American Culture?

Universities in Vietnam occasionally make requests to the Fulbright program for Visiting Scholars to give presentations.  All of my expenses are paid, plus it's a good way for colleges in remote areas to keep abreast of developing trends / issues.  Recently, I was invited to Dong Thap University (near Cambodia) to give three presentations to the faculty / students.  The auditorium was packed - SRO.  Perhaps they were curious or else attendance was mandatory.  Regardless, I can tell that this location does not see many foreigners - especially Westerners.

Two on my talks were on professional topics, but one was on Life in the U.S.  I spoke on the differences between Eastern and Western culture.  Most of the slides were pretty humorous.  Afterwards, I held a Q&A session.  It revealed a lot about the students and their "knowledge" of the U.S.  It proved to be quite interesting - for both of us.

They asked questions on a variety of topics such as, dating, marriage, cohabitation, women's rights, homeschooling, automobiles, gun ownership, democracy, my thoughts about Vietnam, and my impression of Vietnamese women.  Some of these were quite challenging, especially since I had to think on my feet.  You know that PC is not one of my gifts.  

I think they were most surprised to learn that I was 52 years old, owned 2 guns and 4 cars.  Oh yeah, and being married to the same woman for 30 years.  One (male) student asked what I would do if a Vietnamese woman fell madly in love with me and wanted to come to the U.S.  After I regained some composure, I said that my wife would not be happy.  Lot's of laughter.

I think the most interesting lesson that I learned through this process was discovering where most Vietnamese students get their information about the U.S.  Although the internet is popular, our most influential export is Hollywood (via television and movies).  Consequently, they think that American culture is based mostly on drugs, violence, guns, fast cars, and loose women.  It's a real shame.  I tried to explain that this only applies to some Americans, but not everybody acts like those in Desperate Housewives. 

It made me think about our values as a society, collectively speaking.  We like to say melting pot, but its more like a salad bowl - with a few nuts and flakes sprinkled on top.  Since Vietnam is a very homogeneous country, it is relatively easy to describe by comparison.  They still have culture.  But I'm not so sure it exists in America anymore.  It seems to be more about ethnicity and regional variation more than anything else.  What do we represent and how would you describe it to someone else?