I've
given this assignment my utmost attention, maintaining
a covert operation for an extended period of time above
and beyond the call of duty in order to ensure that the
report I submit is the most accurate and concise version
available. You've instructed me to spy on America's young
citizens, report their habits, interaction methods, and
produce a cultural report indicative of this demographic.
So I've gone to a local college for my research, and what
I've discovered is that with more emphasis than competing
for survival, young Americans are inherently and vainly
predisposed to competing for status, utilising any possible
available means.
Looking
at what the American young adult is wearing, it is evident
that there is an unconscious competition between the different
dress styles. Some of these styles include
the neat look, the baggy look, the tight look, the underdressed
look, the jewellery' sticking'out'of'every'orifice look,
and the jewellery everywhere else look, and last but not
least, the sloppy look. Fortunately or unfortunately depending
on your own particular taste, there are varying degrees
of each look which lend credence to the status'seeking
theory.
Transportation
seems to be a valued asset when competing with peers for
status. It seems, for instance, that a sports car (which
in the United States is supposed to equate to having money)
is the way to go. That said, there still is the occasional
sighting of a kid driving laps around the busiest campus
block in a Chevy Z'71, or some other new and large pick'up
truck. Typically, the vehicle boasts five coats of aqua'green
paint under three clear coats, and the driver spends time
eye'balling every pretty girl he sees in tight shorts
while ignoring the smiling one in the passenger seat sitting
next to him. Too bad for the seemingly underprivileged
guy: He is cursed to drive around in a rusted '74 VW,
or some other relic greater than 10 years old. He's too
ashamed to drive around the busiest block on
campus. Girls rarely favour him because no average girl
would be caught in a car like that, since her friends
wouldn't approve of it.
Next
on the list of status seeking symbols is music.
First of all, it's got to be loud. Whether in a car or
in a campus dorm, loud music is a statement: 'Stand up
and take notice of the system I've got!' It truly isn't
an issue whether or not others might be annoyed or disturbed,
or that the type of music may not appeal to everyone.
And, it's for this reason that there seems to be an unspoken
rule: If you don't like the music that's being played,
then increase the volume of your own and drown those rivals
out.
To
gain better insight into interaction methods, I began
watching television as religiously as
our young Americans do. This proved to be most enlightening.
I've discovered that America's young adults mirror much
of the behaviour, dress styles and even male/female relationships
seen on television as a guideline for what constitutes
status. Since I've previously discussed clothing, vehicles
and music, I'll refrain from referring to these topics
again except to reinforce that the cultural norms and
status symbols seem to be determined by the most popular
television shows.
The
interaction methods mirrored are, if you'll allow me to
interject my own opinion, quite shameful. It seems that
females need the approval of other females
when choosing clothing, cosmetics and even sexual partners.
For America's young females, the choicest male cuts must
look as if they belong on a daytime TV show. When choosing
a partner, all females must be in agreement as to the
relative 'cuteness of his butt' (a.k.a as one's gluteus
maximus). Eventually, the sum result of a female being
seen with a guy in possession of the cutest butt will
equate to a higher status for her within each female friendship
circle.
On
the other hand, when interacting with females, the young
American male need only secure approval from his loins
when contemplating a brief sexual encounter. I've discovered
evidence that these males tend to regularly seek out young
females who appear 'easy'. Males then, upon conquering
a female will often brag to their own friends, thus gaining
perceived status within their male friendship circle.
An
important aspect of any culture is religion.
In the United States young Americans relish the gift
of religious freedom. To many of them, this means only
that they do not have to go to worship services if they
do not so desire. Many young Americans seem predisposed
to a belief in and need for God only when their lives
or the lives of their loved ones are in jeopardy. It's
then and only then that they pray. For the many young
adults who do regularly attend worship services, the
status'seeking theme seems to be reinforced once again,
in clothing, cosmetics and in assessing who's with who.
Status
seeking reinforcement occurs naturally in young American
culture. Those who do not conform to seeking status
are often isolated and alienated. Some young Americans
are even labelled as being different, and are thus entitled
to the occasional harsh word or two. Consequently, fights
may occur when a status seeking person decides to make
status gains by doing more than just yelling a few harsh
words. As a matter of fact, he or she may impose him
or herself upon a labelled person and this imposition
would be condoned by most other status'seeking individuals.
Whether or not the actions are justified doesn't matter
in the status'seeking circle.
The
culture of the American young adult is a complicated
issue that can be better understood by watching American
television. It is there that you can find the status
goals that they yearn for. The goal of one person having
more status than another is unheard of in most cultures
where the goal of simply surviving is paramount.
However, in America, the land of plenty, survival seems
to come secondary to status. During the entire length
of my stay here in the United States, I haven't heard
anyone complain that they didn't have anything to eat,
or that they were almost dinner for a tiger. What I
did hear were things like, 'Darn, I broke my nail!'
and 'How much did it cost to pierce your nose?'
The
summation of my cultural report is that if you want
to blend in here in America, you had better be ready
to compete for status.
Daniel
Taverne is a legally blind veteran who resides in Northeast
Louisiana. He has a background in bricklaying, Occupational
Therapy and writing. Daniel's poetry can be read at
www.poetrypoem.com/simplepassions
