American way of life
The American way of life (English spelling American way of life ; formerly also called Americanism ) is a lifestyle typical of the United States . The characteristics of the "American way of life" include a pronounced individualism , love of freedom and the pursuit of earthly happiness and prosperity ( pursuit of happiness ) . The American lifestyle is characterized by optimism and activity, it combines ideals with a pragmatic attitude.
The American way of life differs significantly from the lifestyle of many other nations or regions of the world (e.g. Europe, Asia) , even if most Americans have European ancestors. There are numerous theories as to what factors have favored the American way of life or what it is today.
Meaning and use of the term
The American way of life in business is based on the belief that a capitalist competitive market fosters talent and growth . The appropriate form of political government is a free democracy .
The American way of life is closely linked to the idea that everyone - regardless of their origin - can decisively improve their standard of living through determination, hard work and talent ( American Dream ), ideally according to the motto “ From dishwasher to millionaire ”. During the Cold War , the expression in the media served as a positive counter-term to the standard of living of the population in the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union .
criticism
The term American Way of Life is often associated with negative or questionable aspects of American culture , often with an anti-American undertone. These include, for example, excessive consumption , the waste of raw materials , the exploitation of human labor or environmental pollution .
See also
literature
- Will Herberg: Protestant, Catholic, Jew: an Essay in American religious sociology , University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1994, ISBN 0-226-32734-5 .
- Peter Schäfer : Everyday Life in the United States, from Colonial Times to the Present , Styria, Graz / Vienna / Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-222-12565-1 .
- Thomas Hertel: Community culture of the masses - American way of life - or a leveling culture industry? Studies on Theodor W. Adorno's concept of mass culture taking into account the tension between Europe and the United States of America Dissertation Humboldt University Berlin 1993, DNB 940245124
- Rupert Weinzierl (Ed.): American way of life vs. European way , Löcker, Vienna 2003, ISBN 3-85409-379-9 .
- Heike Paul: The myths that made America: an introduction to American studies Transcript , Bielefeld 2014, ISBN 978-3-8376-1485-5 ( English ; = American Studies , Vol. 1).
Web links
- Eva Kreisky, Saskia Stachowitsch: Americanization of the World: Role Model and Enemy? Work report: “American way of life”, University of Vienna WS 2004/2005 (PDF; 37 pages).
Individual evidence
- ^ Data on the photograph The American Way of Life by Margaret Bourke-White in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston .
- ↑ The shot became famous for the contrast between the poster motif and the people queuing in the foreground. They are victims of the flood disaster on the Ohio River in 1937. Cf. Photography and the Great Depression: Margaret Bourke-White
- ^ A b Adolf Bode: Americanism. In: Friedrich Karrenberg (Ed.): Evangelical Social Lexicon . Stuttgart: Kreuz-Verlag 1954, p. 18.
- ↑ One example is a book by the photographer Alex MacLean , title of the German edition: Over. The American Way of Life or The End of the Landscape (Schirmer Mosel, Munich 2009), ISBN 978-3-8296-0383-6 . Here the American way of life stands for environmental destruction .
- ↑ Possible threats to the environment are reflected in a statement by President George HW Bush , who declared at the 1992 environmental conference in Rio that the American lifestyle was non-negotiable. Source: US Lifestyle Is Not Up for Negotiation Inter Press Service, May 1, 2012