White American culture is the common culture, the common ways and set of understandings, of white Americans. For the most part it is the same thing as Anglo-American culture, which takes in English-speaking Canada.
White people in America are all different. They have different experiences and backgrounds, they think and act for themselves. They are not living stereotypes or slaves to their culture.
But that said, most whites still share a common culture. It is what you see on television, what is taught in school. It is why white suburbs are so much alike from city to city.
That common culture is way way more white than black, more Anglo than Latin, more Protestant than Catholic, Muslim or Jewish.
I know most white Americans are made uneasy by calling anything “white”. It sounds so skinhead. It goes against their colour-blind racism. But the fact is white Americans share a common culture that is different than black American culture. Racism lies at the heart of that culture. It is important to see that. Trying to pretty it up helps no one. So it is not just American culture, but white American culture.
It is also different than white British or white Australian culture. So it is not just white but white American.
Here are some of the features of White American culture. Again, keep in mind that not every white person follows all of this. And again, many of these things will be found in other cultures, especially British and Black American culture, its closest cousins:
- language: American Standard English. Stiff, long-winded, impersonal.
- religion: a private affair, but mainly Protestant and Bible-based.
- weights and measure: English, some metric.
- law: common law from England based on precedent; trial by jury; no man should be above the law.
- government: democracy, presidents.
- freedom: makes society stronger and richer, not weaker.
- the future: what you make it.
- music: rock, country, gangsta rap, swing.
- dress: blue jeans, dressing down.
- cows: for meat, milk, leather.
- pigs: eaten.
- dogs: loved, not allowed to run loose, almost seen as one of the family.
- diet: cows, pigs, chicken, turkey, wheat, maize, potato, sugar, cow’s milk, beer, chicken eggs.
- breasts: not commonly bared in magazines or in public.
- beards: rare.
- books: rarely read after age 25.
- poverty: a moral failing.
- wealth: worshipped.
- intelligence: looked down upon: geeks and nerds.
- race: colour-blind racism: lip service is given to colour-blind equality, but in practice whites are seen as better than blacks and their lives matter more.
- homosexuals: accepted to the degree that same-sex marriage is now a matter of debate.
- female beauty: white-skinned, thin, long yellow hair, big breasts, empty blue eyes.
- drink: beer common among men but not allowed for children.
- coffee or tea?: coffee since the 1920s.
- sports: an important part of life; baseball, American football, basketball, ice hockey, golf, tennis.
- family: parents with young children; divorce common; personal desires over family.
- parents: try to be friends with their children; avoid physical punishment.
- managers: try to be friends with their employees.
See also:
- Do whites have a culture?
- Jennifer Smith – the completely average American
- About different features:
- England
- A Guide to Anglos
Having a culture doesn’t mean that you are hampered by it, on the contrary every culture has the power to evolve and transform by itself,for example, the french are different than the french from 1000 years ago, still you can tell that there are french traits in their architecture, their language, their ideology, their way of thinking, if the french hadn’t evolved there wouldn’t be a declaration of the rights of the man, they still would be ruled by a monarchy. Individualism isn’t opposed by Culture nor the other way around, neither is creativity
Actually having a culture you call your own makes you look back at the history of your culture and not making the same mistakes or correct what was wrong in the first place. (why many french scoff at the word monarchy?)
Bye the way I love Jimmy Hendrix too, without him Rock music wouldn’t be the same
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Interesting assessment.
But still…I don’t believe that there is a white American culture. Not an uniform one, at least. To be white in America is to be “raceless”. There is no distinct culture affilations. Any perceived ones just come across as stereotyped ideas based on numerous observations or perconcieved notions.
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To be white in America is to think of yourself as having no race and yet all the while enjoying the benefits of being white.
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If one is willing to stretch the definitional boundaries of a word or term, almost anything is possible. I’m reminded of the absurd trope often heard in the 1970’s to the effect that black Americans could not be “racist” because they lacked the economic power to inflict large scale harm on another race. Right.
Agabond conflates the notion of a (somewhat inaccurate) list of purported shared behaviors with “culture.” Culture requires more. Otherwise, we could say that all humans share a culture; after all, we all walk upright on two feet, we speak to one another with verbal languages, we create and use tools, and we generally figure out ways to coif our hair.
The notion of culture requires a structure within which a combination of language/dialect, manner of dress, manner of behavior, diet, etc. acquire symbolic meaning that creates a sort of extended kinship which is mutually recognized among those who share it.
