Even though Americans are inundated with information -- much of which is trivial and forgotten the next day -- some topics are intentionally left out of the discussion . These topics are taboo and generally looked down upon when brought up in everyday discussions. One in particular is death. In American culture, people are traditionally uncomfortable with this concept, sometimes so much so that they face anxiety and fear if it is brought up, even though death is an inevitable part of the life cycle. Funeral trends, the grieving process, and even the concept of death in the media signal changes in the way American culture perceives and deals with death. With this in mind, the following paragraphs will address these four questions:1. What is an overview of American culture regarding death and grieving?2. What beliefs about death has the culture traditionally held?3. What rituals regarding death are traditional and what is their trend?4. How does the culture deal with death and are new trends affecting this?What is an overview of American culture when it comes to death and grieving?The United States is an increasingly diverse country. Indeed, the United States as it is today would never have come into existence without the myriad of immigrants in the first century of its existence. In 2012, the Census Bureau (2012) released a projection that the ethnically diverse United States is expected to become a majority by 2060. In other words, the majority of the U.S. population is currently non-Hispanic White, but by 2060, this is no longer expected to be the case. For this reason, it would be negligent to assume that cultural beliefs and burial trends are consistent across society. This text will specifically address t...... middle of paper ......ost]. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/out-the-darkness/201402/the-psychology-deathThe U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. (nd). Funeral Customs and Cemeteries in American History. Retrieved from http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb41/nrb41_5.htmUnited States Census Bureau. (December 12, 2012). U.S. Census Bureau projections show that in half a century, a nation will grow slower, be older, and more diverse. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb12-243.htmlUnited States Social Security Administration. (nd). National average wage index. Retrieved from http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/AWI.htmlWashington State Department of Labor and Industries (nd). Public holidays, sick leave or bereavement leave. Retrieved from http://www.lni.wa.gov/WorkplaceRights/LeaveBenefits/VacaySick/