AMERICAN VALUES AND ASSUMPTIONS

AMERICAN VALUES AND ASSUMPTIONS

-       Gary Althen

In this chapter excerpt, Althen focuses on nine central values and assumptions shared by the majority of people living in the United States. He contrasts these cultural patterns with those of other nations and describes the types of problems and misunderstandings that can occur when people from different cultures, with diverse beliefs and perceptions, interact.

First, he says what a culture is. People belonging to one culture have the same values and assumptions. They agree with each other about what is right and wrong what is desirable and what is undesirable. A culture is a collection of values and assumptions which help people how to react to the world. The first of the nine values is individualism.

Individualism

From a very early age, Americans have been taught to consider themselves as separate individuals responsible for luck and their situations in life. They have not been taught to think of themselves as part of the group.
The writer heard a mother asking her three-year-old boy not to buy Orange Julius right then but to buy something else or drink it later when he would have enough money to buy it. People from other cultures cannot believe that such a young boy can have his own money. Actually, the mother is teaching the boy how to be careful in spending money because he has to be ready to make choices and face the results without his mother’s help later in the future. American children are raised not to serve their family, their country, or their God, but to follow their aims and occupations in life according to their interests. After graduation, if it is economically possible, young Americans are expected to live independently. Otherwise, they are considered immature. As they consider themselves free, they also consider that people, after living some time in the USA, will be free to decide for themselves to do what they like.
Americans want complete individual freedom. But other people consider Americans selfish. To understand Americans, one should understand American ideals. They always want to do something unique to stand out in the society. They want to come out of favorable conditions by their own hard work. They do not respect their parents like the children in the traditional society. They live independently after they become twenty-two. They want to do their best for themselves.

Competition

Americans show competitive feelings in every field in games, in school, in jobs, and in social gatherings. When they try to prove themselves superior to others, they are really alone.

Privacy

Americans value privacy equally well. They need some time to pass alone to recover their spent energy. They do not like people who always want the company of others. Such people are weak and dependent on them. Americans do not want others to break their privacy in their offices and homes.

Equality

Americans believe that everyone is equal and therefore everyone’s opinion is equally valid and worthy. They don’t like to be respected as the persons who can do no wrong. Americans do not like be respected very highly. Everyone can reach the higher post and everyone is properly respected.

Informality

Americans are quite informal when they behave with foreigners. American waiters do not respect foreigner customers highly. So the customers feel insulted. Americans use informal language, informal dress, and informal body positions in public places. The president of a highly respected college runs in the college building compound wearing shorts and old T-shirts like an ordinary person. Even the American president is shown wearing a jogging dress to show that he is just like an ordinary American.

The Future, Change, And Progress

Americans are not worried about the past. But they value the future because they think that it can be influenced or controlled. They believe that change is better, and new things are better than old things. Every American believes that s/he can change the present situation for a better future. American belief in progress and a better future does not agree with the fatalistic attitude, that is found in Asia, Latin America, and Arab countries. Fatalistic people believe that the future is in a superior power’s hands and they can do nothing about it. Americans don’t like those who accept everything without fighting against it.

Time

Americans value time like money. They use time wisely to make their future better. They make a plan and follow it making a fixed timetable. They do not like to waste other people’s time, either. American attitude to time is different from that of non-Europeans, who are not serious enough to use time wisely. It is said that Americans are so tied to their routine life that they cannot enjoy life as human beings, and they are like machines. Americans value efficiency to complete the task quickly by using minimum resources. That’s why e-mail is popular among them. Businesspeople and students use it frequently. Popular magazines publish suggestions to do numerous everyday tasks efficiently. The Internet provides them any kind of information immediately. Americans want responses of any kind of communication immediately.

Achievement, Action, Work, And Materialism

Americans praise those persons who complete the task successfully once they have started. They believe in the person who works efficiently to achieve a high standard. They like to spend their time doing something or making plans for the future. They don’t like to pass their time by talking with other people. Americans are negatively evaluated because they are very busy and do not spend their time on entertainment.
Americans are identified by the work they do, not by family backgrounds, or educational attainments. Americans are encouraged to spend freely because of credit cards. They have been taught to work hard and to acquire more things by their hard work. They do what their culture has taught them.

Directions And Assertiveness

Americans express their ideas directly. They don’t like to hide anything. They want to settle any kind of disagreement directly by involving the concerned person. They think it cowardly if some other person is asked to settle it. Americans are assertive, that is, they express opinions or desires strongly and with confidence so that people take notice. They take assertiveness- training classes if they cannot express their ideas directly. Unlike Asians, Americans are not taught to hide their feelings. They react openly, making many Asians uneasy. But Latin Americans and Arabs express their feelings more openly than Americans.
However, there are many situations in which Americans are less open. They do not want to talk about extremely personal matters. They do not like to offend the person who has requested them. They fear that unfamiliar and familiar people may misunderstand them. Their openness has certain limitations. If they gain nothing by meeting with persons, they do not like to face such persons. Honesty is more important for them. So their faces do not hide their feelings in the mind, unlike Scandinavians or Japanese. Iranians behave more openly with Americans.



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