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OT: What symbolizes the American identity the best?

What character best symbolizes the American identity?

  • Patriot

    Votes: 8 21.6%

  • Pioneer

    Votes: 11 29.7%

  • Cowboy

    Votes: 9 24.3%

  • Other

    Votes: 9 24.3%
  • Total voters
    37
Kirijax

Kirijax

Senior
Joined
Dec 20, 2012
Messages
2,264
This thread might get nuked but wanted to ask you guys what you thought about this. A Japanese students came up to me yesterday and asked me what symbolized the American identity the best. The reason he asked is because the Japanese often tie in the Samurai with something they are rooting for. The soccer team calls themselves the Samurai Blue (I have no idea why), and the tennis player Nishikori Kei is currently in a Cup Noodle commercial where he is dressed as a samurai on a tennis court.
The student's question got me thinking. I gave him three ideas that I thought symbolized the American identity most commonly; the cowboy, the patriot and the pioneer. I gave him my reasons for all three but it is hard to center on one. Maybe Patriot. What do you guys think? What historical character in American history would best symbolize the American identity? Or is there another character I left out? I want to talk to my students about this next chance I get so it would be interesting to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

1703131280bc06547407f94f14506166a.jpg
 
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Kirijax said:
This thread might get nuked but wanted to ask you guys what you thought about this. A Japanese students came up to me yesterday and asked me what symbolized the American identity the best. The reason he asked is because the Japanese often tie in the Samurai with something they are rooting for. The soccer team calls themselves the Samurai Blue (I have no idea why), and the tennis player Nishikori Kei is currently in a Cup Noodle commercial where he is dressed as a samurai on a tennis court.
The student's question got me thinking. I gave him three ideas that I thought symbolized the American identity most commonly; the cowboy, the patriot and the pioneer. I gave him my reasons for all three but it is hard to center on one. Maybe Patriot. What do you guys think? What historical character in American history would best symbolize the American identity? Or is there another character I left out? I want to talk to my students about this next chance I get so it would be interesting to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

View attachment 28864
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Brainwashed, lazy, ignorant.
 
Funny, I was thinking about this tonight when there was a discussion about crime in the United States and they discussed a NYC policeman killed, Officer Liu. Nope, not Officer Johnson or Officer O'Reilly or Officer Jones. It also could have been an Officer Salam or Officer Suharto or Officer Weinstein who was killed.

Point is, the premise is false. Here is a Japanese domestic show which was not conceived to be shown in the US, but became a popular hit here:

[video=youtube;SKAiO81oSqQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKAiO81oSqQ[/video]

Look at the opening, especially from 5:18 to 5:32; to an American, it appears the Japanese value uniformity and discipline. The students look the same (haircut, facial expression) and are dressed the same. Is this what is valued in Japanese society?

Now this clip is also about uniformity and discipline, but listen to the important difference the SDI (masterfully portrayed by a former DI, R. Lee Ermey) talks about @00:50:

[video=youtube;71Lft6EQh-Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71Lft6EQh-Y[/video]

Offensive language? Oh, **** yes, but the point is the recruits all come from different backgrounds, skin colors and religous beliefs. Notice also how the director, Stanley Kubrik, has the SDI character walk down the line, showing the different heights, weights and colors of the recruits, all of whom are in training to wear the same uniform and have the same skill set, but who come from vastly different origins and circumstances. Having been in similar lines many times in real life, I can tell you it is legit.

Bottom Line: Americans are not a homogenous people easily defined by one image, but are a people of great variety bound by a unique national identity.
 
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Originally it was probably ADD types -- hunter/warriors who no longer fit well in West European civilization. More docile farmer and business type then came, together with slaves, and ADD types moved farther and farther west. Then lot of want to get rich types, starving people and political outcasts. Now mostly social welfare freeloaders. Now we are mostly just a frigging mess. But we will still tear your *** up if you ***** with us. Just ask your Japanese students how that samurai stuff worked out for them against us. or those mighty Germans. Our Japanese American and African American troops helped jack their asses up too. In short, what ever the ehll we are, you don't want to **** us off.
 
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Gatorhater said:
Originally it was probably ADD types -- hunter/warriors who no longer fit well in West European civilization. More docile farmer and business type then came, together with slaves, and ADD types moved farther and farther west. Then lot of want to get rich types, starving people and political outcasts. Now mostly social welfare freeloaders. Now we are mostly just a frigging mess. But we will still tear your *** up if you ***** with us. Just ask your Japanese students how that samurai stuff worked out for them against us. or those mighty Germans. Our Japanese American and African American troops helped jack their asses up too. In short, what ever the ehll we are, you don't want to **** us off.
Click to expand...

"Just ask your Japanese students how that samurai stuff worked out for them against us. or those mighty Germans."

Are we talking war or auto sales? Are you saying the Japanese fought the Germans? True, the two countries squared off in the Siege of Tsingtau in World War ONE, but not in World Waar TWO, when they allied to form (w/Italy and other minor states) the Axis Powers.

Ok, this is making my head hurt, better consult Bluto:

[video=youtube;V8lT1o0sDwI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8lT1o0sDwI[/video]
 
Thanks for the responses. The Japanese value uniformity and moving together as a collective greatly. They are not always happy about it, but when the tough times come, such as the Great Tohoku Earthquakes/Tsunamis they experienced four years ago, this is their strength. When their social structure came to a halt that day, there was no looting, protests, arguing or fighting of any kind. Everyone moved together to struggle through a tough situation.

I saw one picture on the Internet that described the Japanese perfectly. On March 11, 2011, public transportation came to a halt in Tokyo. Most of the people there commute by train or bus so you can imagine the trouble the city was in. The picture is of the Japanese quietly standing in line waiting (for hours in some places) for the train stations to open up the gates to take them home. It is very hard to imagine a scene like this in America. There are some signs of this sort of mindset slowly changing in Japan but this is how the Japanese people think and act. Because of this, their social structure rarely ever breaks down, despite the disaster of March 11.

japan_071.jpg
 
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