The state is not fundamentalist, since they've made laws about no religion in schools and stuff like that. However, look at the Bible-belt. Perhaps your proximity to it may blind you, but the attitude of the Southern states is quite extreme; at least, compared to Britain it is.

Yours, .


Chomsky is correct to a degree. While the intensity varies from region to region (South and Midwest being perceived as more puritanical than the Northeast and West Coast), there really are traits in the American popular culture that are more religious-based than what one would find in say Europe.

The commercials, while becoming more racy, still do not show the levels of nudity/profanity that have appeared in other countries, if I remember correctly. On network TV, there are still censors who ensure that direct hints of intercourse (e.g. couples naked, bed gymnastics) are not shown at all. A couple of decades ago, couples could not be shown in the same bed on TV, or the man had to be in a sitting position with at least one foot on the ground. No joke.

In the South, there are many Southern subcultures, so to refer to the mores of one would be to ignore those of other parts. I grew up in an area that's rapidly changing from a traditional rural/industrial area to a much more cosmopolitan makeup, due to a huge influx of migrants from most parts of the US for the jobs in computers and heavy industry (Dell and GM being two big examples). There are attitudes there that are different from say Cordele, Georgia (which by the way is the Watermelon Capital of the World, if you didn't know that ). People in the Nashville area are more likely to be tolerant of people with piercings, tattoos, gays, etc. than would people in the rural region.

But if you look at the country as a whole, we do have prejudices that are based on religious beliefs. This nation has largely condemned explicit practices due to religious traditions and beliefs. If that is what Chomsky is referring to and I believe that he is, then yes, the US is very much fundamentalist. Whether it's as pejorative of a term as Chomsky believes is up to the reader though.


Dylanfanatic

Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie

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