For all those who doled out advice thanks....here is the near final result, still have till thursday to make any changes. You guys should recognize some ideas that came from this forum.
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Europeans like to have a good chuckle at the United States by describing it as a “country with no cultureâ€. A common joke is that if a person who speaks two languages is called bilingual, and three languages trilingual, what do you call someone who speaks one language? American of course. In terms of the classical indicators of culture the United States is deficient: famous art, architecture, castles, religious and historic sites, national dress. American culture if anything is stereotyped as being limited to McDonalds, NASCAR, guns, Beverly Hills 90210 and gas guzzling automobiles. Such patronizing analysis is ignorant to the complexity of culture and it’s essence. Alexis de Tocqueville said that "In America the principle of the sovereignty of the people is neither barren nor concealed, as it is with some other nations; it is recognized by the customs and proclaimed by the laws; it spreads freely, and arrives without impediment at its most remote consequences If there is a country in the world where the doctrine of the sovereignty of the people can be fairly appreciated, where it can be studied in its application to the affairs of society, and where its dangers and its advantages may be judged, that country is assuredly America." Contrary to modern European folklore, Mcdonalds is not American culture. The entrepreneurialism, hard work, opportunity and innovative business model that allowed McDonalds to prosper however is American culture. American culture is observed in the totality of American behavior patterns, beliefs and the results of it’s work and thought. An argument will follow that shows the essence of America does include a core culture influenced by it’s essence of autonomy and evident in the material systems adopted by the country.
A large system is a sphere of relative influence. It can be thought of as the essence of technology because large systems allow technology to exist. All countries will have their own systems, and there are those which will reach across countries. Nye’s reference to cities as a system is not unique to America. The American city is unique to America. America’s cities are comparatively spread out and arranged in a manner conducive to travel. In most cities the house is the predominant habitat for man and in places of overcrowding (southern California) the bungalow style home complete with tiny yard is evidence of the desire to hold onto this tradition in the face of overcrowding. The system of the automobile is a focal point of technology. The paradigm of four wheels and an engine has allowed the development of everything from new fuel mixtures, engineering concepts and city planning, to satellite radios. The automobile system has spawned other systems such as the highway system which has had an influence on yet other systems, specifically cities.
The American automobile exhibits the American essence of autonomy. Even though there are often means of public transportation available, most Americans choose to own their own car. Even in Los Angeles, where traffic can be terrible and a subway system and HOV lanes exist, the feeling of freedom experienced on the road is preferable to the experience of being carted or bussed around in a government subsidized transportation experiment en masse.
The largest physical system in America is arguably the interstate highways. As part of a large system, the development of the interstate highways bankrupted many small towns that sat on the outskirts of the previous roads. But they allowed new cities to pop-up, and the prosperity of the ones that were now efficiently linked together. The interstate highway system is unique to America. It is one of the most encompassing systems we have, spread like a web across the country. In there creation the American essence was given the opportunity to once again show itself. There is the freedom to travel among various states without any more of a roadblock than a sign proclaiming an invisible barrier. There are no passports required to pass from one state to another. There are no checkpoints. There are not even any stoplights governing the flow of traffic. The ease with which an individual can merge onto traffic or depart for their chosen destination is an autonomous experience. The interstate highways are clearly expressive of American autonomy and allow each individual that expression in their travels.
There is a commonality here with gun ownership that warrants automobiles being mentioned in the same context of guns. Even though there are police available (hopefully), a large part of America treats gun ownership in the same way as the automobile. Americans own cars when there is public transportation albeit inefficient, and they own guns when there is a police force. The service being provided by the government in no way infringes on the autonomy Americans would rather experience.
The European perspective on the role of government is that a government is established to help the needy and provide services. The American view is that government is there to protect pre-existing rights. The essence of autonomy in this regard shows that Americans value the individual over the collective. Rather than being asked to sacrifice for the common good, Americans exercise individual sovereignty. The result is a better social fabric for all, or at least a society in touch with it’s essence. Gun ownership is symbolic of this autonomy. Predictably, the massive distribution of handguns in America which empowers American citizens to be armed better than the British police, is shocking to the Europeans. To Americans the shock is reciprocated at the near complete disarmament of most European populations in light of Europe’s history of 20th century government sponsored genocide.
The “massive†distribution of handguns says a lot about the USA. The number of handguns has doubled in America since 1970. A check of the FBI Uniform Crime Report though shows that the rate of handgun homicides is the same now as it was in 1970. One possibility for this is that the criminal element has reached a saturation point in regards to handguns. But there is more insight into this trend that can be recognized by statistical inference alone.
So where do 60 million handguns go and what does this say about the essence of America? What makes them a large system other than there distribution? The first restrictions on guns in America were meant to prohibit their possession by freed slaves. Guns are now owned as symbols of freedom by the populace as well as multifaceted tools. People typically use them to hunt, to defend their families and livelihood with, as a political safeguard, or just to plink away at the range on the weekend. Regrettably, they are also used to kill with. The massive distribution of handguns that Nye mentions is significant in this discussion, but not for the reason that one can suspect that Nye mentioned them. America is known worldwide for its “gun cultureâ€, but usually to depict it as a wild west.
