In last week’s issue of Time Magazine, I came upo na piece by humorist Joel Stein on the subject of “America Parties,” which he claims are now a popular fad in many countries:
According to Stein, the whole idea is to cover a house with excessive patriotic decor, then drink a lot while mocking the cheesiest aspects of American low culture.
I’m just curious, IS this really a popular pastime? Have any non-American Dopers attended such a party or heard of one? If so, what did the party entail?
Here’s a couple more data points for you:
Most parties in suburbia probably fit that description, but nobody sees enough irony in it to assign a name to the phenomenon…
Huh… the American flags I get. The burgers I get. The tacky clothes, I get. But what’s with all the red cups?
Ha. A lot of those pictures, I was just like, “Yup. Looks like a college house party.”
You must not have gone to college?
The red Solo cup is iconic.
I went to an Ivy League college- by subway. I lived at home. Frat parties weren’t part of my college experience.
Live and learn.
They’re essentially *required *for playing Beer Pong, which I’m glad to see is spreading worldwide.
There is even a song about them that I believe was quite popular (although I’m not sure why):
Those pictures are funny!
They’re certainly universal for college house parties, but hardly exclusive. Party at the beach? Fourth of July BBQ? Picnic at the park? Car camping? The important part is that they’re lightweight and unbreakable. Any time you might have children or drunk people, or have to haul in (and possibly out) all your supplies, or glass isn’t allowed at all, they are a perfect choice.
What I really wonder is what other countries use instead… surely kegs aren’t also exclusively American?
They look like more fun than the British-themed parties, though that’s to be expected.
Of course other countries use plastic and/or paper cups - the point is, they’re not red.
A plastic cup that isn’t red hardly deserves to be called a cup at all. It is missing its sublime inner cupness. Other colors have been tried, sure… and fell short.
And paper? Might as well lay over and surrender right now, for the nation is already lost.
This is only somewhat related but I only learned about it recently and it shocked me. There is a distinct European subculture that tries to emulate the Greasers, Muscle car hot-rodders and Rockabilly aspects of American life from the 1950’s onward with a healthy dose of general white-trash thrown in. It isn’t a new thing, it started about the same time the American versions did but it never died out.
It is called Raggare and is mainly centered in…Sweden but can also be found in Norway, Denmark, Austria and Germany. Some of them live the simulated life of James Dean or even those dang ole Duke boys full-time while a lot more just like to start some shit on the weekends armed with nothing but a ‘50’s era car, a baseball cap and a whole lot of hell-raisin’ attitude.
At least at those you get cake. Lots and lots of cake. What’s with that?
They look about equally shit to me, but I confess, I sometimes have problems comparing negative values.