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Cultural Identity Vs American Culture

Decent Essays

What is a person's cultural identity based off of? According to Google, “Cultural identity is often defined as the identity of a group, culture or an individual, influenced by one's belonging to a group or culture.” So what is my cultural identity? I believe no one person has one singular cultural identity. I can identify myself as a daughter, a sister, a Swede, an American, a water polo player, a swimmer, a Mormon, a high school student, or even a world traveler. In this paper the one I will identify as an American. As a world traveler there are many cultures I have seen very different from the American culture. Things that make other cultures different from the way Americans do things are based off of their customs, their routines, and their traditions. For example, in Greece it is customary for the unfamous and poor to pay for the rich and famous’s weddings and funerals. That is different from the American culture because here in America it customary that families and sometimes even friends plan and pay for their own family member’s wedding or funeral. Another example of a difference between American culture and other cultures is the way we celebrate holidays. For example, my European family celebrates their countries independence day with solemn parades and reserved attitudes, while as Americans we celebrate our independence …show more content…

I’m not saying that every single American is like that, there are many Americans that are up for anything and are willing to try something new, but for most for Americans new things are stressful and too foreign. Most Americans like familiar and consistent, not new and unknown. It's no one’s fault necessarily, it’s just the way they were raised. As Americans we learn at an early age that we are citizens of the greatest and most free country. Why would we want to live anywhere

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