Of American Standards and Culture

"Americans have no culture..." So goes the sophisticates snob theory. Yeah well, those persons - these culture connaisseurs - never listened to 'You Send Me' by Sam Cooke.

I have always had a problem with such notions. It is, by all reasonably informed accounts, an outright wrong assessment. Setting aside literature for a moment, American culture is grand on many scales.

It is, as an example, the culture of technology and innovation. Much has been made that America has been losing its technical prowess. Don't be fooled. America remains the beacon.

Put in proper historical context, I find an interesting analogy with Renaissance Italy. Both societies share a similar civilization in that they have been at the forefront of culture for centuries. Once upon a time it was Florence, Rome, Naples and Venice leading the charge. Today, America is led by Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Jose. During the Renaissance, all Europeans had to learn their craft or earn an education in Italy, just like how so many flock to the United States to learn in their institutions of higher learning.

Petrarch or Hemingway. Dante or Bellow. The University of Bologna or Stanford. The Wright Brothers or Da Vinci. Vivaldi or Bernstein. There is a familiar historical shared lineage there.

Speaking of music - which actually provoked this blog post - when listening to American music one is reminded of the depth of its culture. Listening to Ella Fitzgerald sing a Gershwin or Porter standard invokes natural beauty to which very few can reach. The Great American songbook is America's gift to the world. It is as American as, well, apple pie. Or a Hot Rod. Depending what you prefer.

It's not only the standards performed by numerous jazz immortals. The greatness of American music can be found anywhere. Bluegrass, blue-eyed soul, Motown, country, gospel, blues. The diversity of American music is proof enough of a heritage worth appreciating.

One last analogy. The men of genius who crafted the American standards are to music what the Forefathers were to the Declaration of Independence. America's culture is the defining one of modern human society. The great historian Pliny once said that it was useless for proud Athenians to resist the rise of Rome. Wise words to apply today regarding America. Enjoy it.