What is "The American Way of Life"?

brianlux
brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,674
While shelving books today, I came across one written by Dick Morris.  I happened to read the blurb on the back and it said something about such-and-such threatening "the American way of life."  What struck me was not that such-and-such was supposedly doing something horrible to our way of life (that specific is probably irrelevant to this discussion), but rather, that an assumption was being made  implying that "the American way of life"  is somehow flawless. Yet at the same time, that so-called "way of life" is not something easily prescribed by a single set of parameters.  So just what the heck is "the American way of life" and who is supposedly following it correctly and is it indeed a system so flawless and well defined that it should never be tampered with?
"It's a sad and beautiful world"
-Roberto Benigni

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Comments

  • dankind
    dankind Posts: 20,841
    edited July 2017
    It's a bullshit prison construct of the mind.

    Fuck that!

    I live my way of life. America can go fuck itself!
    I SAW PEARL JAM
  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    dankind said:
    It's a bullshit prison construct of the mind.

    Fuck that!

    I live my way of life. America can go fuck itself!
    Bolded part - we already are!  In some ways, at least.

    Italicized part - as do I, my friend.  Whether or not that is considered American...who knows?  Works for me, though :)
  • fife
    fife Posts: 3,327
    I don't know if there is a specific "american way of life" but I do believe that there is are some characteristics of a "Liberal way of life"  when i say liberal, I do not mean  as in liberal party or anything like that.  I mean Liberal in the historical view point.  Now does america follow that view point I would say no. 

    to answer your other questions, I do believe liberalism is well define but the issue is how people view the means to how to follow it.  for example, freedom of speech is a corner stone of liberalism but we see battles about what it covers.  for some all speech is allowable but for some not all speech is allowable such as hate speech. 

    hope this makes sense
  • dankind
    dankind Posts: 20,841
    I will concede that there are likely more local ways of life (New Yorker, Angelino, New Orleanian, Portlandian, Masshole, etc.). America is too vast and, as Jedi pointed out, too busy fucking itself--although I'd say it's more akin to rape than fucking; there is no uniform consent--to present a unified way of life. 
    I SAW PEARL JAM
  • dudeman
    dudeman Posts: 3,182
    IMO, the American way of life applies to individuals, not necessarily groups. In that way, the ideology can be interpreted as a the ability to reach whatever goals one wishes, limited only by ones own motivations and the laws that govern the land. 


    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • pjhawks
    pjhawks Posts: 12,961
    dudeman said:
    IMO, the American way of life applies to individuals, not necessarily groups. In that way, the ideology can be interpreted as a the ability to reach whatever goals one wishes, limited only by ones own motivations and the laws that govern the land. 


    I agree with this.  We don't have to conform to a certain lifestyle, job, education, etc. here.  You have many different paths you can take and that decision is an individuals own decision.
  • CM189191
    CM189191 Posts: 6,927
    edited July 2017
    This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass
  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,327
    It's Foosball tournaments and ice cream.
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,674
    fife said:
    I don't know if there is a specific "american way of life" but I do believe that there is are some characteristics of a "Liberal way of life"  when i say liberal, I do not mean  as in liberal party or anything like that.  I mean Liberal in the historical view point.  Now does america follow that view point I would say no. 

    to answer your other questions, I do believe liberalism is well define but the issue is how people view the means to how to follow it.  for example, freedom of speech is a corner stone of liberalism but we see battles about what it covers.  for some all speech is allowable but for some not all speech is allowable such as hate speech. 

    hope this makes sense
    A bit confusing here, fife.  Are you saying you see liberalism as defining the "American way of life" exclusive of conservatism?
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,674
    pjhawks said:
    dudeman said:
    IMO, the American way of life applies to individuals, not necessarily groups. In that way, the ideology can be interpreted as a the ability to reach whatever goals one wishes, limited only by ones own motivations and the laws that govern the land. 


    I agree with this.  We don't have to conform to a certain lifestyle, job, education, etc. here.  You have many different paths you can take and that decision is an individuals own decision.
    I interpret this to mean you guys see the American way of life as the freedom to be who or whatever you want.  I agree with that notion but only somewhat idealistically.  It's a lot easier to be who or what you want to be if you are born into enough wealth.  But what if you are born into poverty?  What if you are born a U.S. citizen but also happen to be Arabian or Hispanic, for example?  Equal opportunity for all?  Horacio Alger story?
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Go Beavers
    Go Beavers Posts: 9,621
    I think conservatives use it as code speak to rile up fear in the context that the American way of life is being threatened. I look at the term in how immigrants would probably define it: a place where you have opportunity and freedom of choice to become the person you want to be. 
  • dankind
    dankind Posts: 20,841
    Compromise
    Conformity
    Assimilation
    Submission
    Ignorance
    Hypocrisy
    Brutality
    The Elite
    All of which are American dreams!
     
