The United States of America allowed me to see another side of everyday life when I was a student there. Don’t think that I radically changed my views. But, I did notice that Americans feel more empowered to communicate freely and honestly; they assume they have the freedom to do what they want until they are told otherwise. It’s not my interest here, though, to discuss Russian stereotypes of America. I am more interested in dispelling a common Russian idea that our country does not need any relationship with the United States; that we would be better off without any American influence. Let’s play with our imagination.

Close your eyes and look at the world without the United States. Don’t worry. It’s not a nuclear war or natural disaster. Simply, our world has never known about this country. It doesn’t exist and that’s all. What things would we be missing out on:

American food

The first thought that comes to most people minds is that it is unhealthy: ingredients are high-calorie and meat includes GMO and other harmful products. Yes, sometimes this is true, but do you think that students from different countries have enough money to eat organic food every day? As usual they are not financially well off and they haven’t got the time to eat in a sit-down restaurant. Also, much of this unhealthy American food is delicious. Let me straighten out some facts.

One hundred and eighteen countries all over the world have McDonalds, with a total of 32,060 restaurants, according to findings recently published in “Vedomosti.” This is a great empire where billions of people are able to find jobs. While some people compare working in McDonalds to slavery, we can’t forget that sometimes people haven’t got any other choice.

Starbucks is another example of America’s influence on food. Starbucks is the largest American coffeehouse company in the world. The quality of the coffee is good and in many places it has become habit to stop at Starbucks for coffee on the way to work.

Coca Cola is perhaps the most controversial American food product. When I was living in New York City, my mum would not allow me to drink coke. This is the normal situation for most people in the world, but who can prove that it has a negative influence on our health if we only drink one cup a day?

American culture

It is impossible to discuss every aspect of American culture, even in just one city. For argument’s sake, let’s say that the United States has several hundred museums consisting of some of the most expensive collections in the world. Given this point, there can be no doubt that America has played a leading role in both traditional and modern culture.

For example, during the 1950s and 1960s, the United States became a revolutionary leader in the art world through artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, and Roy Lichtenstein. They proved that one can focus on the common and trivial in everyday life and still create great works of art.

American music rendered the same level of influence on the word. It offered new genres of music ranging from jazz and rock, to soul and pop, to R&B and rap. And, the list goes on. There are famous jazz legends such as Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong alongside popular rock bands including Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, The Connells, The Eagles, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana, just to name a few. We can continue the list of singers from the United States: Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blidge, Alishia Keys, 2Pac, R.Kelly, Missy Elliot, etc. The list is seemingly endless. You may like or dislike their music, but, of course, you know them.

The United States also has had an influence in the arena of theater. We have known about the existence of amazing Broadway shows. Now, we have the opportunity to see many of them in our cities and throughout the world.

Perhaps the most invasive aspects of American culture are those that have become a part of our everyday lifestyle.  We wear jeans by American Eagle or Levi’s, Keds by Converse, Adidas and Puma. We eat Hershey’s chocolate and M&Ms. We listen to the music on our iPods. These have now become a part of our culture.

American Literature and Journalism

U.S. writers and journalists have opened new spaces in the human mind. Literature in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries ushered in original ways of thinking about form and content.  During the 1970s, journalism went into a new direction called “New Journalism,” with early practitioners including Truman Capote, Hunter Thompson, and Thomas Wolfe. The United States also was the country that decided that people must have an opportunity to hear different viewpoints from the mass media.

Russian modern broadcast journalism demonstrates that we can’t live without American entertainment formats.  Every year our television companies purchase American programming. There’s nothing to prevent them from producing their own programs, but today American programming is in higher demand.