# American themed parties?



## Homicidal_Squirrel (Mar 7, 2014)

Really?
Is this a real thing? And are red cups really that puzzling to people?


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## sabrinathecat (Mar 7, 2014)

Red cups are cheap at the party store and they show up on camera--that's why the movies use them.
As for the rest: looks like an international 20-something excuse to get drunk.


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## Dioltach (Mar 7, 2014)

Probably as amusing as any other "themed" party is to the subjects of the theme.
As an aside, when I was a kid in the 1980s, an "American" party meant BYO.


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## delericho (Mar 7, 2014)

Homicidal_Squirrel said:


> Really?
> Is this a real thing?




Why not? I'm sure America has parties themed on other countries.



> And are red cups really that puzzling to people?




It's the fact that they're red, specifically, coupled with the fact that they do indeed _always_ seem to be red. But, as sabrinathecat says, that's probably just because they're cheap and show up well on camera.


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## Viking Bastard (Mar 7, 2014)

Those pictures look about right.

Never gone a to a US-themed party, but if I were, my expectations would be somewhat akin to those pictures.

*On the cups:*
Yeah, I'm sure it's just a movie thing, but I've never seen those kind of cups in the wild. Only in Hollywood media.
Plastic beer cups tend to be clear and pint-sized here, with soda cups much smaller and in no particular color (white is probably the default).


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## Morrus (Mar 7, 2014)

I've never encountered an American themed party. But then I've never encountered a French, Swiss, or Chinese themed party, either. That said, I have been to an Irish themed one, and a Viking themed one.


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## Bullgrit (Mar 7, 2014)

> Red cups are cheap at the party store and they show up on camera--that's why the movies use them.



[video=youtube;BKZqGJONH68]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKZqGJONH68[/video]
If you don't know, Solo is the company/brand that makes those cups. I've seen them used commonly as disposable drink cups for as long as I can remember. And despite what the above song says, Solo cups don't easily crack; the cheap copies do easily crack. Heck, I've seen Solo cups washed and stored for use at the next party. I'm pretty sure we have some in my pantry at home.



> Why not? I'm sure America has parties themed on other countries.



You sometimes hear about such parties in the news -- as examples of racism.

Bullgrit


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## Kramodlog (Mar 7, 2014)

Homicidal_Squirrel said:


> Really?
> Is this a real thing? And are red cups really that puzzling to people?



Why buy cups when you haves glasses? Seems a waste of money and just makes more garbage for no reason.


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## Tonguez (Mar 7, 2014)

Red cups, crappy beer, Kentucky bourbon,  popcorn, hotdogs, hamburgers, hershey kisses, pumpkin pie, apple pie, fried chicken, buffalo wings, cheerleaders, cowgirls, rednecks, valley girls,  ganstaaas, preppy cardigans,  stetsons, bomber jackets, Basketball shirts, baseball caps, Gridion, nra guns and loud brash middle class conservative debauchery

Hell yeah! Sounds like Theme America too me

(You can blame everything from Animal House to Girls Gone Wild - SpringBreak for the phenonena)


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## Man in the Funny Hat (Mar 7, 2014)

goldomark said:


> Why buy cups when you haves glasses? Seems a waste of money and just makes more garbage for no reason.



They are very very cheap, disposable so they require no washing up, can provide cups for a LOT more people than anyone ever has glasses.  If you are more environmentally concerned then you can wash out the plastic cups too and re-use them.

As for why RED cups it's just not that mysterious.  Manufacturers make a lot of them because consumers buy a lot of them in that color.  Other colors are available it's just that red is more commonly chosen.  It's bright, festive, blah blah blah.  It has nothing to do with it showing up better on camera, it's just a natural consequence of their common use.


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## GMMichael (Mar 7, 2014)

goldomark said:


> Why buy cups when you haves glasses? Seems a waste of money and just makes more garbage for no reason.




Did you not catch the "American" part?


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## Kramodlog (Mar 7, 2014)

DMMike said:


> Did you not catch the "American" part?



" yeah" was missing and confused me.


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## Umbran (Mar 7, 2014)

goldomark said:


> Why buy cups when you haves glasses?




When there are more people at the party than you have glasses?

When you expect people to be drunk and a little rowdy, such that glass is apt to get broken?

When your party isn't in a traditional home?

Solo cups are, for example, commonly used for college parties - where dozens to hundreds of people may be at the event.

I was at a small convention this weekend, some 300 people.  At this con, the con suite becomes a (no-alcohol) party on Saturday night, where the organizers can expect 90% of the con to show up.  No way they're going to use actual glass for drinks.


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## Janx (Mar 7, 2014)

goldomark said:


> Why buy cups when you haves glasses? Seems a waste of money and just makes more garbage for no reason.




Do you have 20-40 cups for guests to drink beer/pop out of and likely throw them away or break them?