    I SAW PEARL JAM
  • F Me In The Brain
    F Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 31,882
    dankind said:
    Compromise
    Conformity
    Assimilation
    Submission
    Ignorance
    Hypocrisy
    Brutality
    The Elite
    All of which are American dreams!
     
    This played in my head when reading this thread. 
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
  • dankind
    dankind Posts: 20,841
    dankind said:
    Compromise
    Conformity
    Assimilation
    Submission
    Ignorance
    Hypocrisy
    Brutality
    The Elite
    All of which are American dreams!
     
    This played in my head when reading this thread. 
    https://youtu.be/4smim2MNvF8
    I SAW PEARL JAM
  • HughFreakingDillon
    HughFreakingDillon Winnipeg Posts: 39,776
    same as the canadian way of life. just with less alcohol per volume. 
    By The Time They Figure Out What Went Wrong, We'll Be Sitting On A Beach, Earning Twenty Percent.




  • Halifax2TheMax
    Halifax2TheMax Posts: 42,674
    same as the canadian way of life. just with less alcohol per volume. 
    But way more calories and "consumption" in general.
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  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,880


    hippiemom = goodness
  • fife
    fife Posts: 3,327


    brianlux said:
    fife said:
    I don't know if there is a specific "american way of life" but I do believe that there is are some characteristics of a "Liberal way of life"  when i say liberal, I do not mean  as in liberal party or anything like that.  I mean Liberal in the historical view point.  Now does america follow that view point I would say no. 

    to answer your other questions, I do believe liberalism is well define but the issue is how people view the means to how to follow it.  for example, freedom of speech is a corner stone of liberalism but we see battles about what it covers.  for some all speech is allowable but for some not all speech is allowable such as hate speech. 

    hope this makes sense
    A bit confusing here, fife.  Are you saying you see liberalism as defining the "American way of life" exclusive of conservatism?
    sorry should have been more clearer and taken more time to write.  I do believe that liberalism does define the "American way of life" but its not exclusively American.  I don't know if I see America as conservatism in the classical sense.  
  • pjhawks
    pjhawks Posts: 12,961
    brianlux said:
    pjhawks said:
    dudeman said:
    IMO, the American way of life applies to individuals, not necessarily groups. In that way, the ideology can be interpreted as a the ability to reach whatever goals one wishes, limited only by ones own motivations and the laws that govern the land. 


    I agree with this.  We don't have to conform to a certain lifestyle, job, education, etc. here.  You have many different paths you can take and that decision is an individuals own decision.
    I interpret this to mean you guys see the American way of life as the freedom to be who or whatever you want.  I agree with that notion but only somewhat idealistically.  It's a lot easier to be who or what you want to be if you are born into enough wealth.  But what if you are born into poverty?  What if you are born a U.S. citizen but also happen to be Arabian or Hispanic, for example?  Equal opportunity for all?  Horacio Alger story?
    equal no but yes you have an opportunity to rise from poverty in America as well as or better than most countries.  that's getting a bit harder these days with the shrinking middle class and less middle class incomes but it's not impossible.  I would imagine that is the reason so many immigrants still want to come here.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,674
    fife said:


    brianlux said:
    fife said:
    I don't know if there is a specific "american way of life" but I do believe that there is are some characteristics of a "Liberal way of life"  when i say liberal, I do not mean  as in liberal party or anything like that.  I mean Liberal in the historical view point.  Now does america follow that view point I would say no. 

    to answer your other questions, I do believe liberalism is well define but the issue is how people view the means to how to follow it.  for example, freedom of speech is a corner stone of liberalism but we see battles about what it covers.  for some all speech is allowable but for some not all speech is allowable such as hate speech. 

    hope this makes sense
    A bit confusing here, fife.  Are you saying you see liberalism as defining the "American way of life" exclusive of conservatism?
    sorry should have been more clearer and taken more time to write.  I do believe that liberalism does define the "American way of life" but its not exclusively American.  I don't know if I see America as conservatism in the classical sense.  
    We're a liberal nation yet with Trump as president and Republicans controlling the House and Senate?  The American way of life is peculiar indeed!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni