Walk Like an American





Many accounts involving walking style, for instance:




"How can you tell?"







One more for now:

>>Somewhere, I read speculation that the American gait had changed since the early 1900's, loosening and copying an African-American style.  The story went that in turn of the century films, (white, filmed) Americans had a shorter, more stilted, ramrod-straight gait that contemporary Americans would find unfamiliar.  I enjoy the thought that the American style of walking that your readers say they can spot a block away is actually a black American trait that has become the default.<<

After doing some research, the same reader wrote back having located the quote she half-remembered. It was from a Salon interview with Stanley Crouch:

>>Q: Why do you admire Johnnie Cochran and Ron Brown so much?
You know, some imbecile who reviewed my book said I admired Johnnie Cochran and Ron Brown because they were black men who made it in a white world. But I don't know where that white world is. Carl Jung said that white Americans walk like Negroes, talk like Negroes and laugh like Negroes. Now Carl Jung was from Switzerland, where they make the real white people.<<

More ahead, including from people who reject the whole idea of visual clues to national identity. And, how this discussion relates to a previous thread on "language mismatches" -- people whose accent is at surprising variance with their appearance. Plus, I will reveal in what country, other than America, people assume I'm a local (hint: not England, Canada, etc), and where everyone in China assumed my wife was "from."

Note to the young: the picture above is of course an homage to the Bangles, obligatory in any "walk like..." reference.

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