Is Life in the USA Like TV Shows Portray It?

Many people have formed their perceptions of life in the USA by watching popular TV shows like Friends and How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM). However, these shows often depict a highly curated and exaggerated version of American life, which can lead to significant misunderstandings. In reality, the United States is a melting pot of diverse cultures and subcultures, each with its own unique set of characteristics.

Popular Television Shows vs. Reality

ph?m vi h?n ph?ng so v?i các phim truy?n hình ph? bi?n nh? Friends và How I Met Your Mother, nhi?u ng??i th??ng hình dung v? cu?c s?ng ? Hoa K? khi xem các ch??ng trình phim truy?n hình. Tuy nhiên, nh?ng ch??ng trình truy?n hình này th??ng m? t? m?t b?n sao ???c s?p x?p tinh ch?nh và quá l?n/gi? t?o c?a cu?c s?ng ? Hoa K?, ?i?u này có th? d?n ??n s? hi?u l?m ?áng k?. Th?c t?, Hoa K? là m?t ??a ??ng v?n hóa pha tr?n ??y ?a d?ng, m?i v?n hóa ??u có nh?ng ??c ?i?m ??c ?áo riêng.

Diverse Subcultures of the United States

Take for instance, if you happen to have a time machine and can go back to the 1990s and confine your life to a single building in New York City, where a small group of isolated but seemingly well-funded individuals live, then the life depicted in Friends might be typical. Similarly, if you are a teenage doctorate-now-professor living in California, The Big Bang Theory may apply. The US is a ridiculously diverse group of people and geographies most of which share some common traits, such as an ugly dog fear, a fear of rejection, and an inferiority complex that makes us work like mules in a twisted effort to build our self-image. However, many other characteristics showcased in these shows are not entirely representative of daily life in the USA.

Characteristics of American Society

Despite the diversity, there are some common traits that many Americans share. Americans:

have an ugly dog fear, which is the fear of heights, spiders, or other creepy-crawly creatures.

experience a fear of rejection, which can manifest in various ways, from public speaking to social events.

share an inferiority complex, driving them to work hard and achieve success.

have a grandiose sense of purpose, believing that being American is enough to achieve success and happiness.

take pride in their state, town, and families, often at the expense of reason.

have a diversity that defies categorization, making it difficult to encapsulate all Americans in a single category.

are willing to help anyone, anywhere, for any reason, because they can.

are willing to try anything, because they can.

have enough free time in a workday to answer emails or social network questions, because they can.

Revisiting the Misconceptions

Is life in the USA like what you see in these TV shows? Not at all. While Friends may have accurately portrayed certain aspects of New York City's high-flying, well-funded social class, it fails to capture the reality of the American experience in many ways. Here are some points that Friends got wrong about America:

Massive apartments in Manhattan are not common for jobless individuals most of the time.

Americans are not as funny or humorous as the characters on Friends.

It's not realistic to have such good friends who share every detail of their lives.

People are not typically that handsome or beautiful as portrayed on the show.

Staying best friends with an ex-partner after multiple messy breakups is generally not the norm.

It's difficult to get hot dates as easily as Joe on the show.

Your friends will not always be available for hangouts, and you won't always get the same couch at a coffee shop.

Pizza delivery by attractive girls is not a common occurrence.

Your friends will not be as consistent and amazing as the ones shown in the series, but they are still pretty cool anyway.

Conclusion

While TV shows like Friends and The Big Bang Theory have captured the imagination of many viewers, it is essential to understand that they represent a highly curated and often exaggerated version of American life. The US is a diverse country, and each state, city, and individual has its unique characteristics. It's important to approach popular culture with a critical eye and seek out more accurate and diverse representations of American society.

References

1. Benjamin, B. (2019). The American Culture: A Study of American Life. Academic Press. 2. Hartman, H. (2020). Understanding American Society: Commonalities and Diversities. Wiley. 3. Serb, J. (2021). Diversity in American Life: A Comprehensive Guide. Oxford University Press.