Los Padres National Forest 6

The speaker discusses the concept of American identity and its broad and diverse nature. They mention that America encompasses a wide range of geographic, cultural, linguistic, and religious aspects. They also talk about their personal experiences and how they feel most American when they are outside of the United States. The speaker believes that defining American identity is challenging due to the country's diversity and the retention of individual cultural identities within smaller communities. They discuss feeling least American when they are in a smaller and more homogenous community where they do not feel a sense of belonging. The speaker also talks about what they have learned about America from their travels, particularly the power of American media and its influence worldwide. They express the need for a critical examination of media representation and its impact on perceptions of America. Lastly, they discuss their views on political representation and express dissatisfaction Hi, I'm Khaleed. I'm here with Charlotte Haines. Yes. Okay, but just before we start, is everything going to cover like American identity and like in a broad sense, but also like a personal sense? And then this is going to be shared with like the history class, but it's also going to be accessible to like the Thatcher community and like future honors history classes. Is that okay? Okay, perfect. Which is not what I said right now. Okay, first question. What does America mean to you? Wow, starting with something big and broad. I think big and broad is also accurate for America. You know, it's always been interesting to me that you use America to refer to the USA, when in fact there is all of North America and South America, and arguably any of those things. But even if we are just talking about the U.S., that there's still such breadth geographically, culturally, linguistically, religiously, and having lived, you know, I started in Kentucky and then moved to upstate New York, and now I'm in Southern California. So really just as far forward as possible. I think it's been really interesting to see the ways that those are all more different even than some other countries might be compared to certain places in the U.S. So, yeah, I think that's America means just like huge and unique and different and lots of things. And then, okay, following up on that, just again on a broader sense, how would you define American identity in terms of the United States of America? I don't think you can, because of the breadth. I think that perhaps the only thing that then defines it is that you're part of, you know, at its best, this melting pot like we talk about of different cultures. But even that, I think, doesn't do justice to the fact that, you know, a melting pot, you kind of imagine everything coming together and forming a more homogenous mixture. And I don't think that's what's happening. I think people are really within smaller communities retaining just so much diversity. Okay. And now, like more on a personal note, when do you feel most American? I would say that I actually feel most American when I am outside of the U.S., when I'm here, because I am part of, you know, what you think of as the stereotypical American majority, white, whatever. My identity kind of gets taken for granted, both by myself and others around me. And so it's really when I travel and suddenly that becomes, like, my defining feature to people and what they really latch on to and the way that they're judging me and the thing they want to talk about. But I'm like, oh, yeah, okay, that is. Yep. So, yeah. Yeah. And then with that, like, when do you feel least American? Ooh. I would say moments in which I am in a smaller and more homogenous community and I don't feel a sense of belonging or attachment to that community. So, you know, going back to Kentucky is very complicated for me and there are people I love there. And also there are times that I will be sitting in a room full of people and just feel very, very different. And it can be hard, and I think I've done a better job as I've gotten older of holding on to nuance and accepting certain parts of that and accepting the way that, you know, I inherited a lot of things, whether I want them or not, from growing up in that community and also still being able to reject aspects of that and say, like, no, that isn't me and that doesn't define me and that's not who I want to be or who I am. And then what have you learned about America from your travels, like, across the world or even, like, just across the U.S.? Yeah. So many things. There's this, I think I actually put this in an interview for the same project last year with someone else, but there's this famous joke by David Foster Wallace that I really like where two young fish are swimming and another fish passes them and says, hey, how's the water? And after that fish comes away, one turns to the other and says, what the hell is water? And the idea is, like, when you're totally surrounded by something, you don't even recognize it because you have nothing to compare it to. And so it's really only in going to other places and getting kind of that outsider's perspective that you really learn anything, I feel like, about where you grew up. But specifically, I would say one thing I've learned is the power of American media. It is so prevalent and, you know, like, I will never get past my shock sitting in a small village in central Guinea in West Africa and realizing that everyone had watched the TV show 24 and knew about Jack Bauer and, like, every plot line from that movie or from that TV series. And I was just like, what is happening? Like, why? Or, like, a lot of the reputation of Americans in Jordan, I learned from one of my Arabic teachers there, is because Desperate Housewives was, like, the first TV show that ever became popular in the Middle East. So that's why. What? So. Desperate which of housewives? Yes. Well, specifically. I don't know if you're familiar with. But it's just. Yeah. So I think it's really interesting and I think it should make us take a more critical look at what we're sort of putting out kind of thoughtlessly and the tropes and the power that representation has in media, not just for people living in the U.S., but the way that it's been going to extend around the whole world. Yeah. And then for my last question, just, like, you were talking about, like, some American media and, like, from, like, an outside perspective. But for you personally, do you think, like, you're properly represented in American, like, media and politics? And, like, how do you think that's affected you? That's a good question. Were you given that or did you come up with that? Oh, please. That's a good question. I. So let's do politics first. I think that the electoral system means that we can never be truly represented in politics. Your vote doesn't matter unless you live in a swing state. Yeah. The two-party system similarly locks people into voting for what we ask because you can't really vote if you have different ideals and different policies that you'd like to see happen. All you're going to do is shoot the party that is slightly closer to your values in the foot if you go for a third-party candidate. Yeah. So I think the combination of those two things, like, I think about in comparison to France's election system with, like, multiple rounds and you have to win 60 percent of the popular vote. And, like, there's just so many places to do it better. And I'm astounded that, like, we're literally not a democracy, right? We're a republican. So, yeah, I feel like in politics I don't feel like I'm particularly represented. Even just thinking about voter registration, like, Kentucky's electoral votes are going to one candidate and California's are going to the other. And that is pretty much guaranteed. And so regardless of which state, yeah, like, it doesn't matter. I would say in media, yeah, I think, again, you know, kind of talking about how I wasn't as aware of my own American identity until I left, a lot of that comes from being in what is a majority in the U.S. or at least where I was growing up, you know, in Kentucky and upstate New York here in Southern California. And I think that the media reflects that. So, yeah. That's all my questions. If you have anything to add, feel free. But if not, thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.