What makes me American?
I am American by geography.
There are too many facets of American culture and too much diversity to say
that any one characteristic of my culture defines me. And in many ways I am not
American: I don’t like hot dogs, I find baseball boring, I think an
individualistic mindset can be destructive, and I don’t want to get married and
have 2.5 kids. I do not share the American dream; therefore, I am an American
by location.
Bigaku
“…in Western art, people try
to construct something of beauty with logic of what is beautiful. In contrast,
Japanese focuses on what people feel is beautiful.” (37)This is a true
statement for traditional western art such as Manet and Hals. These artists saw
art as a system for beauty and developed techniques of oil painting
accordingly. However, once Abstract Expressionism began, this view of art
completely changed. Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler and DeKooning were
working to replicate what they felt as beautiful. Now, in contemporary western
art, there are still many artists working such as the Japanese in that they
develop compositions based on instinct rather than systems.
“Young Japanese study how to
play them so that they can create their own songs.” (36) I was shocked that
this was only a recent occurrence. American culture has always stressed the
importance of developing your own style, innovation, or creativity. This makes
me wonder if Japanese culture has the same copyright controversies that America
does. I would guess that they do not, since most of America’s problems come
from a deeply individualistic mindset.
Otogibanashi
“Japanese heroines are often
tragic figures and have to endure grief.” (173) I found this interesting because
all heroes in American culture are men. It hasn’t been until recently that this
has been changing. This can be seen in
classic princess movies such as Cinderella and Snow White. Even though the
women are the main characters they are completely dependent of men and are
often idiots. Moreover, American women in literature don’t endure grief and aren’t
tragic figures; instead, they are worthless and mindless.
“Patience and pity are seen
as virtues” (175) This makes sense with previous concepts discussed in this book,
such as the way Japanese don’t have public recognition. In American folklore
there is more of an emphasis on vices rather than virtues. For example, the Iliad
by Homer is more about the vice of hubris than the virtues of being a strong
warrior.
Wabi Sabi
“Sense of beauty should not
be explicit” (226) I am a security guard at the Akron Art Museum and there is a
painting there that was influenced by Japanese culture and is simply a textured
black square in between two white rectangles. This painting is epitome of inexplicit
beauty and is a successful and thought provoking piece; however, the general
public gets irate when they see this piece and often ask me why it is considered
art. After I explain the piece to them they are usually appreciative of it; but,
people’s initial reactions reveal that in American culture beauty is obvious
and blunt.
“Simplicity and elegance are
often considered two of the essential aesthetic qualities of Japanese culture.”(223) This reminds me of the Minimalism (a western
art movement that was popular in the 50’s and 60’s). The difference though is
that this Japanese aesthetic uses subtle organic and gesture to lead the viewer
on a journey. Minimalism, however, uses factorized products and geometry to
create simplicity that is void of the artist’s touch.
Kisetsu
“Omisoka is a family event in
which people are busy all day preparing to welcome in the New Year.”(155) I
find it interesting that the one holiday a year that America puts more
importance on community is the one holiday that Japan puts more importance on
family. In Akron, for example, there is this community program called First
Night, which helps build a sense of community. Another tradition that builds as
sense of community is watching the New York Ball drop- either in person or on
television .In Japan; however, there is more of a focus on family. This is counterintuitive
because Japan is known for groupism and America individualism.
“… to enjoy beautiful colors of autumn,
most people have to go to the outskirts of their cities.” (157). In large
cities of America people encounter the same problem. However, America is very
big and there are vast areas of protected wilderness, such as Alaska, Yellow
Stone, and National Parks in general. Even though this is true, many Americans don’t
have the desire to venture into the wilderness. When Americans do take vacations it is most
often in large cities with oceans, and not the undeveloped wilderness.
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