American Mentality Viewed by Americans & Foreigners

Personally, I think some of what makes an American is due to a two-party political system. If you think about it in purely operational terms, in a two-party system, the opponents will tend to move to the ends of the spectrum in order to differentiate themselves. Granted, it doesn't always happen that way, but logically the tendency does exist.

In a three (or more) party system, if the leftmost and rightmost parties move too far to their end, some supporters will bail in favour of the middle party. In Canada, the Liberals (middle party) have been in power far more than the Progressive Conservatives (right) or NDP (left). Of course, the parties can move as a unit to the right or the left, which might over time affect the overall attitude of the voters; but it's just as likely that voters will abandon each party as it leaves their comfort zone. The main point, though, is that moving to an extreme end is self-defeating, so parties tend to stay more in the moderate range.

Of course, in more than three-party systems, things get more complicated as you can get coalitions, minority governments, and a tendency to overall sameness with parties differentiated by only one signature hot-button stance.

If by Americans we're meaning strictly U.S. citizens—and I do tend to make the distinction between each of the Americas—I think the following:

• The religious fervor and leanings can indeed be traced back to Puritanism; however, Americans still like to think of ourselves as rugged individualists (which I find laughable), and that means often that religious fervor applies to the behavior of others more so than to the individual holding that view.
• Also, because of this view of rugged individualism, Americans cling to individual rights despite any deleterious effect on others; ex. the First and Second Amendments, which is about as far as most go.
• The national mindset leans heavily toward American Exceptionalism despite all evidence to the contrary.

My own personal view runs along with Friedrich Nietzsche's: "Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs, it is the rule." (But, then, that's pretty much my view of humankind in general. just sayin')

I don't think American mentality is a thing. I don't and never have been around any kind of gun or religious culture in America. I don't really know people who hold those views, though I know mostly Americans. The idea that 'American culture is about country music, red white & blue, guns, god & country, Republican values, xenophobia, etc., is misguided. There are certainly people who hold those views, who embrace that kind of culture. There are people who embrace the entirely opposite, and they're not few in number.

There's a huge amount of material thats been written on the subject of cross-cultural perceptions and interpretations -- have you looked at it yet? There's a lot written specifically for people who are coming to the US from different places abroad for business, education, tourism, or immigration in order to set their expectations appropriately and help them adjust and avoid social mistakes and misunderstandings. A lot has also been written for Americans going into various other countries too. I think you might benefit from doing research in that literature first and coming back with specific questions to explore, rather than just broadly soliciting generalizations and personal rants on a forum like this.

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

I live on the West Coast where Puritanical religion isn't much of an item. And the gun culture people I know (and I know a lot of them) tend to be Society for Creative Anachronisms for the Wild West set.

Okay, now, things a German would have problems with:

The main issue I've noticed is the lack of overt respect that goes with the English language. We have no respectful "you" and informal "thee." A German I met was shocked at the informal way employees spoke to their employers, and he credited it to this difference between our languages.

A man from Ghana once told me that he didn't consider NYC to be a very diverse place, because everyone speaks English, whereas there isn't any one language that people in Ghana all speak. For a German, that would suggest a lack of education on the part of Americans, because your German is going to speak at least two languages and probably three or four.

Those are what I can think of off the top of my head.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

To answer your basic question, a lot of our (U.S.A.) attitudes and mentalities were formed, since most of us came from there, on the fighting fields, farms and urban landscapes of Europe. A pioneer spirit was formed in this new land, leading to building (and fighting) our way across the continent, creating farms, factories and urban landscapes.
It was many things that made “us.” Much was formed in part by later immigrants. Our religious background, for example, (especially in the South) came not so much from Puritans but from small family churches founded by Scots and Irish immigrants that formed the basis for a lot of the pioneer spirit. A lot of them formed the backbone of the American Revolution. This in turn often led to an “us vs them” tribal mentality that still shows itself today.

My "mentality" (so to speak) is different from my elder brothers and father. For example, they were surprised by the friends I've made with Blacks and Hispanics (although in my case I wasn't ostracized for it). I was able to look at my past growing up in Texas and realized that my ancestors were just plain wrong about a lot of things. Education and experience has taught me a lot about myself, my culture.

We seem to think in stereotypes. I've always been bothered by statements like "all (blank) are (blank)" which is a fallacy that seems to permeate our culture to the point that a lot of people on both sides of the political spectrum think that way. But do we have a national “mentality?” Nationally, probably not, although different areas may have varying attitudes (red state/blue state). Here in Texas, urban areas tend blue while out there in the country it’s red.

