Member Fan… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 This topic was imported from the Typophile platform Not necessarily in the historical context...more like objects we use daily that are indicative of our culture, lifestyle, etc. Fast food (McD, wendys, burger king, pizza, etc) iPod (not necessarily indicative of just US culture, but more generational) Harley Davidson Sneakers Baseball hats Jeans Soda What else? Would love input from someone who is American, as well as any outside perspective on American culture from the international Typophile contingent. Link to comment
Member Nic… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Enough already with the American culture thang. Link to comment
Member Dan… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I know that my friend from Ecuador says that Coca Cola represents American values in Ecuador. To him, it's the same as our perception of Walmart. My friend from Myanmar says, "I like Coke. No like Pepsi." Of course, if I give him a cup of Pepsi and tell him it's Coke, he loves it :) That's what I call branding. Link to comment
Member cut… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Pickup trucks used non-commercially as personal transport Willful anti-intellectualism Automobile-oriented suburbs (and the related ineffective public transit) Taco Bell Link to comment
Member nin… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Being European, but having spent a good year in the US*, I spontaneously think of [this is a very unordered list]: Cream Soda, Root Beer, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (yum), oversized servings of ice cream – actually oversized everything (like cars and trucks, or people). Total consumerism. The constant promise (and expectation) of instant gratification. Loads of avoidable trash, like heaps of plastic bags at the supermarket. Simple interfaces, like washing machines that have "hot", "warm", and "cold"; over here you might just need that 50-page manual to operate a washing machine. A (perceived) strange contrast between a general self-image of total individual independence and a somewhat lemming-like social behavior (like everywhere else, but at least seeming exaggerated). * My impressions are from uh, 7–8 years ago, and I bet some things have changed. I haven't been back since, sadly. Link to comment
Member Nic… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I told ya. It's just asking for the beats. Link to comment
Member nin… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Oh, he was asking about objects of everyday use. My bad. :-) Well I guess the washing machine and food still counts. And cars and plastic bags. Link to comment
Member Nic… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Dental floss. Well, you should use it every day! Link to comment
Member rus… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 skiis on the roofs of cars crossing into Canada in July. -=®=- Link to comment
Member Si_… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Growing up in England (around 5 seconds* from Greenham Common Airbase) it was the BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile. Cheers, Si *based on typical Soviet-nuke-blast-radius. Link to comment
Member Ric… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 hot dogs football helmet apple pie vinyl records superhero comic books Link to comment
Member Ric… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I forgot to add a basketball to my list. Also, believe it or not, a roll of toilet paper. It's too bad there are no objects to represent jazz, or the blues... Link to comment
Member par… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Banjo? Blues harp? Four each: C E7 A A7 D7 G7 C? A hankie over the cornet keys? Link to comment
Member Dun… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 • Deplorable beer • Sports so boring that one can only watch them after drinking deplorable beer. • People going to horrible restaurants to eat atrocious food and drink deplorable beer while watching terribly boring sports. Link to comment
Member par… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Oh, James, not in a good mood, I see. My Czech forefathers had such good tucker and such fantastic beer that they never bothered to sort out their politics. So, the Austrians, then the Germans and then the Soviets had to do it for them. Baaad idea! Link to comment
Member Nic… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 ... basketball ... Invented in the US by a Canadian; in terms of national importance, probably biggest in Lithuania. But not really an everyday object? Link to comment
Member Dun… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 @paragraph: That explains a lot. But not really an everyday object? Depends on age. When I was twelve a basketball was an everyday object. Link to comment
Member mer… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Deplorable beer I'm not sure where you're getting this from. The beer around where I'm at is wonderful. In fact, a bunch of my foreign friends are always commenting on the beer. Everyday objects? I have no idea. Link to comment
Member bow… Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 things i "object" to about america: 1. lite beer. 2. reagan elected president. twice. landslide both times. 3. biggest selling newspaper = the national enquirer. 4. bush junior elected president. twice. stole it both times. that's probably all you need to know. -bowerbird Link to comment
Member jab… Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 The McGangBang (via kottke.org) and the Bacon Explosion :p Link to comment
Member Ber… Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Guns. . . . Bert Vanderveen BNO Link to comment
Member cer… Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 White socks are apparently uniquely American, or at least North American. It's something we don't think too much about, but anyone else in the world can spot us a mile away by it. Link to comment
Member bow… Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 cerulean said: > White socks are apparently uniquely American, > or at least North American. It’s something > we don’t think too much about, but anyone else > in the world can spot us a mile away by it. it's true. especially when plaid shorts show off those white socks to such good effect! -bowerbird Link to comment
Member cut… Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Mens' underpants with a slot in the front? Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now