Kultur Blog Assignment 1

Initially i didn't know what to think about the brochure on German-American subculture. I can relate to the statistics the authors mentioned in the beginning about how fewer people are describing themselves as German-American. I'm Italian-American of a few generations, and it has definitely affected my life, but I certainly wouldn't describe myself as Italian-American if someone asked me. In my mind, only people who were born there and can remember living there before coming to America can really claim that status. Most of my peers, along with me, come from families who have lived in America for a long time, and our culture is, different in almost every way from what it was when our ancestors came to this country, and few of us even know the traditions our different cultures used to practice.

To an extent, I agree with the authors when they say that the culture has become an unconscious practice rather than an outward expression of something meaningful. However, I like to think that people are a little less like sheep and, on some level, know the reasons for the things they do. Why do I tend to have spaghetti and meatballs on Sundays? Because that's how my grandparents taught me, and they say their parents' parents did the same thing in Italy before they came here. Addressing the German aspect directly, I think it's a shame that German culture in the U.S. is declining somewhat. While we certainly do have a culture of our own here, remembering where we came from and honoring that memory lends a little perspective to life. Besides, the old people in this country as a whole are often neglected and have little to occupy themselves during the day. Isn't it time we let them talk to us?