White America is far too vast and polyglot to be said to have a culture. There are certainly some strongly infused cultures within white America. For example, a white American from California attempting to move into the state of Maine would encounter there a strong cultural self-identification amongst Mainers that includes, among other things, a stubborn refusal to admit outsiders. One can find a similar exclusionary pressure in Hawaii vs. Haolis, or in Pacific Northwest states.
Jews, especially in the greater East Coast New York megalopolis area, harbor a culture that is so strongly and deeply infused that it is often (falsely, in my opinion) referred to as a race.
Areas of the south, with their regional dialects and belief systems, evidence a similar cultural bond. A Yankee like me crossing the Alabama border on a rural highway would have good reason to fear getting waylayed and beaten up by some ‘Bama Jethroes just because I’m an outsider there. Even Agabond, witnessing my beating, would be hard pressed to maintain his fallacious assertion that my assailants and I share the same “culture.”
Among motorcyclists, you will notice that they generally wave to one another when passing in opposite directions on the roadway. There is a bit of a shared cultural identification among motorcyclists. Bikers at restaurants or parking lots will approach one another in a spirit of kinship forged from facing a shared menu of dangers on the roadway. Interestingly, there is even a sub-cultural divide here — Harley riders who refuse to wave to riders on Japanese bikes, especially replica-racers (so-called “crotch rockets”): “I don’t wave to rice,” they will snarl.
On college campuses all around the nation one can observe small groups of people, mostly skinny white guys, dressed in neo-hippy garb, kicking a hacky-sack. A similarly dressed stranger can “hack in” to such a group and instantly find a group of friends, as well as a party that evening that will likely include the use of X and a DJ playing hypnotic rave style music or a jam band in the vein of Phish.
These are just a few of many cultures that exist within America, some defined by geography, some by religion, some by shared lifestyle choices. A similar mutually shared culture exists among many black Americans. One often sees black strangers greet one another with the honorific “Brother” or “Sister,” an indicator of this culture. It is this sense of “culture” that whites refer to when stating that they themselves do not have a culture and rue its absence.
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Are Jewish People White?
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Wow – lets see how I stack up
language: American Standard English, however I was raised in a household with no TV and we read the complete shakesphere works each nigt, each taking a part and reading it allowed. Often, despite my californian accent, people think I am Irish – even people from ireland, because they say my speech has a melodic feel to it.
religion: Protestant and Bible-based.
weights and measure: English, some metric.
law: – I am only member in family who was not a police officer at some point
government: democracy, presidents.
freedom: Favorite quote from Ben Franklin – those willing to sacrifice Freedome for security, deserve neither (to paraphrase)
the future: what you make it.
music: rock, country, gangsta rap, swing.
dress: blue jeans, dressing down. – dress up for church, and for occasions that call for it
cows: for meat, milk, leather. – and deer, I hunt extensively
pigs: eaten. – yep
dogs: loved, not allowed to run loose, however they are animals, not people
diet: cows, pigs, chicken, turkey, wheat, maize, potato, sugar, cow’s milk, beer, chicken eggs, deer, moose, beer (all yummy)
breasts: not commonly bared in magazines or in public – hmmm, Mine are great, but yay, don’t show em
beards: I hope not! But my husband wears one
books: I read extensively, prefer it to TV
poverty: a moral failing – sometimes, sometimes its just life
wealth: over rated
intelligence: Looked Up and incouraged (all forms, not just book smarts)
race: Everyone is judged by their actions, not skin color
homosexuals: accepted to the degree that same-sex marriage is now a matter of debate.
female beauty: Beauty to me is more about the person and how they hold themselves
drink: Jose Cuervo, Jimmy Walker, Jack Daniels and Jim Beam are some of my favorite men
coffee or tea?: coffee please, or more accurately, 6 shots of esspresso over ice several times a day
sports: ehh – I like to be active but wont watch it…prefer to do
family: Family is important, divorice not an option, children come before personal desires
parents: My job is to race contributing members of society…I am not my kids friend…I am their parent – and my three sons need a kick start upside the head at least once a day.
managers: I understand tht the company is in business to make money – not give me a job
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damn – typo city above, thats what happens when I multi-task
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To Blanc2 above- about motorcyclists…
“Harley riders who refuse to wave to riders on Japanese bikes, especially replica-racers (so-called “crotch rockets”): “I don’t wave to rice,” they will snarl.” THis is a BIG generalization.
My husband rides a custom harley type bike and a crotch rocket…We have gone on many hog rides where all types of bikes participate.