The sphere of influence that makes guns part of a large system of autonomy shows itself when one compares the contact crime in places where guns are prohibited from being owned by those who obey the law. England and Australia (and the rest of Europe comparably) share the distinction of having twice the rate of contact crime (robbery, rape, assault) than the US. Though Americans far exceed nearly every country in terms of homicide rates, the American homicide average is skewed sharply by a few distinct demographic groups who fall victim to themselves. For those who are not gang members or part of specific races, the homicide rate is comparable to the gun-free societies in Europe, but without the additional contact crime.
Crime prevention, like transportation, is exercised autonomously by many Americans. Rarely in England will a thief be caught on film being gunned down as was the case last week in Ohio. The English are advised in public service announcements that when being attacked “the victim should adopt a state of active passivity.†or “roll up into a ballâ€. This demonstrates the polar opposite of autonomy. Giving up all control and leaving oneself at the mercy of those who can control them. This is true whether it be a criminal attacker, or a government providing services and programs beyond the scope of protecting citizen’s liberties, such as control over healthcare and education. At this point the difference between a “citizen†and a “subject†is clearly defined.
The centrality of television cannot be ignored for long in America. It is a blessing and a burden. It is surprising that in a country in which the work week is longer than many of it’s counterpart developed nations, and the unemployment significantly lower, that a leisure activity plays such a role in it’s culture. Similar to McDonalds, the half hour sitcoms and hundreds of channels are not American culture but are representative of the essence of America.
America’s essence of autonomy, as well as American technology is revealed in “abundanceâ€. There is an abundance of land, people, wealth, liberty, crime, guns, opportunity, food, television, waste, production, generosity and greed. The Nye statement is accurate to a degree. The commonalities of the national culture are in material life, but that is not where they are rooted or limited. They are a revealing of the underlying essence of autonomy. In America more so than other countries, the abundance of material things reveal it’s essence. The revealing perpetuates itself in transferable mediums such as movies, jokes, and the media. The physical items such as guns, cities and highways together remain distinctively the essence of America. An understanding of them is not the same as having the experience of them. This transmits a distorted picture of American culture to other countries and inhibits the accurate understanding of American culture to them. There are several countries that share many of the material traits that Nye mentioned, but America is one of the few that can be characterized by all of them.
============================================
Europeans like to have a good chuckle at the United States by describing it as a “country with no cultureâ€. A common joke is that if a person who speaks two languages is called bilingual, and three languages trilingual, what do you call someone who speaks one language? American of course. In terms of the classical indicators of culture the United States is deficient: famous art, architecture, castles, religious and historic sites, national dress. American culture if anything is stereotyped as being limited to McDonalds, NASCAR, guns, Beverly Hills 90210 and gas guzzling automobiles. Such patronizing analysis is ignorant to the complexity of culture and it’s essence. Alexis de Tocqueville said that "In America the principle of the sovereignty of the people is neither barren nor concealed, as it is with some other nations; it is recognized by the customs and proclaimed by the laws; it spreads freely, and arrives without impediment at its most remote consequences If there is a country in the world where the doctrine of the sovereignty of the people can be fairly appreciated, where it can be studied in its application to the affairs of society, and where its dangers and its advantages may be judged, that country is assuredly America." Contrary to modern European folklore, Mcdonalds is not American culture. The entrepreneurialism, hard work, opportunity and innovative business model that allowed McDonalds to prosper however is American culture. American culture is observed in the totality of American behavior patterns, beliefs and the results of it’s work and thought. An argument will follow that shows the essence of America does include a core culture influenced by it’s essence of autonomy and evident in the material systems adopted by the country.
A large system is a sphere of relative influence. It can be thought of as the essence of technology because large systems allow technology to exist. All countries will have their own systems, and there are those which will reach across countries. Nye’s reference to cities as a system is not unique to America. The American city is unique to America. America’s cities are comparatively spread out and arranged in a manner conducive to travel. In most cities the house is the predominant habitat for man and in places of overcrowding (southern California) the bungalow style home complete with tiny yard is evidence of the desire to hold onto this tradition in the face of overcrowding. The system of the automobile is a focal point of technology. The paradigm of four wheels and an engine has allowed the development of everything from new fuel mixtures, engineering concepts and city planning, to satellite radios. The automobile system has spawned other systems such as the highway system which has had an influence on yet other systems, specifically cities.
The American automobile exhibits the American essence of autonomy. Even though there are often means of public transportation available, most Americans choose to own their own car. Even in Los Angeles, where traffic can be terrible and a subway system and HOV lanes exist, the feeling of freedom experienced on the road is preferable to the experience of being carted or bussed around in a government subsidized transportation experiment en masse.
