Policies Punishing the Narratives of American Cultural Institutions

American Food Culture Debate Calms Down (A Bit)

Media discussion of American food culture moderated somewhat in November after months of sustained attention to both its strengths and weaknesses in media. Perscient's semantic signature tracking the density of language celebrating American cuisine as globally significant fell to a mere 219 percent above its long-term average. The corresponding and opposing signature monitoring language arguing that American food culture lacks innovation or quality declined by about 50 points to a comparable level.

The November pullback represents a cooling in a debate that resurfaces from time to time, although both measures still remain well beyond their historical baselines. American consumers continue to demonstrate evolving tastes that reflect both global influences and local innovation. Social media discussions highlight growing interest in Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino flavors, with tornado potatoes and other Asian street foods capturing attention as potentially transformative menu items. One observer noted that Los Angeles remains one of the world's most influential culinary cities, not just for its restaurant breadth but for foods invented there.

Consumer behavior data supports this narrative of continuing evolution. Interest in sustainable food and beverages has increased 18.4 percent over two years, with 72 percent of Americans expressing urgency about adopting more sustainable eating habits. North American consumers are responding to what industry observers call "crazy creations" that deliver "the ultimate indulgent experience" through unexpected flavor combinations and mashups.

Yet media attention to these trends appears to have stabilized. Momofuku founder David Chang recently criticized the food media's tendency to label everything "the best," arguing for greater appreciation of "just good" or "boring good" rather than constant superlatives. This critique may itself reflect a broader fatigue with hyperbolic food discourse. The simultaneous decline in both positive and negative food culture signatures suggests that November saw a general retreat from the heightened culinary commentary that characterized the prior month, rather than a shift in sentiment from one direction to another.

American Cultural Institutions Showing Narrative (and Real) Fatigue

Entertainment and cultural sectors continue facing scrutiny over audience engagement, though in narrative space, November showed significant improvement. Our signature tracking the density of language arguing that Hollywood has lost its creative edge and global appeal fell 108 points to a level 27 percent above its long-term average. Meanwhile, the density of language asserting that Hollywood's global cultural dominance has declined 21 points to 15% percent below the long-term average.

These narrative readings seem pretty optimistic considering that Hollywood is emerging from one of the worst box office periods in decades. October 2025 delivered approximately $425 million in total revenues, marking the lowest October since 1997 outside of the pandemic year. The Halloween weekend saw domestic ticket sales fall to roughly $49 million, the lowest-grossing weekend of 2025. As one industry analyst noted, the major studio theatrical business is no longer a reliable growth engine, with occasional billion-dollar franchises masking a shrinking marketplace beneath the surface.

Some observers attribute the decline to structural factors rather than creative ones. One producer argued on social media that superhero movies inflated box office revenues for decades, and with the Marvel industrial complex now largely dormant outside Avengers releases, record lows are inevitable. Twenty-five recent drama and comedy films failed to become hits, contributing to what has been called Hollywood's worst summer box office performance in 45 years.

Other American cultural institutions show much of the same fundamental weakness,  but without the more optimistic narrative structure. Perscient’s semantic signature monitoring the density of language asserting declining engagement with American museums, for example, remained at 111% above its long-term average, more than double its baseline. This persistent elevation reflects ongoing institutional challenges documented in recent industry reports.

The American Alliance of Museums' annual snapshot revealed that nearly one-third of institutions reported decreased attendance in 2025, attributed to weakened travel and tourism alongside economic uncertainty. One-third of museums experienced canceled government grants or contracts, with only 8 percent reporting that lost federal funding had been fully replaced. The median loss stood at $30,000. According to NPR's reporting, Trump administration targeting of museum programming created downstream effects that put "a chill on corporate philanthropy."

The underlying product, however, is tough to keep down. Our signature tracking language asserting the superiority of American museums rose by 9 to put that signature above its long-term average again, despite the negative backdrop of funding and attendance issues. This modest increase suggests, perhaps, that positive narratives about museum quality can persist even as attendance and funding concerns dominate coverage. The combination of elevated attendance concern readings with near-average positive quality assessments indicates that media discourse has framed museum challenges primarily as institutional and financial rather than curatorial or programmatic.

National Parks, Environment, and Infrastructure Narratives Drift Negative

After a brutal period for parks narratives during the government shutdown, discussion of America's national parks showed early signed of convergence toward baseline levels across multiple dimensions in November. Perscient’s semantic signature monitoring language arguing that America is failing to maintain its national parks fell by 33 points but remains 93% above its long-term average. Language asserting the superiority of America's national parks declined 61 points to a level 22 percent below its long-term average.

These movements followed months of intense focus on proposed budget reductions to the National Park Service – and a counternarrative campaign meant to celebrate the importance of America’s park system. The 2026 budget proposal called for reductions exceeding $1 billion, including $900 million in operations cuts, $73 million in construction funding cuts, and a $77 million reduction in recreation and preservation funding. The National Parks Conservation Association characterized these as "the most extreme, unrealistic, and destructive National Park Service budget a President has ever proposed in the agency's 109-year history."

Senator Chuck Schumer held a press conference at Saratoga National Historical Park calling for restoration of federal funding, highlighting a $14 million maintenance backlog at the battleground site with its 250th birthday approaching. The Great American Outdoors Act provides up to $1.3 billion annually through fiscal year 2025 to address maintenance needs, yet substantial backlogs persist across the system.

Staff reductions compounded infrastructure concerns. A New York Times report found at least 90 parks facing serious strain while trying to comply with Secretarial Orders requiring parks remain open and accessible despite staffing cuts. The National Parks Conservation Association warned that the 2025 season may be shaped by staff shortages, closures, and increased safety risks. Some parks staff began petitioning to unionize, with employees at 24 parks and offices seeking union representation, including those at Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree.

It has been difficult to maintain narrative energy around Americans as conservationists and builders in the face of these policies. Our semantic signature tracking the density of language celebrating Americans as conservationists and nature lovers declined by 30% and is now below its long-term average. The signature monitoring language arguing that American infrastructure is deteriorating rose and language praising American infrastructure as world-leading fell.

The question for the next few months will be whether the narratives of these cultural institutions can repair themselves as the shutdown drifts further into the rear-view mirror, or if the perceived adverse impact of policies on these institutions committed to America’s aesthetic, natural, and cultural output will have more lasting effects.

Archived Pulse

November 2025

• National Parks Face Mounting Pressures Amid Government Shutdown
• Hollywood's Creative Struggles Intensify
• American Food Culture Gains Global Momentum

Pulse is your AI analyst built on Perscient technology, summarizing the major changes and evolving narratives across our Storyboard signatures, and synthesizing that analysis with illustrative news articles and high-impact social media posts.