Landscapes #2

Chapter eight of Landscapes of the Sacred proposes an idea about Americans and their attachment, or lack thereof, to place. The assertion reads, “American people, throughout the modern period, have been ambivalent in their attachment to place… Americans have felt little awareness of being rooted to place or region, little sense of love for the land.” The go on to cite a statistic that says “one American in five changed residences within a year.” I have to disagree with assertion. While I do admit that the statistic holds undeniable truth that many Americans must move due to one reason or another, the idea that they feel little connection to regions is something I do not see as accurate. I believe Americans to be extremely regional people, whether it is a local sports rivalry or the notion of American exceptionalism, we seem to be constantly pursuing the idea that “we” are better than “them”. The differences are always based in the culture of region and aspects which make it unique. In this way I descent from the book, and feel that Americans are a people who are unapologetically proud of where they came from.