I've never owned a gun, and while I grew up in church and still believe, there are a lot of things I question about religion. A typical Texan I'm not. However, as a student of history I can see how a lot of people are the way they are. Americans have distrusted government even before the revolution, and I can see how guns became part of our culture. Here in Texas, guns are looked on as a necessary tool, especially out in the country. However, it has gotten way out of hand in many parts of the country for many reasons. It's ironic that the spirit of individualism has seemingly resulted in a lot of people being the same and having the same mentality (however, everyone is not that way as I’ve already mentioned).

Essentially, I see America (and it's so easy to use that term even though it covers both north and south hemispheres) as having both good and bad qualities. I suppose I'm a liberal that came from a conservative background, but I see positive and negative on both sides and don’t like to make erroneous assumptions based on insufficient data. Remember also that we’ve only had a few hundred years to build our culture and Europe, Asia and Africa have had thousands – which probably fuels our “exceptionalism” attitude. We’re young, new, and there’s nothing we can’t do. Sounds like a teenager to me.

Is education gradually changing people's attitudes and mentality? I think so, but unless we stop yelling at each other and learn to work together it may not help (at least in the short run).

Sorry if I got on my soapbox. Your idea is a good one, we need to realize the good and bad about ourselves and why we are what we are. Any questions I'll be glad to answer.

Quentin Nokov said:

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Would you say that the rugged individualism might lead to a certain selfish attitude? The idea that it's about me and my independence, to the point that it compromises on other peoples' (races, ethnicities, countries) freedom?

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Yes, I do. One thing you'll have noticed by now is that there is a lot of regional influence on answers. I think this is justifiable to a great extent. I'm from the rural South where what I've mentioned is much in evidence; but also because of the global nature of my work life and frequent overseas travel I was exposed to more worldviews of Americans. Seldom could I disagree.

Quentin Nokov said:

And yeah I mean strictly U.S. citizens by the term 'Americans'. I see the term Americans as both innocent and insulting. We're the United States of America, so we simply call ourselves 'Americans' and not United Statesmen or US Citizens. It always what we called ourselves so most think nothing of it. But everyone on this side of the globe is American. Whether it's North, South, or Central, we're all part of the American continents, so we ARE all Americans, by that definition alone. Do you think just calling ourselves Americans and everyone else is Canadian, Mexican, Brazilian etc. is an example of the exceptional attitude?

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Again, yes. And it's only my personal opinion that there's a great deal of hubris involved in designating only the U.S. as America and making sure to distinguish other parts of the Americas separately and less-than.

Quentin Nokov said:

Also would you say the American Exceptionalism has existed since Puritan days when they felt that coming to North America was like coming into the promised land and a repeat of the conquering of Canaan? Or would you say that it's maybe waxed and waned and has only recently been exacerbated by the winning of both world wars and becoming the current world power and world reserve currency?

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Ah, that one's not so easy; I've only been here for the last 68 years, after all. I think it has waxed and waned but has certainly built from WWII on. I also think the bill has come due on that thinking.

As an Irish person who has travelled to the USA several times (mostly to the North-East), here are a few things I found different:
- Tipping is much more required in the USA than in Europe.
- Some Americans say "I'm Irish" or "I'm Italian" even though they've never been to Ireland or Italy. I realise they're talking about ancestry rather than nationality, but you wouldn't do that here (you might say "I have Italian grandparents", but not "I'm Italian" unless you actually grew up in Italy).
- Sharing personal details. An American might tell you about his cheating ex-wife or alcoholic parent the first time he meets you. You'd have to know an Irish person for years before they'd trust you with that level of intimacy.
- Non-metric measurements (recipes with "cups" puzzled me for a long time).
- "Old" buildings that have existed for less than a century.
- Gun culture. Gun ownership is very tightly controlled here, and I don't know anyone who feels strongly about changing it.
- "Patriotism" in Ireland can be a complicated thing, given that within living memory people were being killed in its name. Flags are only for state occasions and sporting events; it seems strange to see them on people's lawns or in public parks.
- Religion in most of Europe is just a personal and/or cultural matter. Ireland is perhaps a little closer to the USA in the importance of religion in everyday life, but it is rapidly becoming less so. No politician would ever use their religious belief as an election issue (it would backfire badly if they did).

In relation to German people, many of those I've met are direct to the point of bluntness, which can take some getting used to. For historical reasons, "patriotism" can also be a complicated thing for Germans.

For America, yes WW11 had a lot to do with the rise in patriotism. During the war, we were bombarded by propaganda; after the war, enemies became friends and friends became enemies. We substituted Germany and Japan for communism and as time progressed we added Islam and others. Social change, which had been slow, shot up like a rocket. Assumptions and long held beliefs were trashed, people looked for comfort and reassurance anywhere they could. Fueled by massive advances in technology and communication, many reeled against the shock of such rapid changes and patriotism was one of the things people could hold on to - something many saw as positive and unchanging.

I was born in 1944. My brothers fought in Europe and didn't always adjust well to the changes after they returned - but they managed, and gradually accepted this new world. Education was paramount, my brothers and I, including my sister, either went to college or graduated. Early on, my teacher mother taught me to read and I read everything. Not everyone had my experiences and opportunities, I know.

Hyper-patriotism and an emphasis on patriotism-as-performance were both features of US culture before WWII -- they were both seen in the decades before, and I think show up at the time of the Spanish American War. They're an obvious focus for people during wartime, especially during wars that are being heavily promoted, and took hold in a culture that was going through massive, wrenching changes -- large-scale immigration, large-scale migration from rural communities into surging industrial cities, political and social upheavals associated with industrialization, economic growth & disruption, uprooted people looking to find and build a new community...

Many of the cultural, social, political, economic issues we are dealing with today are essentially the same our ancestors were dealing with 100+ years ago.

People turned to the flag and other patriotic symbols and valorized participation in specifically patriotic activities as a way to both make themselves true Americans and to signal their true American identity to others -- to create community and strengthen social bonds by defining themselves as inside the group and by extension to define everyone who didn't participate correctly as outside and Other, and therefore a fair target.

This took a particularly ugly turn in the 1930s, and segments of contemporary society have unfortunately revived a lot of that.

Quentin Nokov said:

My question is WHERE did such nationalistic and patriot thinking come from? ​

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I've noticed a drastic rise in "patriotism" since 9-11-01, even in LA.

An Austrian friend of mine says that the comparison between Germans and USAians is that Germans are watermelons and USAians are peaches. Germans are hard on the outside, but once you get inside they are sweet and soft. USAians are soft and fuzzy on the outside, but have this hard core.

I think there is something to the analogy.

Weird! I spent a lot of time in Ann Arbor studying under a lot of UMich German Language Professors (PICS 2017 lol). Is your novel based on personal experience, by any chance?

The US needed patriotism and oaths to ensure that they, as a new country, were able to create and maintain an identity. People who were British suddenly became American; that shift needed reinforcement and symbols such as flags, and pledges made to them, are great ways to do that. They're also a great way to ensure immigrants are regularly reminded of where they are now, and what team they should be cheering for.

The mythos of the US was very deliberately structured. Things like the "rugged individualist" (when really mostly they were rich white men who inherited income), "freedom" (omg so many streets named after it and still no clue what they're free of), and "liberty" were all defined as part of "America". They're even personified in statue and art. Then came the "American Dream" which offers every person the rights and benefits of what once only belonged to nobility: a hand in government, the right to own and defend property, and a great big lawn in front of a house all to yourself.

benbenberi said:

Hyper-patriotism and an emphasis on patriotism-as-performance were both features of US culture before WWII -- they were both seen in the decades before, and I think show up at the time of the Spanish American War. They're an obvious focus for people during wartime, especially during wars that are being heavily promoted, and took hold in a culture that was going through massive, wrenching changes -- large-scale immigration, large-scale migration from rural communities into surging industrial cities, political and social upheavals associated with industrialization, economic growth & disruption, uprooted people looking to find and build a new community...

Many of the cultural, social, political, economic issues we are dealing with today are essentially the same our ancestors were dealing with 100+ years ago.

People turned to the flag and other patriotic symbols and valorized participation in specifically patriotic activities as a way to both make themselves true Americans and to signal their true American identity to others -- to create community and strengthen social bonds by defining themselves as inside the group and by extension to define everyone who didn't participate correctly as outside and Other, and therefore a fair target.

This took a particularly ugly turn in the 1930s, and segments of contemporary society have unfortunately revived a lot of that.

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All this. I think the aftermath of the Civil War also played into the emphasis on patriotism that rose in the later 19th century--but very definitely the US's nature as a country of immigrants, looking to become American.

