U.S. tends to mask cultural differences

PUNO PERU — If I had an itinerary it would've listed this town as just a short stop on my way to Bolivia. But I unintentionally yet fortunately landed there on Feb. 2 — the main day of the Festividad en honor a la Virgen de la Candelaria — the biggest festival in Peru and one of the three biggest in South America.

Having expected a small town in which to pass a few hours between buses" I watched in awe as all types of rhythms and costumes pulsed by me. Finally I found someone who could explain the significance of the parade.

""See those masks they're wearing? They're made out of their own hair that they've collected their entire lives."" The group behind them wore clothes woven entirely out of alpaca fiber. They were llama herders" she explained.

About 2400 dancers celebrated one of the more than 80 regions of Peru. Each group performed in the stadium then danced down streets where locals tourists and ice cream vendors gathered to watch.

After the sun set the celebration still echoed through the streets and one thought stood out in my head as I was trying to silence the drums and welcome sleep: The thousands of people below weren't just celebrating being Quechua or Aymara — they were all celebrating being Peruvian. Their faces energy and dedication showed their pride.

Trying to imagine what such a festival would look like in the U.S." I couldn't get past an image of a Coca Cola-sponsored parade showcasing the latest ""Real World"" and ""Laguna Beach"" stars" some overpaid athletes and McDonald's stands providing the plump crowd with plenty of Big Macs. Maybe they'd even throw in some pilgrims for a splash of history.

It's a cynical view maybe but I don't think it's that far off. When I asked a Swedish friend of mine to characterize the U.S. he thought for a minute and responded" ""Big — big everything" world police guns and sports" lots of sports.""

I've found McDonald's and Coca Cola even in some of the smallest" most rural corners of the world.

People from across the globe use words they've picked up from MTV — foshizzle and crunk juice for example —with ease. These are the things that have come to define modern American culture.

Yet I think it's safe to assume few Americans would describe this fat fast-paced consumptive image of our culture when asked what culture they identify with even if they identify as American. We are a country of immigrants — a melting pot. But in the process of melting we have broadcast an identity that neglects the origins of our country that make it beautiful.

When many Americans celebrate the cultures we identify with it's often apart from being American. It's an Indian celebration an Irish dance or a Native American festival. If we are the melting pot we claim to be those celebrations are all American. They have made the U.S. what it is and so can be celebrated together under the umbrella of American pride rather than becoming catalysts for self-segregation.

So I say we take a lesson from the dancers in Puno. We should all put down the Big Macs turn off MTV put together the most festive symbolic costumes we can think of dance through the streets and celebrate being the cultural hodgepodge that is the real United States of America.