Why are there so many people around the world that say Americans are not cultured?

Question

Its something I noticed when i went to europe last month. I met a lot of people on my trip, and i was pretty suprised at the number of individuals who would make a joke about americans being uncultured. Sorry but what the f***? I thought the definition of culture was the behaviors, beliefs, and characteristics of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. How do we lack that?

Answer 1

Well if you base american culture on its popular culture and see nothing but the paris hiltons, hugh hefners and george bush's, why would you be surprised?  the usa is seriously lacking taste,morality, ethics or standards.

Answer 2

I don't think we lack it, so much as have no real set culture. We have so many different types of people in this country that it has made us more of a mixing pot than anything else.

Answer 3

The common European definition of culture refers to things including developed artisan culinary techniques, specialized literary work,

defined long-standing architecture, and public intellectuals.  As an American, it is evident that these aspects have not been sufficiently developed, but I also realize that Europeans tend to be incredibly ethnocentric at times.

Answer 4

Well what guy #1 said and the fact that they seriously dont ? Basically only 1st and 2nd generation people really have strong culture, everyone else threw it as far as they could and assimilated. Ultimately they conform to a new culture thats not really a cultured culture ...

Answer 5

I think that we do and we are in the process of evolving the culture. To me cultures evolve, and despite the fact that the US is a very new country it is getting immigrants with different ideals and backgrounds that are shifting our viewpoint and social group. Europeans tend to hold themselves higher than Americans because they can trace back their lineage to almost the middle age, but their cultures are also evolving. Walk through a London street now and you will see hundreds of African Americans , Middle Eastern people, and Asians.

We just have a very young culture, and think of us this way. We are the immigrants of every society in the world who have had to emigrate because of political, religious, and or economic turmoil. And we created a society where we all lived in harmony and prospered.  We might have had our turmoils and conflicts but which society hasn't and we are all equal. In effect we are the offspring of the world.

I think I am getting too philosophical here... sorry!

Answer 6

I am an American so don't get me wrong but really, do most average working class Americans know much about opera, classical music, history and fine arts?

I don't think so, I don't even know that much myself, I am learning now at age 53.

My working class European husband is just a factory machinist but he always surprises me with his knowlege of cultural things. I find that so often here in Hungary, everyday people know famous writers works etc.

I was listening to Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Ode to Joy) a couple of weeks ago and out of nowhere, my husband starts singing the words to it! Freaked me out, before he sang the whole opera of Bank-Ban, a classic Hungarian Opera based on a true royal tragdy, I mean the whole intire thing!

How many laborers in America can do that?

I sound like I am bragging but I am more shocked that he knows all of this stuff just because it is part of his culture to know.

He can also dance all of the classic dances, from silly old Polkas to the Fox Trot and Waltz.

I feel like I was raised in a barn next to him.

Answer 7

I'm not cultured at all, but I'm intuitively fairly evolved, I'm clairvoyant, I'm healthy and young for my age (65) and know right from wrong and treat older people kindly and have a lot of common sense. And if I like someone, I make him a decent sandwich and offer him a Guinness.

Answer 8

because America is very young. European countries are much older, and, while you DO have a culture, it is in its infancy compared to the much older cultures of Europe, Asia, Africa, and of other parts of the world.

Answer 9

Although many Americans are cultured, due to our mix of so many cultures, we tend not to put so much emphasis on cultural issues. Our poor educational system is also a reason for our ignorance of culture. It is true that most Americans are not very knowledgeable of their own particular culture. Europeans Countries are much more homogeneous than we are but this is rapidly changing with the formation of the E.U. Our materialistic reputation is also contributing to this. Our current government's policies do not help either!  

Answer 10

Those people are snobs. Their Idea of cultured is based on European Ideals. The main American Cultural contribution to the world is our Motion Pictures or Cinema.  By the time America was founded the classical standards of Europe had all been written or painted or carved, entrenched in the European mind and their children forced to learn it as though it were religion or something. Our Culture is more modern and dynamic.