If you live in New York you likely are alrewdy aware of this, but university towns in the midwest tend to be islands that differ quite a bit in culture and politics from the surrounding areas. Take a look at the election map by county for the 2016 election. From the eastern border of Ohio to Colorado and north of Tennessee, any county voting for Clinton either contains a large urban center or is dominated by a university, or both. During my university schooling in Iowa and Wisconsin, there was tension between the students and the "townies" for a number of reasons. Your character might wrestle with these tensions as she/he tries to fit in socially.

Again, this is SO geographic, and it's not small numbers of people we're talking about.

Notice the governour of New York saying that America was never that great and taking very little flack from inside NY for it. I don't know anyone doesn't agree with him.

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

The American thing about the flag also stems from the fact that we've never had royalty. The English don't need to fly their flags, they've got a Queen. And most other places had royalty and some still do. We've got a flag instead.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

How about a viewpoint from a British Chinese person?

in a nutshell, I've noticed that Americans tend to be more trusting as a whole, more naive of the world in general. My latest visit reinforced that fact. And in general, I find the nation quite insular as well as rather arrogant and assuming in the way so-called representatives of the USA push the USA's culture onto other cultures. Yet, my experience includes genuine, friendly, welcoming people. (I have at least one American bestie.)

For a "free country", IMO, the USA is incredibly litigious and it appears that everyone relies on the government for everything: improvements, even to the individual, still needs the government to lead and guide the entire thing, or to at least kick off the movement.

It's also always puzzled me: why the "sue-happy" practice? If someone offends or does something wrong or in some very minor way breaks a law, it's litigation (civil court, arbitration, criminal court, etc.).

Regarding religion: it's pervasive to the point of annoyance from my viewpoint. Being religious is fine, believing is fine, etc. I'm not a fan, however, of proselytising and what-have-you. Also, not a fan of what comes across as "the USA has this point of view and it's the only right point of view; if you disagree, you're wrong". On the other hand, I do admit: I've met many Mormons and not one of them was pushy about their religion. In fact, they were humble and genuinely nice people.

I also find that Americans (USA) can be quite emotional about topics: people are ruled by their emotions. Something bad / good happens and -- for me -- I find the reaction is very over the top. Then there are those whose emotions are not so similar to a parabola.

The one thing about the culture I find extremely off-putting is the lack of respect some men have for themselves and for the ladies. And that lack of respect, I think, comes from the parents' lack of perspective in these men's upbringing.

In some ways, I see modern American (USA) culture reflecting the absolute traditional roles of men and women: men are loud and "confident" (aka, brash / arrogant / over-confident / must be macho / must be in the foreground) and women are "meek" (aka, fearful, in the background, etc.). But to me, these stereotypical roles are a throwback to a time when women were regarded as property.

So, simultaneously, I guess the American (USA) culture is regressing, but there is progress.

Maybe "melting pot" is applicable to the country as a whole instead of a few cities?

Hope this helps.

Coming from a country where we have 6 foot walls with electric fences on top, and motorized gates so that we don't have to get out our cars at night in case we're hijacked, I look at those small American towns with open lawns and bicycles lying out on the pavement (I was going through google Streetview when I noticed this, as well as open garages with no one about), and think it looks quite utopic in some places.

-I see Americans as being proud of what they have and patriotic.

-The few tourists I've come across here seem to talk loudly. (Perhaps we're just quiet.)

-American's seem to enjoy, (and are good at) figuring out processes for everything. You can be painting egg boxes with your kid, and they have experts somewhere online who have figured out the best techniques and can tell you all you need in order to push yourselves to the next level or ten. This also seems to create a lot of fads when it comes to diets and health etc.

-As someone mentioned above, there seems to be a lot of lawsuits. The other day I walked into a sign that a shop had hung too low. I cut my head open, gave an embarrassed laugh, shook my head to get my eyes back into focus and kept walking.

-They seem to love going bigger and better, where they won't stop with a double hamburger, they will create the quadruple bypass burger with 4 patties deep-fried in lard. They don't just have churches, they have mega-churches. They don't just have therapy groups, they have Tony Robbins filling out stadiums.

-Something else I noticed is that a lot of people seem to be quite open about private matters. They don't mind airing dirty laundry on public shows like Dr Phil etc for the whole world to see.

Disclaimer, I obviously know that everyone is different and that these are generalizations.