Objects indicative of American culture.

[Fantômas]

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.

[Nick Shinn]

Enough already with the American culture thang.

[Dan Gayle]

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.

[cuttlefish]

Pickup trucks
used non-commercially as personal transport

Willful anti-intellectualism

Automobile-oriented suburbs (and the related ineffective public transit)

Taco Bell

[aluminum]

Guns

[nina]

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.

[Nick Shinn]

I told ya.
It's just asking for the beats.

[nina]

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.

[Nick Shinn]

Dental floss.
Well, you should use it every day!

[russellm]

skiis on the roofs of cars crossing into Canada in July.

-=®=-

[Si_Daniels]

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.

[Ricardo Cordoba]

hot dogs
football helmet
apple pie
vinyl records
superhero comic books

[Ricardo Cordoba]

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...

[paragraph]

Banjo? Blues harp? Four each: C E7 A A7 D7 G7 C? A hankie over the cornet keys?

[Dunwich Type]

• 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.

[paragraph]

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!

[Nick Shinn]

... basketball ...

Invented in the US by a Canadian; in terms of national importance, probably biggest in Lithuania.
But not really an everyday object?

[Dunwich Type]

@paragraph: That explains a lot.

But not really an everyday object?

Depends on age. When I was twelve a basketball was an everyday object.

[merkri]

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.

[bowerbird]

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

[jabez]

The McGangBang (via kottke.org) and the Bacon Explosion :p

[Bert Vanderveen]

Guns.

. . .
Bert Vanderveen BNO

[cerulean]

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.

[bowerbird]

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

[cuttlefish]

Mens' underpants with a slot in the front?