And I do have to say the grungie skinny long haired artsy pseudo intellectual waiter down the street has annoyed me from the moment I ment him (and his “type” useally do) and city yuppie types and I have little in common. I could walk up to a group of black people on the street and fit in better than with a group yuppie types.
Common interests I think define a group more than skin color.
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Are Jewish People White?
Yes, they are. “White” is simply a convenient shorthand for the “American of European descent”.
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Common interests I think define a group more than skin color.
True enough, but race is not reducible to the trivial notion of “skin color”. Race is a material basis of culture (statistically speaking).
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nonserviam, welcome back!
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@ nonserviam: As Karen Brodkin explains very well, American Jews did become white, especially after taking part in the “largest affirmative action plan in U.S. history,” the GI Bill (enjoyed mostly by white men and their families). But not all became white–don’t forget the Sephardic ones.
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These are just a few of many cultures that exist within America, some defined by geography, some by religion, some by shared lifestyle choices.
Again, true enough, but not all subcultures are created equal, so to speak. White America is indeed very heterogenous, and is mostly in denial about her cultural commonality and its basis, but that doesn’t mean this shared basis doesn’t (or shouldn’t) exist.
Furthermore, given the present trends, that denial is a luxury Euro-Americans may not be able to afford for much longer. The sooner they recognize themselves as a distinct entity and act in their common interests, the better.
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Thank you, abagond.
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nonserviam –
“Furthermore, given the present trends, that denial is a luxury Euro-Americans may not be able to afford for much longer. The sooner they recognize themselves as a distinct entity and act in their common interests, the better.”
what do you mean?
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Davida:
According to the latest census, whites are destined to become a minority in America by 2042 (eight years earlier than previously estimated). There is nothing “natural” or unavoidable about this trend, it has been brought about by the mass non-white immigration, both legal and illegal.
We are becoming a minority in our own country (disclaimer: I am a first-generation immigrant). Do you think that is a good status to have?
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hmm – Illegal immagration is a problem because we lose conrol of who is in and out. Same reason why I lock my calendar in outlook so people in my office cant invite themselves to a meeting I control. Legal immigration – I dont mind. In fact, I think first generation americans are much closer to the values that america is about than spoiled kids who have no idea why their ancestors wanted to come here.
Mixing of races – I dont mind and I do think its natural. Children should be a product of love – not part of an effort to maintain the genetic pool. And my nieces and nephews are evidence of this.
My mothers family has been here since the Bevis sailed to the US in 1638…and before that if you include her great grandmother who was an american indian.
My fathers family came to the US just before WW1, from germany (he says Prussia).
My first 13 years of life were spent in a tiny southern california town where the only non white people where the migrant workers. Literally 95% of our school was white.
I then moved to san francisco where I saw my first black person in real life. In my junior high and highschool in SF, I was the minorty. Not only was I one of the few white people, and i mean we really were the minority, but I was the only white person in my grade that wasnt either part italien or part irish or both.
I have lived in a place that is both ends of your time line and frankly, see no problems with a country filled with people from all over the world.
I have to say that the phrase “our own country” to me is inaccurate. Anyone who values american values – and I mean the original settlers values – freedom of religion, taxation with out representation, right to persue the ownership of property (T Jeffersons orignal phrase later replace by pursuit of happiness). Give me your tired, your poor, your needy…not your white upper class who play softball.
As long as Americans continues to value those things – i dont care what their racial heritage is. American as apple pie, with curry for dinner and rice and beans for lunch.
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nonserviam, you said:
We are becoming a minority in our own country (disclaimer: I am a first-generation immigrant). Do you think that is a good status to have?
Many of us have lived as a minority in our country our whole lives. It would be best if no one was in the majority.
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Anyone who values american values – and I mean the original settlers values – freedom of religion, taxation with out representation, right to persue the ownership of property (T Jeffersons orignal phrase later replace by pursuit of happiness).
These values are rooted in a particular culture of a particular people that spawned them. While individuals of any ethnic and racial background can and have successfully assimilated, that becomes much more problematic for large masses thereof: “numbers are of the essence. (Furhtermore, assimilation is not irreversible, as irredentism among some second- and thrid-generation immigrants shows.)
Without culturally confident European-American majority, European-American values cannot be sustained. As simple and devastating as that.
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Many of us have lived as a minority in our country our whole lives. It would be best if no one was in the majority.
I beg to differ. Such a situation is inherently unstable and results in the Hobbesian free-for-all, until someone comes out on top. And that someone is likely not to share the whites’ delusional pieties.
