America

Things that are completely American and completely awesome:

Jazz,

and

Walt Whitman.

Enough said.

Struck by a strange bout of patriotism, I have realized that I indeed do love America. I’ll admit that my wanderlust often pulls me to foreign coastlines and beyond (after all even my blog name--American Here, American There--is a reference to my traveling obsession), and I do little more than yearn for the magic of Europe and Africa; however, when all is said and done, I am very happy to be American. Despite our fixation with reality TV, cheeseburgers and bad movies, being American has its perks (and certainly many more than the ones I’m pointing out now).

Number one: jazz, the invention of a music form blending European and African styles (probably one of the only good things that came out of American slavery), that originated in the Southern states at the turn of the century. In 1987 it was declared “a rare and valuable national American treasure,” and was given priority in preservation and propagation. I find it to be such an amazingly universal sort of music, which is funny given the fact that it was born of two cultures that couldn't be more different. Since its invention, jazz has consistently morphed and adapted to fit the changing times while always maintaining its purity and integrity of sound. Unlike other forms of music (i.e. its predecessor, ragtime), jazz has remained fashionable, relevant, and popular. Best of all, it's not tied to any one person, mood, or time period. It can be by anyone, at anytime, about anything. 

Reason number two? Walt Whitman, genius and poet extraordinaire, who historians describe as the first (and I would say greatest) American poet. Not to mention, he pretty much invented free verse. Thank him every time you have to write a poem for a class, and you don't have to have some awkwardly kitschy rhyme scheme (*and I'm not saying all rhyming is kitschy, though from my experience with amateur poets...). Whitman is the embodiment of the American Spirit, but I’ve already talked about him on a previous post, so I’ll spare you my drooling affection.

Oh and I forgot--reason number three why the States are awesome? Ebonics.

God bless America.