American+Culture

We assume that our culture is normal.
Our Culture tells us how we act, what to do, and what is right and what is wrong. "Culture Shock" - is coming in contact with a radically different culture. Ethonocentrism - using our own culture to judge other countries.

In American Culture: we treasure Sunday football, Monday night football, Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping, celebrating the 4th of July, The Super Bowl.



When most people think about the “American culture,” images of Coca-Cola, hot dogs, baseball games, big cars and suburban mansions come to mind. But there is a deeper side to American culture than Hollywood and Disney World. Underneath the layers of TV advertising and hyper-consumerism, there is a cultural DNA that makes America what it is. Here is a brief look at several cultural “genes” that influence the way Americans think and act.

Individualism
Individualism is a way of life by which a person places his or her own desires, needs, and comforts above the needs of a broader community. This does not mean that Americans have no concern for other people, but it does mean that they give high priority to their personal ambitions. This can turn in to an extreme form of selfishness, which makes good relationships almost impossible. In a classic book about American culture, called Habits of the Heart, the authors say that Americans often enter into relationships only if their own needs are met first. And if those needs aren’t satisfied, then they usually end the relationship. Perhaps this is one reason why fewer Americans are getting married.

The positive side of American individualism is that people are encouraged to express themselves in unique ways. Because the culture values individuality, Americans admire those who do something new and innovative. Perhaps this is one reason why so many technological inventions and new ideas come from the U.S. It’s certainly one reason why so many new artistic and musical movements—such as Jazz—have been born in America.

Individualism also fuels hyper-consumerism in the U.S. The best physical example of America’s individualistic consumer culture is the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a monument to individualism, a place where you can fulfill any material desire. The shopping center has 520 stores, two full-sized indoor roller coasters, and a large saltwater aquarium with sharks, stingrays and other exotic ocean life. The place is so big that 32 Boeing 747s or seven professional baseball stadiums would fit inside. If a person spent 10 minutes in each store it would take 86 hours to go through the entire mall.

It’s important to remember that individualism in the U.S. hasn’t suffocated the American community spirit. When tragedy strikes—a natural disaster or terrorist attack—Americans set all differences aside and pool their efforts to help one another. Americans have formed thousands of professional and recreational associations, groups of people who bond around a common activity aimed at serving the community or just having fun. One of the best ways to get connected with new friends is to find an activity you enjoy and join a local association.

Work: You are what you do
One of the first questions that Americans ask each other when they meet is, “So, what do you do?” This is a common question because most people in the U.S. define who they are by the work they do. In other cultures, people might define themselves in relation to family lineage, ethnic heritage, or religious belief. But for many people in the U.S., “you are what you do.” Work is a central part of a person’s identity.

Americans work more hours and have fewer vacation days than most Europeans. According to Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor, the average American worker now spends two weeks more on the job than he or she did 20-years ago. And the average married couple’s combined annual workload is now seven weeks longer than it was just a decade ago.

Needless to say, all this work puts tremendous limitations on relationships with family and friends. People have very little free time. Most parents struggle to balance work and family. Americans are always searching for faster and more efficient ways to accomplish their work. This need is one factor that drives the technology and computer industries. But because it’s impossible to “save time,” these advances usually mean that people just end up doing more work.

For a better understanding of how Americans perceive work, you might read the book called Working, by Studs Terkel (who is the son of Russian parents).

Religion
The individualism described above influences the way Americans express spirituality and religion. There are so many different religious expressions in the U.S. that it can seem like a spiritual Mall of America—a religion for every taste and style. Freedom of religious expression is a constitutional right in the U.S., and Americans have taken full advantage of that freedom.

According to a recent national survey made by the Pew Forum, Catholic and Protestant faiths continue to be the most prominent of all faiths in the American culture. There are many subdivisions among these two groups, especially among the protestant churches. But it is correct to say that the U.S. population is still mostly Christian. Religion in the U.S. can create a lot of debate and argument, especially when it mixes with politics and public education. Religious groups have an influence in politics even though there are many strong legal barriers against mixing Church and State. Despite religious influence, religion is not allowed to play a direct role in American public institutions, including public schools.

Nevertheless, religious groups often play a positive role in communities around the U.S. They provide services for the poor, help to educate millions of children, establish top-rated universities, form social groups, and make large financial contributions to international aid organizations.

Because of the extensive religious diversity in the U.S., most Americans prefer that a person’s faith and beliefs remain private and individualized. By showing respect for other faiths and not imposing personal beliefs, people avoid conflict in a diverse society. There are plenty of opportunities and forums where people can discuss and debate religious perspectives in a civil manner.

The American culture is far more complex and diverse than we have described here. But these three factors—individualism, work, and religion—are among the most important factors that make the culture what it is today. For those interested in understanding more about the American culture, there are at least three books worth reading: Habits of the Heart, by Robert Bellah; Democracy in America, published in 1835 by a French researcher named Alexis de Tocqueville; and, for an overview of American youth, Millennials Rising, by Neil Howe and William Strauss.

//Author: Glenn McMahan// //[]// media type="youtube" key="RRiILStjZWE?fs=1" height="385" width="480"

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