Ironically, while the white racial guilt over slavery and subsequent mistreatment of blacks is a spiritual source of our national suicide, black Americans may fare even worse than white ones under its consequences. If the current race war on the streets of LA is any indication.
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Mixing of races – I dont mind
Neither do I. I would certainly oppose any legislative intrusion in this area. And nature indeed decides whether it happens or not.
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After thinking about american values – I think their root is not in EU Caucasin values but judaeo-christian roots. It was the jewish culture that first said that you must treat women a certain way, and slaves a certain way. And the emergance of christianiaty from judism furthered that. The signers of the bill of rights and the decleration of the independence were god fearing men and alot of the basic ideas came from this judaeo-christian root.
If I stopped and read this through I think I could explain what I mean better (the whole my boss is paying me to work right now thing).
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Oh – I ment to add – Soviet Russia was not a christian culture, but a “white” culture and they do not share the values Americans do – at least as a culture.
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What we think of as American values come from England, but not just any part of England but from the middle-class Puritans of East Anglia in the 1600s, taking root in New England.
People who came to America from other parts of England did not fully share those values. That is what led to the civil war.
Those values are way stronger than nonserviam seems to give them credit for.
Most Americans are no longer English by blood, but the values are still with us. Particularly in New England – despite, please note, the huge numbers of Irish, Italians and French Canadians who came to live there – almost none of them Puritan, English or middle-class but mostly all working-class Catholics.
Not only are American values not just an English thing or a Puritan thing or a middle class thing, they are not even just a white thing or a Christian thing. They have been strengthened greatly during the 1950s and 1960s by both Jews and blacks who saw in those values protection for themselves.
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I think I get what your saying. I have never visited New England (acutally have only been out of california a handful of times, las vegas, montana and texas) but when people come to sunday lunch at my parents house…they walk away feeling as if they have experienced a Norman Rockwell painting…one with two biracial couples and 4 mixed race grand kids, 2 blonde and blue grandkids, Our friends from indian and the korean pastor and his family… but none the less a rockwell painting.
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Davida:
Judeo-Christian and Graeco-Roman (i.e. Classical) traditions are the twin pillars of what we have come to regard as Western, and specifcally American, values.
Russian culture is not Western in that sense, despite having been influenced by it. Indeed, today’s Russia exhibits many of the pathologies commonly found in the third (i.e. non-white) world: lawlessness, universal corruption, tyrannical and kleptocratic goverment, rampant violent crime etc. However, most Russian immigrants successfully and virtually seamlessly integrate into the framework of white America within a single generation. Which demonstrates, for me, the material reality of the white race.
And so does the fact that most white Americans today are not of the English or even Northern European origin. (Some argue that the Scots-Irish constitute the backbone of traditional America — while I happily concede to them that status, I am not interested in the “who’s the whitest shade of white” game.) Ideally, the “in-group” would incorporate the entire humanity. But in reality, however we might wish it to be otherwise (and I do wish it, believe it or not), some groups are simply not assimilable at their current stage of cultural evolution.
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I understand what your saying – and intellecutally agree with you. But at the same time(my husband would say I am naive) but I continually try and hope for the best and try and see the best in everyone. I want the world be be balanced and open and accepting of everyone.
This often results in my being betrayed by the trust I place in people. But I refuse to change who I am because that means I would let the bad parts of humanity change me. My husband on the other hand is jaded and bitter and is pretty sure everyone is going to betray him (except me)…so it all balances out I guess.
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books: rarely read after age 25.
poverty: a moral failing.
wealth: worshipped
Abagond you killed me with the three above.
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I think the book thing is inaccurate…I started a book sharing group and found lots of people who read as much as I do.
I will say – husband didnt grow up in a family that reads much.
I joke that we come from two different type of families
I come from a wheat bread, butter, whole milk, real cheese, real maple syrup, real peanut butter (has to be stirred) family
and he comes from a white bread, margirine, non fat milk, american cheese, fake syrup with chemicals and jiffy peanut butter family.
In our house we have wheat for me, white for hubby and kids, real butter, 2% milk, real cheese and fake cheese, both syrups, and alas fake pb, but real jam.
Perhaps you can define the different types of cultures by the type of food choices they make.
We ate the same thing growing up, but slightly different…My lasagna is made with ricota cheese, and my sis in laws – with cottage cheese.
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The numbers on American book reading are pretty shocking. They go something like this:
Half the books you see in a bookstore will never be sold. And of those that are, most will not be read beyond page 15. Some Americans are big book readers, but most do not read books after they get out of school. Even among those with a university degree, 40% do not read another book after they get their degree.
