# What aspects of American culture are most popular abroad? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 28, 2009, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-aspects-of-american-culture-are-most-popular-abroad/511833 "2009-09-28T10:18:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-aspects-of-american-culture-are-most-popular-abroad/511833/21 "2009-09-30T00:48:55Z")
> [@Scheidt-Hoch](#): > > Instead of a pitcher, someone from the batter’s team stands next to them and tosses the ball up for them to hit as far as they can. Cool. > [@Scheidt-Hoch](#): > > American country music is very popular with many people in the Highlands. I believe it’s also very popular in Ireland. That would be the liquor. My Grandfather told me the family was Irish and told my Uncle we were Scotch. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-aspects-of-american-culture-are-most-popular-abroad/511833/22 "2009-09-30T10:03:11Z")
> [@Scheidt-Hoch](#): > > Personally, I feel that if you ignore all the obsolete tartan crap, the culture of the Highlands of Scotland is a mixture of Scandinavia and North America. American country music is very popular with many people in the Highlands. I believe it’s also very popular in Ireland. > > None of this should be particularly surprising since rural North America, rural Ireland, the Highlands of Scotland and parts of Scandinavia have been culturally intertwined for many centuries. You have that a little backwards. Scots culture has had an _enormous_ influence on the US. Politically, socially, artisticlly (Country Music grew from folk music, usually Scots, English or Irish), the Lowland Scots had vast influence on us. And the Border Scots? Militarily. ---
**Author:** ![snoopygal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@snoopygal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoopygal)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-aspects-of-american-culture-are-most-popular-abroad/511833/23 "2009-09-30T10:32:48Z")
A lot of the ‘adoption’ of American culture is quite superficial. It’s like countries take the vocabulary without learning the grammar. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-aspects-of-american-culture-are-most-popular-abroad/511833/24 "2009-09-30T10:50:43Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > You have that a little backwards. > Scots culture has had an _enormous_ influence on the US. > > Politically, socially, artisticlly (Country Music grew from folk music, usually Scots, English or Irish), the Lowland Scots had vast influence on us. Oh, I know, I’m Scottish. I just meant that cultural influence works both ways; for example having initially been influenced by Scottish music, American country has for a long time been influencing Scottish country and folk music (not that I’m an expert in any of these genres). Also, and this is an entirely idiosyncratic view, films about lonely contemporary life in the American West seem to reflect life in remote Highland communities better than films from other parts of Europe (other than Scandinavia). The atmosphere in parts of Brokeback Mountain and Breaking the Waves feels quite similar to me. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-aspects-of-american-culture-are-most-popular-abroad/511833/25 "2009-09-30T16:56:32Z")
> [@davekhps](#): > > I know the cynics will argue this, but: democracy, freedom, the rule of law, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, property rights, capitalism and all of the fruits of liberty itself. > > In 2009, many countries can argue that they either possess some of these, or even inspired some of these (the mother country of Britain has the best case obviously). > > But America, while not having a monopoly on these qualities (or a perfect record in their execution-- who does?), has been the best able to synthesize these into a global idea, the best shorthand for which is “The American Dream.” Are we talking myths or facts here? Because the American Dream isn’t about democracy; it’s about unchecked unregulated capitalism in order to get rich. And it’s called a Dream because the Dishwasher-turned-millionaire-simply-because-of-hard-work comes true once in every 10 000 people or less. For most people, the structures all around them, starting with wage too low to live on, with jobs lacking opportunities to rise, education too expensive, mean that hard work will never pay off into becoming middle class or rich. As for your other freedoms … a lot of those freedoms are written down and exist technically, but in practical life are absent. Freedom of press from censorship by state is a good concept, but meaningless when all your press does is bow to the censorship of ratings by reporting Hollywood gossip, or fall for the fallacy of two sides to a debate, even when one side is lunatic, instead of reporting the facts, confusing patriotism with no critisicm or even digging at the government etc. Freedom of religion is a good concept, but meaningless if freedom from protestant religion is hard to attain in normal life. > [@](#): > > That’s the reason why people all around the world still choose to move to America (legally or illegally). Wrong. First of all, people from third world countries try to come to first world countries because there’s a war in their home country, or because natural disasters (drought, floods etc.) have wrecked their livelihood, or because they simply want to earn more than 1 $ a day and live a less cruel life. They come to Western Europe and the US because they see the Hollywood version of these countries and think literally that the streets are paved with gold. They don’t know before they come how high the cost of living is, how hard it is for them to get a job, or to integrate into their country. And most people would vastly prefer to stay in their own country, if living there was marginally better, than go to a complelty foreign far away place. > [@](#): > > BTW, in support of this point, [this Reader’s Digest “global poll”](http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/presidential-election-08-global-poll/article102098.html) from 2008 is making the rounds online today. This finding was interesting: Well, if Readers Digest asked their readers, they have polled a segment that’s already very pro-American, otherwise they wouldn’t read that right-conservative stuff. It’s not representative of the whole population. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-aspects-of-american-culture-are-most-popular-abroad/511833/26 "2009-09-30T16:59:18Z")
Things that are popular or have become popular in the last decade I have noticed: Basketball an adaption of Baseball called Brennball was played in primary school, but otherwise, baseball is an outsider sport. Donuts and Muffins have appeared in bakeries (although I think our Krapfen taste far better and don’t have that stupid hole in the middle). Rap as method of young disadavantaged teens to express themselves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-aspects-of-american-culture-are-most-popular-abroad/511833.md?page=1)