Kultur 1: How German is American

The German cultural linage in American culture is surprisingly strong! After reading the article "How German is American," I have several findings: German-Americans do not strongly tress their German back ground as other ethnic groups do, the american architectural design is strongly influenced by Bauhaus design principles, the mid-west is the German-belt, Germans have a strong sentiment towards native Americans, the Turners have a strong influence on American sports and social movements, and German-Americans generally have a low interest in politics.

Many German immigrants came to the US due to the economic crisis in central Europe in the 40s. A lot of them chose to locate themselves in the outskirt of cities in the US, for both they came later than the British people and their familiarity to the country life style. Unlike Italian or Irish immigrants, German-speaking immigrants had a big variety of nationalities and backgrounds, so they build their own churches and communities, speak their own dialects, and do not retain the unified identity. Some of them conserve their culture through German clubs, Verein, and some of them still functions today in the German-belt cities.

The American pop culture in definitely influenced by  German culture. Oktoberfest is one example. The drinking-loving people in the US can not overlook this important festival from Germany right? Moreover, the Disney movie "Bambi," was illustrated by German-born immigrant artist Kurt Wiese.

After reading the article, I can understand that although it seems obscure, the German immigrants do contribute a lot to the American culture as we know it today. This observation makes me wonder how much of an influence it is for American culture to modern German culture. Although I do not have the statistical data to back me up, from what I have seen on the German TV shows and heard from pop music, I would guess the influence should be big. I look forward to learn more about the matter.