A Description of Americans
Is it possible to describe Americans as a cultural group? Your answer may depend on how many Americans you know and whether you have spent a lot of time in the United States. In either case, you may simply answer, "Yes, it is possible," or "No, it is impossible." It is a complex questions to answer. There are so many types of Americans, but a mainstream culture does exist. Even the word "American" confuses. Unfortunately, there is no adequate word to use to label people from the United States. In this chapter, the term "American" will be used to describe the people who were born and raised in the United States only. And so apology should be extended to any Americans not from the United States, such as Mexicans or Argentineans, who might not be happy with the application of the term.
If you do not know many Americans, you may have a mental image of who these people are. Most likely, you saw Americans in the movies or on television. Perhaps you have met only a few Americans or have mostly just read about them. It may be that this mental image is an accurate picture or one which is far from the truth. Often, an understanding of people from other cultures is based on stereotypes or images from the mass media (television, movies, newspapers, etc.). For example, some international tourists or immigrants in the United States are not aware of the poverty and homelessness in this country. Some people are also surprised to see that Americans are of so many races, religions, and educational levels.
Some people might argue that it is impossible to generalize about Americans. Americans do not come from a common ancestor. Except for Native Americans (i.e.,Indians), all Americans come from different immigrant and refugee groups. Americans' common heritage is based on cultural diversity, or multiculturalism. Despite this multiculturalism, it is still possible to talk in terms of an "American Culture."