Europeanisation

In De Crevecouer's 'Letters from an American Farmer' he tries to identify what it means to be an American and the cultural identity that these Native Indians have. When describing the natives mannerisms he makes them out to be respectable human beings, what is interesting is the way he portrays the European invaders.

'The manners of the Indian natives are respectable, compared with this European medley. Their wives and children live in sloth and inactivity; and having no proper pursuits, you may judge what education the latter receive. Their tender minds have nothing else to contemplate but the example of their parents; like them they grow up a mongrel breed, half civilized, half savage, except nature stamps on them some constitutional propensities'

De Crevecouer tells of how the Europeans lifestyles are very placid, these families have migrated to America for the promise of its riches in land and promise for development and yet De Crevecouer witnesses a place in which Europeans have taken and almost regressed in. He describes the children of these people to be 'half civilized, half savage' implying that they have inherited characteristics from both the Native Indians and the European conglomerate, however he does not specify from which group they are from.

I chose this quote specifically because it provides an interesting view for modern society's view on Americanisation. The dominant ideology in today's media is that the rest of the world has conformed to an American lifestyle, this is seen through the fast food life style, the American clothing, American T.V and film as well as other American produce all over the world. This coincides with the view that most Americans are sloth like, lazy and quite ignorant towards education. What is interesting though how De Crevecouer uses these words in describing the Europeans who've moved to America, therefore today's use of the term Americanisation should be used carefully because this idea originates from the original Europeans to move to America.