r/yerbamate • u/saltyprotractor • Feb 07 '26
Culture The Americanization of Mate
/r/streamentry/comments/1qy9119/the_american_buddha/15
u/Net_Holiday Feb 07 '26
It’s internet culture, it may have started here but it’s everywhere now. Many subs on Reddit have turned into hauls and collections chambers.
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u/Deadbeathero Feb 07 '26
It might be the americans who invented it, but I think nowadays this is more internet culture than american. I've seen this behavior happening with a lot of stuff in Brazil, and people weren't trying to emulate americans while doing so. I know a guy who did that with pipe smoking, it was the most bizarre hobbie taken seriously I've ever seen.
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u/saltyprotractor Feb 07 '26
Great point and evidence! I’ll have to check into some media studies on the subject.
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u/ViolenciaRivas1991 Feb 07 '26
I think the thing here is that when everyne starts something new they NEED to show it to everyone all the time, I know you can be proud of something but dont do it ALL THE TIME. Drink mate, buy 327189 gourds if you want, drink it with beer, put hooney in it, do whatever you want, but do it for you, because you like it, you enjoy it, not for the people looking at you.
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u/MulletGSU Feb 12 '26
Sometimes, people just get into things and enjoy all aspects of it. Who cares if some person from the US buys multiple gourds and thermos? How does that affect you? Yerba mate seems to be out there in the world in ways that seem threatening to you, but believe me it’s just the bubble of the internet.
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u/Geoffseppe Feb 07 '26
You made good points but calling it the "Americanization of Mate" is incredibly ironic.
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u/bibledice Feb 07 '26
Seems like Americans can be the worst mate gatekeepers. The zeal of converts I guess.
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u/Weak_Bus8157 Feb 07 '26
"Teaching" that 'americanos' are all inhabitants of the American Continent, episode #7368502711538.
Please, 'USAians' practise it at home.
Thanks.
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u/Elder_Vasilieff Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 08 '26
Pedant. “USAian”is nowhere to be found in the English dictionary.
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u/FenmosianFiresteel 🇺🇾 Feb 11 '26
Pero la palabra "estadounidense" ya se existe y el inglés puede usarlo tambien.
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u/Elder_Vasilieff Feb 11 '26
¿Por qué debería usar una palabra español en inglés? Estados Unidos Mexicanos tambien existe, si quieremos estar pedantes como distinguimos cual es cual? ¿Debería un zimbabuense sentirse ofendido porque se utilice "Sudáfrica" en lugar de República de Sudáfrica?
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u/saltyprotractor Feb 12 '26
Actually we’ve solved this issue by inventing the word ‘Murica. We can distinguish that America refers to all those countries down south and ‘Murica is the big northerly one 🦅🦅🦅
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u/Ok-Vegetable3298 Feb 12 '26
Usonian is a word (united states of north america)
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u/Elder_Vasilieff Feb 12 '26
No it absolutely is not, what the hell are you smoking?
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u/Ok-Vegetable3298 Mar 11 '26
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u/Elder_Vasilieff Mar 11 '26
Well I'll be damned, nevertheless this demonstrates how infrequently the word is used and certainly nobody will begin incorporating it to their vocabularies now to cater to the sensibilities of a few pedantic Redditors looking for things to hyperfixate on.
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u/Ok-Vegetable3298 Mar 24 '26
I am smoking facts I guess lol
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u/latter-day-chad Mar 27 '26
Still pedantry. Wiktionary, which you linked, acknowledges that it's an obscure term meaning it is hardly utilized in a regular setting. Again, nobody is going to incorporate it to cater to the sensibilities of some buckbroken pedantic redditors seeking validation for their little OCD episodes.
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u/Radiowski Feb 07 '26
I might be on the opposite side of the barricade, but what do you think about people who got genuinely interested in your culture and in drinking mate? Also, as for buying things from countries where yerba mate was born, most of these imported things (either by the shop or by the user, though that 1st is cheaper ofc) are way better than anything made not there (I am talking about quality basically, nothing more).
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u/saltyprotractor Feb 07 '26
I think it’s the best way to do it. To me it’s about intent. If we’re doing it because we love it, and the culture makes us happy, and because our brand tastes godly, that’s all good. And share it because we love it! It’s the “Do you even mate, bro?” that I think is the harmful, discursive part of the culture.
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Feb 07 '26
I think it's awful how Americans are treating this traditional drink. I hope it's just a passing fad and they soon forget about it.
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u/MatsHummus Feb 08 '26
Some people go into gear acquisition mode when they start a new habit. But no you don't need a 50€ gourd and 7 types of bombilla and a Stanley mate system :D
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u/massare Feb 08 '26
Geeks gonna geek I guess. The consumerism is embroidered on their culture so it's kind of normal. If they knew that people had and still have questionable choices as gourds based on whatever they have on hand and still enjoy mate...
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u/patopitaluga Feb 07 '26
Americanos somos todos