American Cultures and Values (Blog Entry #4)

Privacy, equality, time, informality, looking to the future...all are major U.S. American values that the American society has developed over time.  What makes our definition of life so much different than other nations?  Or why are other nations so different from us?  By definition, "values" are socially shared ideas about what is right.  Robin Williams (1914-2006), a sociologist who studied and identified the core values of the citizens of the United States, came up with a concrete list of American values.  I'd like to take a bit of time to explain the meanings of some key American values, and to explain them in the context of other nations.

1. Privacy

Privacy can have many meanings, but for our discussion, I would just like it to take on two meanings.  First, privacy could be physically "private", separated, away from the outside world.  In the United States, we put up signs on hotel room doors, such as the one shown to the left, to keep people out.  We like to keep to ourselves, and to not always have to invite someone inside.  However, in Singapore, people live in such tightly compacted areas that there is no privacy, and people learn to live in close quarters with each other.

A second meaning that the word 'privacy' can take on is being secretive, keeping things to ourselves and not telling others what we are truly thinking about.  On a handout that the University of North Caorlina uses for its foreign exchange students, it explains that the question, ""What is on your mind?" may be considered by some to be intrusive."  As Americans, we are brought up in a society that believes in keeping to yourself and being very independent.

2. Time

  A second major value of the American culture is time.  We are constantly hurried, and rushed, needing things immediately and on the go.  For example, even our food is "fast".  We are a fast-paced society that keeps moving at all hours of the day.  The expression "time is money" is often used in the business world.  Peter, a "Lost Boy" who came over from Africa, observed that in the U.S., "Time is money.  But there in Africa, there is no 'time is money'."  Because of this thinking, people in Africa seem to be a lot more social because they are not concerned with just getting money as many Americans are.  They actually take time out of their day to talk to one another, unlike Americans who would not be willing to forfit their salaries for a conversation with a friend.  In the U.S., we are so concerned with being on time for places, and are often criticized if we are late.  There is no such thing as being late in the U.S.  If we are late for class, we are punished with unexcused absences or tardies.  If we are late for an interview, we most likely will not get the job.

3. Material Comfort

Americans are also very concerned with material items.  Madonna sang in her song "Material Girl", "You know that we are living in a material world and I am a material girl."  Americans often lose sight of what is important such as family, friends, religion, etc.  In our society, a person defined as rich has a lot of money.  However, while talking to a friend from England, rich is defined much differently in his country.  Rich actually entails having a lot of friends, etc.  When someone says, "he is rich", it could be interpreted as "he has many friends; he is rich in friends."  It seems sometimes that it is not about who you are, but about what you have.  While watching t.v. even for a half hour, we see dozens of commercials flash across the screen advertising products to make us look younger and healthier.  It isn't ever possible to be content with your body because a new product is out on the shelf every week pointing out that something else is wrong with our bodies.  Even from this week while reading my Seventeen magazine, I noticed that every other page had an advertisement for perfume or for makeup.  "Get longer lashes", "drop ten pounds in two weeks"...these are just two of the slogans I saw in a magazine for teenagers!!  At the teenage year we are so vulnerable, yet we are constantly being told through the media that we aren't perfect, that our bodies could look better to attract others.  We forget to be who we are and start becoming someone the advertisement agencies would use as a model for their product.

We have grown up learning social norms.  In each country, different social norms are prevalent, but people are judged nonetheless upon whether or not they follow the social norms of their respective countries.  In the Sudan, the "Lost Boys" spent many nights dancing with the other members of their community, as it was a ritual.  However, if they were to dance and sing here in the United States, they would stand out from the rest of us because that is not part of our culture.  Norms are "expectations about what behavior, thoughts, or feelings are appropriate within a group or culture."

In college, I would love to have the chance to study abroad in Spain.  However, it will be a huge cultural adjustment for me because I have become so accustomed to the American ideals and values that everything else seems foreign to me.  I empathize with the immigrants who come to America not understanding how different our culture is and having to adapt to the culture in order to fit in.