JDRAKE
In thinking about which core tenant of US culture I wanted to focus on I landed on an interesting dichotomy. I believe there can be two categories, US culture and American culture. The US culture tends to encapsulate how the world views Urban Americans (upper class) as opposed to middle and lower class Individuals. American culture seems to be rooted in traditions forged in the true birth of our nation as we know it, namely being on the cutting edge of the industrial revolution. There were many additions to the original symbols of freedom founded in 1776 during this time period. Perspectives on land management and the subsequent Southern culture can be traced back to the era of “taming The West” for better or worse and these ideas constitute the majority of the stereotype that Americans have been given.
I am a Florida Boy first and foremost, live in the swamps of the St. Johns, adhere to the barefoot lifestyle, kayak in gator infested waters, the full nine yards. On the other hand, I am also on one of the various lists of academic achievement at my private college that I am able to attend due to generous scholarships, one of the reasons I am writing this blog. That swamp people persona is only a small part of who I am as an individual even though it’s where most people I come into contact draw the line.
The assumption that I am a crazy Florida native can tend to limit the quality of my interpersonal interaction because instead of hearing “in touch with nature” and “Environmentally aware” which, I believe are core aspects of being a true Floridian, people assume “crazy person.” This is due to the fact that as a whole the state government has done some questionable things with the environment that the majority of citizens that are aware, tend to resent Tallahassee for. The politics along with the news stories that my home state generates on a nigh hourly basis, have made Floridians the butt of the joke. While I have no issue with the Floridian jokes (cause let’s be honest most of them apply to me) this is the exact same thing happening with how the world views US Citizens, the media we produce and the choices our government make negatively impact our experiences abroad.
The cowboy character that is pervasive throughout our entertainment, models the ideal US Citizen as a risk taker, the bigger the risk the bigger the reward as far as our culture and market is concerned, making Americans out to be reckless, irresponsible, brash even. Understanding that I have an uphill battle when engaging with individuals abroad is pushing me to be a good global citizen and mindful of the customs and my surroundings.