The United States is an enormous country with diverse communities and regions. It’s difficult to speak about the stereotypes of the entire country when I’ve only seen a small community with a very distinct culture. I’m from central Massachusetts, so I don’t live too far from Smith. Some of the stereotypes of this region, in particular, are that it’s a very individualistic culture. I think that academia values personal success and conditionals people to think abut their careers and futures in a way that isn’t necessarily healthy. I also think that there’s a stereotype that people from New England are very monochronic, which means that time is very important to them.
I think that the stereotypes about New England make the region feel inhospitable and unwelcoming, even for other people in the United states. I think that we live in a very polarizing time, and tension between different regions of the US fortifies these stereotypes. A current stereotype is that the United States people are deeply entrenched in their political views. As for how these stereotypes impact the US relationship with the rest of the world, I think that the US seems uncooperative and full of turmoil. The current state of US politics taints the culture.
I’m really interested in the connection you’ve proposed between politics and culture. The two are undoubtedly connected, but we have discussed that connection very little so far in class. It’s a particularly interesting connection to consider given the rapidly changing political context in the US, and how that can quickly change the culture. I’m imagining if there were a person who grew up in the US, and then left and was not aware of what’s happened over the past 15, 10, 5 years. What would they think upon returning? What differences would they see? Beyond the rapid developments in technology, our society and culture looks so different now. Thinking optimistically, I want to imagine that while society is polarized and divided, political engagement and protests are becoming more common, which I believe is a good thing and certainly affects national identity and culture.
I definitely agree that “It’s difficult to speak about the stereotypes of the entire country when I’ve only seen a small community with a very distinct culture” and I agree that this difficulty of coming up with a stereotype for the entire country is partly due to the idea of all the different areas in the country and the different cultures associated with each place. The turmoil and polarization are very impactful and drive different regions apart and can result in very different cultures for specific areas and the US seems fractured from this, which makes it more difficult to come up with unifying stereotypes.
I think it’s interesting that you only speak about the area you’re sure of.I wonder if people from other countries would answer the question this way.