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Just because white Americans can be divided into subcultures, that does not mean they do not share a common culture. And they do not have to see that overarching common culture for it to be there.
In Roman times I am sure the Romans in Spain were different from those in Illyria or Gaul or Italy. Those who lived on the frontier were probably more German in their ways than those in Rome. The rich were probably more Greek in their ways than the poor. They did not all worship the same gods. And so on. And yet, despite all that, it is still useful to speak of a common, overarching Roman culture, one that has had a profound effect on the West.
In that sense white America does have a common culture and it is useful to speak about it. But if you live inside of white America it might be hard to see it.
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Macon D: Thanks for the book recommendation (Karen Brodkin – how the Jews became white and what that says about race in America).
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One measure of the extent to which a people share a culture is whether, and how, two strangers will greet one another should they happen to meet by chance in a place foreign to both of them. Two black Americans, bumping into one another in Rome, are likely to at least make eye contact and acknowledge one another, and might very likely speak, using the honorific “Brother” or “Sister.” Two white Americans, bumping into one another in the same circumstance, are very likely not going to acknowledge one another at all. There is no kinship.
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My wife pointed that out too – in Rome! But then I said that even back in America whites are not all that friendly to each other in public. It is not because whites are unfriendly people, it is just a part of their culture!
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Davida: that is interesting, applying the list to yourself to see how you are the same or different.
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I hate that part of my culture.
I always make a point of looking a person in the eye and smiling at them as I walk dow the street. I make small comments about having a nice day, thats a lovely shirt etc if I am standing in line with people. I saw a women running the other day and I told her to keep up the good work. I think people think I am nuts. They react very uncomfortable around me. White and Asian people that is. Black or latin folks smile back and say hi and chat. If tis a black or latin man they think I am flirting and hit on me…which I worry that I am putting the wrong message out there…but its just not in me to be unfriendly. I even smile and greet the homeless folks on the street, chat with them if they talk to me. I refuse to act like they are not standing there…invisible people…no ones invisible.
A homeless man asked em for a dollar and i said I didnt hae any cash(which was true)..he then said I was pretty and then stopped, got a worried look and said he didnt mean an harm by that. I told him “mohala for the ego boost man” every girl needs one once and awhile and I hoped he could stay warm today. He was walking down the street to a shelter down the block.
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I am still shocked by the book thing
I have stacks and stacks of books that I read and re read. I have a friend who writes for geek.com and she gets sent books by publishers to review and gives me anything she doesnt want to review. So I have huge piles of books waiting for me to hide in the bathroom and read.
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That must be great!
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i just attended a project management course and came away with an even larger list of books I must get. I need to win the lottery or something so I can have time to actuallyr ead everything I want to read
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I know that feeling 😉
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that is not cool at all
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Really? I like that. I think everyone deserves respect no matter what race, ideals, issues or whatever it is. Everyone deserves a good treatment. 🙂
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Wow. I gotta say, I might not love everything you had to say, but as a white American, I can’t really say that you got it really wrong, either; especially considering that you were certain to add the part about it being rather general and that not everyone follows your observations as “law”. Still, it’s interesting to be able to see yourself/ your society/ your culture through another persons eyes. I appreciate your 500 words.
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The fact that you judge a whole group of people and slander them and attempt to deny them their right to their culture with your hateful speech, makes you just as bad as any slave holder. You are the problem, not the solution.
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Lol, plenty of boobies in white magazines. Guess your not looking too hard?
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Here is a look into another common White American culture: Mountain people. I mean the people living in the hollers from West Virginia to North Arkansas. According to the checklist, we are very different from the general Whites
Language: Appalachian and Ozark English; very different grammar, very archaic. Can rarely code switch if older than 35 or so.
Religion: very public, center of community life. Pentecostal, Evangelical and Southern Baptist mostly.
weights and measure: English, some metric. A tat of others.
law: people handle things amongst themselves, but this is changing.
government: democracy, presidents.
freedom: as long as you don’t do anything weird or sinful.
the future: Stay in the community for the most part.
music: country, Gospel, Bluegrass, some rock.
dress: older people generally dress farm practical..
cows: for meat, milk, leather.
pigs: eaten.
dogs: people like them, but until recently they were a stock like cows and pigs; not inside the house.
diet: cows, pigs, chicken, turkey, wheat, maize, potato, sugar, cow’s milk, beer, chicken eggs.
breasts: not commonly bared in magazines or in public.
beards: somewhat more common than in general
books: if it’s practical, but boys and men have other things to do.