I have 6 plates, 6 bowls and 6 glasses.  Because that's what I had custom made.

If I have a party, I'm bringing out the disposable stuff.

Don't need guests breaking or chipping my regular stuff.  or worse, throwing it in the garbage (school cafeterias lose more silverware that way...)


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## Umbran (Mar 7, 2014)

Man in the Funny Hat said:


> Manufacturers make a lot of them because consumers buy a lot of them in that color.




A common thing (in my area, at least) is to have Sharpie markers around to write your name or initials on your cup, so you can set it down and not get it confused with everyone else's.  The black marker shows up well on red, but not so well on the blue and green I've also seen in such cups.


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## Kramodlog (Mar 7, 2014)

Umbran said:


> When you expect people to be drunk and a little rowdy, such that glass is apt to get broken?



Whelp, I do not hang out with people who can't handle their liquor and trash homes. To each his own, I guess.


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## Man in the Funny Hat (Mar 7, 2014)

goldomark said:


> Whelp, I do not hang out with people who can't handle their liquor and trash homes. To each his own, I guess.



It is not truly a successful party until something has been set on fire.


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## Zombie_Babies (Mar 7, 2014)

delericho said:


> Why not? I'm sure America has parties themed on other countries.




Umm ... no, we don't.  We just have parties.  Apparently, we're so awesome at it the rest of the world has decided to (very poorly) copy our swagger.  

Srsly, though, I've seen plenty of theme parties in my day but never one based on some other country.  I mean, this is _America_.  We don't care about other countries.


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## Kramodlog (Mar 7, 2014)

Man in the Funny Hat said:


> It is not truly a successful party until something has been set on fire.



/drops monocle

How barbaric.


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## delericho (Mar 7, 2014)

Zombie_Babies said:


> Srsly, though, I've seen plenty of theme parties in my day but never one based on some other country.  I mean, this is _America_.  We don't care about other countries.




Really? I thought it was reasonably common for people to throw Irish-themed parties for St Patrick's Day. (Well, maybe not 'common', but not unknown.)


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## sabrinathecat (Mar 7, 2014)

Zombie_Babies said:


> Srsly, though, I've seen plenty of theme parties in my day but never one based on some other country.  I mean, this is _America_.  We don't care about other countries.




That's not true. We need other countries. Who else can we... Darn it--I was going to say "kill and exploit", but that goes into politics again.


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## Zombie_Babies (Mar 7, 2014)

delericho said:


> Really? I thought it was reasonably common for people to throw Irish-themed parties for St Patrick's Day. (Well, maybe not 'common', but not unknown.)




St Patrick's parties are common but about as Irish themed as they get are corned beef, green dyed beer, green clothes and binge drinking.  Plus we don't consider them Irish themed, we consider them St Patrick's themed - as in, it's an American celebration.

Additionally, America has so many people from so many backgrounds that theme parties really can't happen.  What's the appeal of an Irish themed party?  I could drink with my Irish friends - hell, I could drink with myself.  Aside from that, the fact that we are so diverse means that something like a theme party could easily be seen as offensive.  One reason I don't consider St Patrick's day parties 'Irish themed', for example, is that the primary purpose of these parties is to get bleeped the bleep up.  I don't think many Irish people would appreciate that that's how we give them an 'homage'.  



sabrinathecat said:


> That's not true. We need other countries. Who else can we... Darn it--I was going to say "kill and exploit", but that goes into politics again.




Those countries need _us _to kill and exploit _them_, dammit!


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## EscherEnigma (Mar 8, 2014)

That racial/national/ethnically/whatever-themed parties can be racist (as college students throughout the US like to regularly prove) isn't really an argument that they don't happen.

I also can't decide if your stance on St. Patty's day is meta or delusional.  On one hand it's certainly an American holiday about an Irish Icon (more people celebrate it in the US, even by percentage rather then numbers, then ever do in Ireland), on the other hand it isn't an Irish tradition.  But while you may resent the idea, and people may do it poorly, there certainly are quite a few "themed" parties about it.  

Similarly Cinco De Mayo and Day of the Dead are popular holidays for Mexican-themed parties.  You can attribute that to people just having a party with a not-as-American tradition, but I've seen plenty of gringos throw parties on those days, themed parties, because hell, any excuse when you're in your early twenties and want to have fun, amiright?

Seriously ZB, you have way too much faith in the propriety of American college students.  And from those pictures, it looks like "American parties" are similarly the province of the drunk and young internationally.


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## Deset Gled (Mar 8, 2014)

In addition to the Irish and Mexican themed parties mentioned, I have also been to a Japanese themed party (associated with an anime club), Polish themed party (Casmir Pulaski day is a holiday in the Chicago area), Hawaiian themed party (it was an independent country before it was a state, you know), Greek themed party (TOGA!), French themed party (a going-away thing), and an Italian themed party (just because someone wanted to do one).

