Some of the most passionate CultureMutt commenting brawls that have erupted, along with some of the posts that I have most loved writing, have been inspired by the American political scene.  What’s not to love?  A hugely polarizing president; a vulgar and gaffe-prone vice president;  a shamelessly belligerent former vice president; an Alaskan governor and then gone-rogue former governor with a knack for peppy soundbites to fuel the “Party of No”; limp-wristed, hugely ineffective Democrats with a spectacular ability to go for months with a 60-seat Senate majority and yet get nothing done; wildly enthusiastic (if somewhat fragmented) bands of tea partiers and their rhetoric of liberty, xenophobia and fear; and, most recently, landmark health care reform bringing unprecedented change – there’s been a lot to talk about.

As far back as I can remember, I have loved talking about the ideas, questions and fights that define American politics.  I have lived most of my days outside the United States but the American political circus with its domestic and international showdowns, has always both fascinated and frustrated me.

I was born into a globetrotting family and, rather than having a fixed national identity, I’ve always thought of myself as a mix of cultural influences, a CultureMutt.  I started my blog as a way to examine this mixed cultural identity and find ways to speak across cultural divides.  In writing about cultural differences and conflicts, I was most drawn to the cultural divides in American society as well as the chasms that characterize the relationship between the United States and the rest of the world.   Since much of the CultureMutt community that has grown over the six months seems to share this fascination with what makes America tick politically,  CultureMutt will transition into a blog that focuses on exactly this, from an international perspective.  In a sentence, CultureMutt will now become a globetrotter’s take on American politics.

And that’s the announcement that I had to make.  Let me know what you think.  CultureMutt is nothing without the great community of readers that have left comments, tweeted and posted in reaction to what has been discussed here.  You are what makes writing CultureMutt fun and I value your opinions, whether they mirror my own or completely clash with them.  Whether you are an American or if, like me, you are an opinionated observer from somewhere else, I look forward to writing, questioning and sparring in the posts ahead.

April 7, 2010

Bjorn Karlman

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