poverty: common, people make do with what they have, make things out of junk.
wealth: people are suspicious of it and those who have it.
intelligence: looked down upon slightly less, especially if you can breathe bible quotes.
race: openly racist to blacks and foreigners. Most people have Native ancestors, some are even dark year-round, straight thick hair etc.. But they are still White, it is rude to imply otherwise. Natives nonetheless get respect generally.
female beauty: white-skinned, thin, long yellow hair, big breasts, empty blue eyes.
drink: beer common among men but not allowed for children.
coffee or tea?: coffee since the 1920s.
sports: an important part of life; mostly basketball. Most schools are to small for football teams.
family; the extended family. Most of the people in the community will be your kin, or kin-of-kin divorce still seen as fairly shameful; family over the individual in most cases.
parents: are the boss; kids get switched if they misbehave, a lot more extreme in generations past .
managers: are the boss.
This is all subject to change, due to television and the internet and whatnot.
I would love it if someone would fill one of these out about Black American Culture. It’s a great template for a cultural overview!
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When you speak of white people are you mostly referring to white americans? I know that the different peoples of europe do consider themselves european(which to anglo americans just means white) in some sort of way but even then it is just too vague, and is seen as threatening to national and cultural differences. Why white americans think that they somehow have something in common with a farmer in latium 2,300 yrs ago or an Athenian citizen 2,500 yrs ago is just beyond me. White americans do have a culture it’s just english american culture not “western culture” as they like to think. The Aegean and Tyrrhenian have influenced them but the main culture and perhaps ancestry comes from the North Sea around Denmark.
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I think this post is very clear on the fact it refers to White American culture and not, say, white Ukranian or Swedish cultures. Which I’m grateful, because USians often forget that their white culture is not universal even among whites. Not to mention USians, regardless or race, share some cultural traits other people around the world don’t.
When it comes to the concept of a “Western” culture, it’s a relatively new idea, historically speaking. There was no such a thing as a West in the antiquity, middle ages, renaissance, etc. It’s a product of Modernity (it started in late 18th century). It’s pretty new.
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Very true on Intelligence and Wealth. Their ideology is Capitalism plain and simple; many of them would love to reduce the whole cosmos to the processes of production, consumption, and making profit. It’s funny how they will accuse others of barbarism for a set of beliefs and yet they start wars and invade countries for the capitalist system. Yet they hide behind this very secularized protestant morality of good and evil, them being the good guys of course, in order to justify their actions. My god just watch a documentary on the French, Russian, or any other revolution/event that was hostile to capitalist values and it would seem like you are watching a horror movie rather than a historical documentary.
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Motherfker who I don’t know in a customer/client transaction shortened my name! I let him have it. But he still acted like what he did was right. He wasn’t white but the stupid sh*t for brains has totally internalized the revolting crass values in American culture.
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Did you finagle a deal out of his presumptuousness?
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No, it didn’t go down like that for one critical reason: this twerp was not a “worker bee” he was a “manager” ,and so, felt extra entitled about his bullsh!t.
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I can’t stand kerchief heads! I hope you tore him a new one!
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I did [tear him a new one]! It was a close situation though, he thought I was more upset than I was and he tried to prod a little further at me to get me to the point of “being removed by security”; I’m too damn smart for that though.
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I would lodge a formal complaint against him.
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The line that usually works for me:
“May I speak to (or see) your supervisor?”
I have also found that writing letters of complaint, in detail, to someone high up in the chain … about your negative experience/poor service works quite well, too.
There’s still a little power left in the pen… though it is quickly waning.
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“Half the books you see in a bookstore will never be sold. And of those that are, most will not be read beyond page 15. Some Americans are big book readers, but most do not read books after they get out of school. Even among those with a university degree, 40% do not read another book after they get their degree.”
Everybody in my immediate family reads books all their lives, but I’m the only one with a degree. It just goes to show that the right people (especially too many people of color) have been unfairly kept out of universities.
On the other hand, when I graduated from college there were a couple of years that I sure as hell didn’t want to spend my free time reading a book. I wanted to actually live my life for a change.
Now I’m living in a college town full of people with PhDs and I think they go too far. At the library you see all these books on things either you shouldn’t overthink or you’re not going to learn so much about from a book as from life.
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Is this really a parody on how Black American culture is pilloried and i am i seriously not being looked at like like lazy Superman? I’m starting to think Lord Of Mirkwood pulled that out of his ass to quiet me considering i keep hearing stuff that amounts to “you only grew up on colonialism not real culture” and “fix racism and then we’ll be equals, as for now you are lesser”.
