If you were to ask people to define American culture, you'd most likely get more than a few different answers. If you were to use foods to identify different cultures around the world, for example, it would be easy to match them up with their respective countries--China, rice; Mexico, tortillas; Germany, sauerkraut; Italy, bruschetta; Colombia, coffee. But try to do that with America, and you arrive at a myriad of answers.
Why? Because America is the amalgamation of cultures. Its people come from all corners of the earth, and bring their respective cultures with them. Therefore one could say that American culture is really a combination of most every other world culture. Using my previous example, I think it would be quite a task to attempt to identify (with the exception of fast food) one food or food group that represents all that is American.
All of this to say that I've realized lately that my own personality is not unlike a "melting pot." I usually don't realize it until later, but it seems that I take things that I like about other people's personas and adopt them into my own.
Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Certain traits, i.e., courage, integrity, honesty, strength, the list goes on--I wouldn't hesitate to absorb from others. But this is a pattern I repeat even with small things, i.e., words or phrases, gesticulations, even personal style. Now, I believe a certain amount of this is normal, as after a while we tend to take on a similar appearance to those we're with, be it a spouse, friend, or relative. But should this process account for the entirety of my personality?
I find myself constantly using other people's catch-phrases as my own, adopting their hand motions, even copying their fashions. There are a few things which I thought I liked, but only recently realized that the only reason I did like those things was because somebody else had/used them; someone who, from my perspective, personified "cool." It might have been a watch, a hoody, a pair of sneakers, a musical taste, whatever.
I would be remiss if i didn't point out that I might have missed out on some of my now- favorite things had someone else not shown them to me. But by absorbing others' personality traits, am I making up for some lack that I see within myself? Do I bore myself? Shouldn't I be enough for me, the way I am, without, well, out-sourcing myself? Am I losing my own identity? Or, more appropriately, what is that identity?
Have I ever been the real me?!
Listen: Pink - "Split Personality"