National themed parties are definitely a thing, and can vary greatly in levels of debauchery.


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## delericho (Mar 8, 2014)

Zombie_Babies said:


> St Patrick's parties are common but about as Irish themed as they get are corned beef, green dyed beer, green clothes and binge drinking.




Sounds about as Irish as those American-themed parties linked by the OP were American.



> ... the primary purpose of these parties is to get bleeped the bleep up.




Yep. Which I'm sure was equally the purpose of those American-themed parties linked by the OP.


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## Viking Bastard (Mar 8, 2014)

I don't think national theme parties are inherently racist, although they totally can be.

That I remember, I've been to Greek, Japanese, Hawaiian and Denmark themed parties--the only one of those I would think of possibly offensive was the danish one, _which was_ rather offensive, since that was totally all about making fun of the Danish. The Greek and Japanese were all about celebrating those cultures (hosted by the Greek and Japanese departments of the University I went to) and the Hawaiian party was all about media emulation (let's pretend we're in Hawaii as in the movies). 

I would expect most America-themed parties to follow the Hawaiian model--media emulation.


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## frogimus (Mar 8, 2014)

You want to get pulled over by the police in the US?  Drive around drinking out of a red Solo cup...


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## Dannyalcatraz (Mar 8, 2014)

According to Alton Brown, modern Corned Beef was invented by the Jews* (yes, that means its kosher) and in American communities where Irish and Jewish enclaves were adjacent to each other, it became the go-to substitute for the much more expensive bacon in cabbage...so not very Irish, really.







* "corn" derives from an old Irish word for salt pellets- the dish called "corned beef" in old Irish texts is a simple salt-cured beef that is not quite the same as the stuff we know today- fewer spices, slightly different cut of brisket.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Mar 8, 2014)

In college, my roommate and I threw a "Negro-Viking" party.*  It was inspired by some cheesy, early 1970s film in which, no joke, one of the horned-helmed viking warriors on the longship was a black dude.

When they showed up, all attendees had to put on "Hello, my name is _______" tags with their negro-Viking name...like "Sven-Ole Washington", and "Tyrone Thorson."

Good times. Good times.









* I, the black guy from New Orleans, was the titular "Negro."  He, the white, blonde, blue-eyed dude from South Dakota was the "Viking" in question.


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## Piston Honda (Mar 11, 2014)

Tonguez said:


> Red cups, crappy beer, *Kentucky bourbon*,  popcorn, hotdogs, hamburgers, hershey kisses, pumpkin pie, apple pie, fried chicken, buffalo wings, cheerleaders, cowgirls, rednecks, valley girls,  ganstaaas, preppy cardigans,  stetsons, bomber jackets, Basketball shirts, baseball caps, Gridion, nra guns and loud brash middle class conservative debauchery
> 
> Hell yeah! Sounds like Theme America too me
> 
> (You can blame everything from Animal House to Girls Gone Wild - SpringBreak for the phenonena)




I've lived in Kentucky for 10 years, nobody brings bourbon to parties, they bring cheap Tennessee whiskey and selfishly hoard the good stuff. Otherwise, this is a mostly accurate representation of a Kentucky house party. Desert and popcorn are unlikely, but happen at random, however in addition to your (rhymes with her) red solo cups you will need a table and balls for beer pong.


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## Morrus (Mar 12, 2014)

This thread has ruined TV for me. We were watching an episode of Breaking Bad last night, and all I could notice was the friggin' red cups.

Once you've seen it, you can't unsee it.


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## Homicidal_Squirrel (Mar 12, 2014)

Morrus said:


> *This thread has ruined TV for me*. We were watching an episode of Breaking Bad last night, and all I could notice was the friggin' red cups.
> 
> Once you've seen it, you can't unsee it.



My job is done.
/Flies away.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Mar 12, 2014)

The Red Cups are coming!


The Red Cups are coming!


The Red Cups are coming!


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## Zombie_Babies (Mar 12, 2014)

Morrus said:


> This thread has ruined TV for me. We were watching an episode of Breaking Bad last night, and all I could notice was the friggin' red cups.
> 
> Once you've seen it, you can't unsee it.




That's not entirely true - however, I don't think you're gonna like this: Once you've seen them to the point of overseeing them, you'll go back to not seeing them again.  So I prescribe a healthy dose of TV and pictures loaded with red cups to remedy your affliction.


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## Olgar Shiverstone (Mar 12, 2014)

Morrus said:


> This thread has ruined TV for me. We were watching an episode of Breaking Bad last night, and all I could notice was the friggin' red cups.




Now, now -- TV was ruined long before this thread.


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## Kramodlog (Mar 12, 2014)

Whoa!


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## Dannyalcatraz (Mar 12, 2014)

That took me a second!


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## Kramodlog (Mar 13, 2014)

For those who didn't get it:


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## frogimus (Mar 13, 2014)

The cup shot first...


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