaurant. Most of the time it has Asian culture as a presentation, but we can use the steaming items we eat as a way to describe American culture.
You have:
-Options. Asian foods, Mexican foods, desserts of French influence, the fried goodies of the Scots, it's all there. Just like America. And with those options you will:
-Enjoy some and not the others. You might get addicted to one or two, and be totally disgusted with one or two. You might embrace the whole menu, or be really really picky.
 -You might go there with family or go by yourself. In either case, your plate will be unique to your individual tastes. And you might get disgusted with someone else's tastes or even how they act at the table. The tastes of your one self, and the group around you set that standard.
 -If some "higher up" comes around and starts changing or removing items, we will get angry. This is a metaphor for politics. We like it when things run smooth and we have what we need, but start changing things beyond our suggestions and you're going to get some angry customers.
 -It brings people of all social classes together in some respects. Middle class and low class both eat there. And of course make fun of one another.

"Melting Pot" as a term suggests everyone comes out the same in the end, yet we rarely do. America, the land of immigrants, would be a very boring place if it were not. Our diversity IS our culture. I'm going up for a second plate now, brb.

The Day We Fight Back.

Entertainment Early 2014

Things that usually suck that havent thus far ('cept Sochi):

Grammy's: Comment Pending    #hesitationmarks
Super Bowl: Comment Pending  #ST:TNG:FAMILY
Sochi Olympics: is it time to put the hardhats on?  Comment Pending. 

Soviet Space Program

One thing that really hits the hammer to the nail when you learn about this culture (Russia 1917-1991) you grow more and more aware of how cold this system was.  The stories of plain volunteer firefighters marching in to fight the Chernobyl fires was a blatant indicator of a political system that would throw its own people into the breach to keep the will of the system going.  Exploring the space program the Soviet Union managed, stories like this are common as well. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z_m7onLw74

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWumRGO1420

Ridin' The Storm Out

Lets just sit back and pull the last few weeks together here. News sources are best when you take account all of them and what they have the ability to show. Today, with the ice storm in the southern states and especially Georgia, so much focus can be lost with one major event that its easy to not notice others of various significance.

Last night was President Obama's fifth state of the union address. The Weather Channel is reporting drought in California, and it seems like a complete shift in attention from the recent string of gun violence that has been taking place in America. And did anyone catch a little snippet here or there that the Fukashima power plant in Japan has not been attended to properly since the accident two years ago.  That radioactive material has to float somewhere right? 

If it's one thing this nation is good at is being distracted easily.  I also expect later tonight when I sit through the state of the union address I won't hear much about the mechanics of how the presidents or anyone's plan is actually going to work.  It will be more elaborate promises to boost the self-esteem and confidence in a weary population.  Well, at least those who bother enough to listen. I would really would take him more seriously if he was still smoking newports. 

Olympics and Terrorism

In two weeks the 2014 Winter Olympics will begin in Sochi, Russia and it seems there's problems already with security issues. Two suicide bombs have gone off with dozens of casualties already, and Russian authorities have issued warnings in the last two days of female suicide bombers who might try to disrupt the games. The country and the area are on high alert and even navy carriers and airbases in nearby countries are on the guard for trouble. This time around its apparent.

Terrorism has not quelled in the past few years. Here in America there has been a steady flow of violent events ranging from religious fanaticism of the Boston Marathon bombings, but a growing number of domestic related violence. Schools, theaters, and malls are turning out to be just as dangerous home as they are in other parts of the world. Even today, there was an incident at Perdue University, which is still under investigation.

Widespread violence like this has gotten to be so commonplace most people just regard it with apathetic sympathy and never speak of it again. However with the target of the Olympic games in an area that is very close to the middle east, its no surprise that at least one individual would take a crack at disruption. There is large groups of people around enjoying a symbol of the western world in which they are fighting against. And it just FEELS like these morons want another spectacular display of there destruction.

The Olympic games have been a tradition dating back to antiquity and revived in Greece in 1896. The games themselves represent a unity of nations to compete in agreed upon games with agreed upon rules. Athletes train and attend the games as ambassadors of their home nations, and at times the worldview of that nation is judged by there performance and public sportsmanship. Although not every nation on earth is represented there, the vast majority of cultures that exist come together without incident. Even in 1938 when the games were hosted in Nazi Germany there was a sense of respectfulness that everyone (as best they could given a 1938 way of thinking)heeded to.

They way terrorists work now is with an immense disrespect for such events as this. Not as a symbol of peaceful competition but as a way to hurt people for not sharing there singular worldview. And they are just a small handful of people. Of course now it feels like Russia itself is turning the situation into a police state.