Americans and how they are unlike any other group have been a long-standing topic of discussion. Whether it is the culture or lifestyle, there are several ways in which Americans are undeniably isolated from the rest of the world.
One factor contributing to this isolation is the geographical distance. With the isolation from other major regions like Europe, Americans are disconnected from many global features such as different cultures and lifestyles. Due to this geographical isolation, Americans may sometimes have a lack of knowledge about different events that are happening in the world.
Since the U.S. is so big, many Americans travel mostly within the country and do not feel the need to go out of the country to gain certain experiences due to the diverse weather, people and cultures. Some Americans have never gone outside of the country, compared to those living in other countries who travel with more variety in their destinations.
Even though there are many immigrants in the U.S., especially in the FHS community, it appears that the understanding of the globe is poor. For example, some Americans, if you would ask them about popular cities and countries, might not know which country the cities are in. Examples include not knowing that Africa is not a country, or not knowing the capital of France. These mistakes may result due to the lack of geographical knowledge which is not taught exhaustively in schools.
Something unique to U.S. culture that many immigrants do not pick up on is the measurements Americans use. As an immigrant who had to learn the different unit measurements, I find that having different dimensions simply add to Americans’ isolation from the rest of the world. Whether it is clothes sizes or height measurements, the different metrics Americans use complicate the connection Americans have with other countries in a cultural sense.
There are numerous characteristics of American culture, because it is a combination of several cultures. Food, which is a major part of a person’s day, is definitely a big part of the culture and it represents many factors of the U.S. American foods tend to have more oil, and the junk food industries in the U.S. are bigger as the demand for it is higher. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is just another component that adds up to the build-up of Americans’ isolation from the world.
When it comes to isolation, it is not all Americans and it would be incorrect to include all of them in that assertion. But at the end of the day, it is all about the mindset people have about the rest of the world, and how they approach it.