Abagond and whoever wants to respond, again, my problem isn’t my culture is ‘boring’ or even ‘annoying’, but rather that whites infused with a culture are always evil, and since i can’t rid myself of whiteness- why bother doing anything? I’ll always be lesser never equal. I know many do accept me, but said acceptors are murderers, rapists, pillagers, and con-artists or ignorant fucks. Not just people who merely benefit from said actions. I cannot let them be my family and friends.
—
frequent responses i hear to this dilemma:
“If you work to remove your privilege, you might get the respect you want/ just stop caring about yourself.”
I might. No guarantee i’ll be seen as a person by people who are good until proven otherwise, so why bother. Also, why must i dedicated my entire life to other people who won’t care about me.
“It could be worse/ welcome to the poc life.”
No shit, don’t see how that does anything for anyone. As if anyone deserves to be treated like poc. I can’t work with anyone until i fix myself. You’re telling me my entire life is wrong but you have no clear answer to fix it even though it now rests in your hands?
“It’s unfair to be judged for something you didn’t do, but it’s even more unfair to have money you didn’t earn.- Chris Rock”
I have nothing against Chris Rock, but this quote is ridiculous. So i should be treated like shit for money and things i cannot (justly) give back? I’m not just being judged for a milk-spilling, but a world-ruining btw.
“You’re trolling/ fishing for compliments/ not listening.”
I’m dead serious. Also, what could i have possibly missed that doesn’t amount to any of the above.
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Whites have no “white culture” even if similarities between people are found. “white” <<< Is a color, "culture" <<< (root word CULT) So what your claiming is, white people are part of a race cult. and that is offensive. I wish there was a white culture, but actually when you spend 5 minutes doing any type of research, you will find that white people have more problems with "cultural appropriation" than any other race. If a group of people is in a "race cult" like you say, they will forever be trapped in stereotypes. This vernacular of "white culture" is not appropriate, it is not acceptable and it is untrue. In fact, I would argue that the concept that "black Culture" exists rests on the very idea that white people think it is not a good idea? Are you trying to egg on an entire hemisphere of the world? Do you want the whole of North American to think Race cults are a good idea? Think about that, I mean really think about that and if at all possible, delete your insulting post.
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There is no such thing as White American culture.
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@Jay
Actually there is.
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@ royromano43Roy
Cult and culture are not the same thing.
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That ROCKS 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺😁😁😁😁😁😊😊😊😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜^o^^o^^o^^o^^o^^o^
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@ Bad Man
Comment deleted for use of racial slur.
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clearly you dislike white people. pretty sure that makes you racist
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So what?
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According to this, I must say we are UTTERLY misunderstood
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White American culture has been lost, disrespected and forgotten thanks to the underlying racist bankers who set the “stage” for American Culture. Take the bankers out of the scene and we would have had a different view of what “WHITE PEOPLE” represent. Now white American culture is known as the “evil race”. Little does anyone realize the history behind the “racism” in America, which was originated by the bankers, and Nazi Scientists whom sought America as a sanctuary from WWII who settled in New York. The bankers allowed it for profit/technology reasons. The average white Americans are still being ridiculed for how our history came about. I personally was raised not knowing what racism was until being white in an all black/Hispanic school (elementary) where I was tormented, ridiculed and made an outsider for being white. So I learned racism not from my own culture but the black/hispanic/Asian culture. We are a combination of many cultures, yet we are all treated as if we are different and devilish. Now ALL WHITE PEOPLE continue to be labeled racist when “I”never had a racist bone in my body (Even when I suffered from it). I don’t expect everyone to understand what I say but I say this, I WAS NOT RAISED A RACIST AND DONT UNDERSTAND HOW OTHER CULTURES TREATING ME AS “THE EVIL WHITE” ARE NOT LABELED THAT VERY THING. NOW I am made to believe that I shouldn’t be proud of who I am, and being proud of being white is less than desired in our country. This is depressing and debilitating, especially when I already know that many colors creates a beautiful painting.
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@ mslscott39hotmailcom
Your comment falls under the Broken Record argument: Not All Whites
Your weak argument has been countered many times on this blog.
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@mslscott39hotmailcom:
If I had a violin I compose a dirge for you!
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Since wealth is worshipped what bankers do runs the profundity of the culture. If the democracy wasn’t made to look democratic the allusion of free enterprise could not be maintained. What we have is monopoly capitalism run by the bankers, and their reserve banks. Prices are not allowed to follow laws of economics unless a money loaning authority says so. Control is the main issue in white culture, just like the white family. Example: “Trickle down economics”.