The largest physical system in America is arguably the interstate highways. As part of a large system, the development of the interstate highways bankrupted many small towns that sat on the outskirts of the previous roads. But they allowed new cities to pop-up, and the prosperity of the ones that were now efficiently linked together. The interstate highway system is unique to America. It is one of the most encompassing systems we have, spread like a web across the country. In there creation the American essence was given the opportunity to once again show itself. There is the freedom to travel among various states without any more of a roadblock than a sign proclaiming an invisible barrier. There are no passports required to pass from one state to another. There are no checkpoints. There are not even any stoplights governing the flow of traffic. The ease with which an individual can merge onto traffic or depart for their chosen destination is an autonomous experience. The interstate highways are clearly expressive of American autonomy and allow each individual that expression in their travels.
There is a commonality here with gun ownership that warrants automobiles being mentioned in the same context of guns. Even though there are police available (hopefully), a large part of America treats gun ownership in the same way as the automobile. Americans own cars when there is public transportation albeit inefficient, and they own guns when there is a police force. The service being provided by the government in no way infringes on the autonomy Americans would rather experience.
The European perspective on the role of government is that a government is established to help the needy and provide services. The American view is that government is there to protect pre-existing rights. The essence of autonomy in this regard shows that Americans value the individual over the collective. Rather than being asked to sacrifice for the common good, Americans exercise individual sovereignty. The result is a better social fabric for all, or at least a society in touch with it’s essence. Gun ownership is symbolic of this autonomy. Predictably, the massive distribution of handguns in America which empowers American citizens to be armed better than the British police, is shocking to the Europeans. To Americans the shock is reciprocated at the near complete disarmament of most European populations in light of Europe’s history of 20th century government sponsored genocide.
The “massive†distribution of handguns says a lot about the USA. The number of handguns has doubled in America since 1970. A check of the FBI Uniform Crime Report though shows that the rate of handgun homicides is the same now as it was in 1970. One possibility for this is that the criminal element has reached a saturation point in regards to handguns. But there is more insight into this trend that can be recognized by statistical inference alone.
So where do 60 million handguns go and what does this say about the essence of America? What makes them a large system other than there distribution? The first restrictions on guns in America were meant to prohibit their possession by freed slaves. Guns are now owned as symbols of freedom by the populace as well as multifaceted tools. People typically use them to hunt, to defend their families and livelihood with, as a political safeguard, or just to plink away at the range on the weekend. Regrettably, they are also used to kill with. The massive distribution of handguns that Nye mentions is significant in this discussion, but not for the reason that one can suspect that Nye mentioned them. America is known worldwide for its “gun cultureâ€, but usually to depict it as a wild west.
The sphere of influence that makes guns part of a large system of autonomy shows itself when one compares the contact crime in places where guns are prohibited from being owned by those who obey the law. England and Australia (and the rest of Europe comparably) share the distinction of having twice the rate of contact crime (robbery, rape, assault) than the US. Though Americans far exceed nearly every country in terms of homicide rates, the American homicide average is skewed sharply by a few distinct demographic groups who fall victim to themselves. For those who are not gang members or part of specific races, the homicide rate is comparable to the gun-free societies in Europe, but without the additional contact crime.
Crime prevention, like transportation, is exercised autonomously by many Americans. Rarely in England will a thief be caught on film being gunned down as was the case last week in Ohio. The English are advised in public service announcements that when being attacked “the victim should adopt a state of active passivity.†or “roll up into a ballâ€. This demonstrates the polar opposite of autonomy. Giving up all control and leaving oneself at the mercy of those who can control them. This is true whether it be a criminal attacker, or a government providing services and programs beyond the scope of protecting citizen’s liberties, such as control over healthcare and education. At this point the difference between a “citizen†and a “subject†is clearly defined.
The centrality of television cannot be ignored for long in America. It is a blessing and a burden. It is surprising that in a country in which the work week is longer than many of it’s counterpart developed nations, and the unemployment significantly lower, that a leisure activity plays such a role in it’s culture. Similar to McDonalds, the half hour sitcoms and hundreds of channels are not American culture but are representative of the essence of America.
America’s essence of autonomy, as well as American technology is revealed in “abundanceâ€. There is an abundance of land, people, wealth, liberty, crime, guns, opportunity, food, television, waste, production, generosity and greed. The Nye statement is accurate to a degree. The commonalities of the national culture are in material life, but that is not where they are rooted or limited. They are a revealing of the underlying essence of autonomy. In America more so than other countries, the abundance of material things reveal it’s essence. The revealing perpetuates itself in transferable mediums such as movies, jokes, and the media. The physical items such as guns, cities and highways together remain distinctively the essence of America. An understanding of them is not the same as having the experience of them. This transmits a distorted picture of American culture to other countries and inhibits the accurate understanding of American culture to them. There are several countries that share many of the material traits that Nye mentioned, but America is one of the few that can be characterized by all of them.
:banghead: 
. Unfortunately I was young & stupid at the time & didn't take his statement to the dean over him 
)
sociology class (most useless thought genre ever created) then the style is very appropriate.