American culture

We often judge other cultures as bad. I am not a relativist - I do believe there are universal standards of good and bad. But it is good to understand our own culture and the underlying values and beliefs that make up American culture before we compare and judge other cultures. A great article that discusses aspects of American culture is The Values Americans Live By - L. Robert Kohls. I have summarized his main points below.

1. Personal Control over the Environment - We believe that man should control nature. Contrast this with other culture's view of fate.

2. Change - We believe that change is good. Compare this with other culture's emphasis on tradition.

3. Time and Its Control - We live our lives by schedules, using them for daily planning and execution. Compare this to other culture's emphasis on human interaction. In those cultures, time takes a back seat to personal relationships and social interaction.

4. Equality / Egalitarianism - 'All men and created equal' - comes straight from our Declaration of Independence. Compare this to other societies emphasis on hierarchy, rank, and status which give those societies a sense of security and certainty. The greatest example of this difference is in the caste system in India.

5. Individual and Privacy - Americans view the individual as unique and special. We fiercely resist being thought of as representative of any homogeneous group. Compare this to other society's sense of group welfare which takes priority to the individual. Privacy in these cultures is also subordinate to the group welfare.

6. Self-Help Control - Compare to other cultures tradition of birthright inheritance.

7. Competition and Free Enterprise - Americans believe that competition forces each person to produce their very best. Contrast this with the concept of cooperation which is central to many cultures. This was the essential conflict on the Cold War - a conflict between competition / capitalism and cooperation / communism.

8. Future Orientation - Americans press all effort and energy into achieving a better future. Other cultures are much more focused on the past.

9. Action / Work Orientation - For an American, any action is superior to inaction versus a sense of 'being' central to many other cultures.

Much of our work ethic and orientation comes from the religious background the Protestant Work Ethic stems from John Calvin and Martin Luther's concept that hard work (which leads to worldy success) is a sign of personal salvation. They believed that God would judge man by his works. However, many modern Christian denomination are taking a different view, one in which you are saved through faith alone - independent of works.

Another cultural shift is occuring with the urbanization of America. Much of the hard work ethic also stems from the rural, agricultural heritiage of the colonists. This work ethic may dim as America becomes more and more urbanized.

10. Informality - Many cultures are much more formal than ours.

11. Directness, Openness, and Honesty - Other cultures will use indirect or ritual methods to deliver unpleasant information. Also the concept of saving 'face' is much more important in other cultures.

12. Practicality and Efficiency - This is contrasted with idealism. The classic struggle of what is versus what should be.

13. Materialism / Aquisitiveness - Compare this value with the emphasis by many other cultures on spiritualism and detachment.

Even if you don't personally agree with some of these values, it is clear that they do define our behavior to an outsider on a macro sense. Many times values central to our culture are contrary with much of the world. In a black and white world, most these values fall into the gray area with neither set being absolutely wrong. I personally judge the values of individualism, informality, and materialism as bad. So know yourself before judging others.