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Seems rather snide and condescending despite general accuracy.
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The article is prejudicial. The writer is superficially describing people. It is a politically slanted view to denigrate “white” anglo American linguistic culture. Another attack on people by so sociology teacher which left his soul at a corner when he got on the bus to work. Aloha.
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Wow…this piece is just dripping with hatred for white people. Are you really OK with yourself, maintaining that much hatred? Does it bother you at night? Or, because you believe your hatred of white people is justified, it’s alright to feel that way, and and your hate for a group of people (who as far as you’re concerned deserve it) doesn’t really defile you: to your mind it exalts you?
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Robert
Go take a nap.
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@ Robert Bruce
How is this post hateful? Please give an example.
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It is not obsequious enough to whites.
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You are so off I can’t even begin. Hahaha any one in this country will read this & laugh while saying yes to English & sports only. You clearly aren’t American or don’t know any white people. You could make a career out of the bullshit stereotypes on social media. I’m guessing you alrdy are as this bullshit looks just like it. Whites are Italian, Irish, Spaniard, Russian, Roman, Greek ect. All our ancestors brought things from the old country and made a new home here. Hillbilly’s are hillbillies which are not exclusive of white peoples. The things you describe are hillbilly behaviors of any color.
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@You haven’t a clue
It seems that you don’t have a clue about white people . Have you ever taken a course in white American studies, or done research on the topic? I might suggest that you do some more reading and research on white Americans first. Do they offer a white American studies course at your local university or community college?
(Actually, you have taken some courses in White American studies, they just weren’t called that.)
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Accurate,
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@Abagond: forgot ‘classic rock’
And in retail (includes restaurants), it’s to ask ‘is the manager on duty here’
That gets their attention, always.
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@ You haven’t a clue:
Your “whiteness is making you blind and ignorant. You are reading while “white.” Whiteness: “A state of unconsciousness, “whiteness is invisible to white people, and this perpetuates a lack of knowledge or understanding of difference which is a root cause of oppression.”—bell hooks
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@You haven’t a clue: You need to get a clue and educate yourself on this subject instead of being defensive and taking offense at the topic. You need to keep in mind you benefit from the system of white supremacy and you have privilege that causes disparities for black and brown people.
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@ You haven’t a clue: You used the word “hillbilly “ in your post perhaps you should read Elizabeth Catte What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia.
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@You haven’t a clue
Huh? So it is mainly just hillbillies who wear blue jeans, listen to rock music, and believe in the rule of law? Do you even live in the US?
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@ v8driver
Classic rock is covered under rock, at least in my book.
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Interesting, some truth, but missing any citations of research to backup the claims in this article. Seems mostly broad generalizations, without in depth knowledge of the Anglo Americans. Interesting claim about family, “parents with young children, divorce common, personal desire over family.” So Anglo Americans don’t have multi-generational families? Actually most Anglo Americans are at least 3rd or 4th generation who value both family and economic achievement. This value reflects what is commonly known as the “American Dream”. Anglo Americans have rich history of Euro-American past with verbal generational stories from those ancestors who sacrificed much to become Americans, as well as stories of struggle, and ethnic prejudices that were faced by parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Those who came before often made a clear decision to leave their own culture behind in order to embrace “American Culture” and become patriotic contributors of society. Anglo Americans are privileged in part because they are hard working, which is commonly overlooked because people prefer to complain about inequality instead of recognizing what sacrifices are made to achieve. Factually, Caucasian divorce rates are lower than most other races. And drug addition and related crimes significantly lower than most other American cultures. Definitely need to do better fact checking, and educate yourself about Anglo America without out the clearly tinted lenses from which you wrote this. Kindest regards.
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“Anglo Americans are privileged in part because they are hard working…”
If only that was true.
Anglo Americans are privileged because they use incredible amounts of violence against other people. They set up and maintain their systems of privilege with [full spectrum*] violence and threats of violence.
If “hard work” was a path to privilege, billions of subsistence farmers and fisherfolk around the globe would be luxuriating in privilege. Millions of Black American people who work two and three low paying jobs per day to make ends meet would be ultra privileged. Millions of Latinx Americans who labor in fields, processing plants and animal feedlots would be hailed as most America’s most privileged.
I urge you to, “do better fact checking, and educate yourself” about what privilege is and why some groups have it and others don’t.
Kindest regards.
*Full Spectrum violence includes physical, economic, institutional (education and government) and media depictions (newspapers, magazines, websites, social media and films).
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