American Culture
Here are 13 categories or aspects of American culture adapted from the works of several intercultural experts including Edward Stewart, Milton Bennett, Gary Althen.
- Attitude towards age:
–Emphasize physical beauty and youth.
-Fire older people to hire younger people for less money.
–Judge a worker’s worth based on production, not seniority.
The American emphasis on concrete achievements and “doing” means that age is not highly valued, for the older you are the less you can accomplish. Age is also suspect because new is usually better in American culture, and the elderly are generally out of touch with what’s new.
- Concept of fate and destiny:
-You can be whatever you want to be.
–Where there’s a will there’s a way.
-The American dream is rags-to-riches.
The concept of self-determination negates much of the influence of fate and destiny. Parents tell their children they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up. There are few givens in life, and people have little sense of external limits. Lack of success is their own fault.
- View of human nature:
-Courts consider a person innocent until he or she is proven guilty.
-People should be given the benefit of the doubt.
-If left alone, people will do the right thing.
-We need to discover how a vicious killer “went wrong.” People are considered basically and inherently good. If someone does an evil deed, we look for the explanation, for the reason why the person turned bad. People can and should be trusted. Americans are fairly open to strangers and willing to accept them.
- Attitude towards change:
-New is better.
-A better way can always be found; things can always be improved upon.
-Just because we’ve always done it that way doesn’t make it right. Change is considered positive, probably because Americans believe in the march of progress and the pursuit of perfection. Improvements will always move us closer and closer to perfection. Traditions can be a guide, but they are not inherently superior.
- Attitude towards taking risks:
-A low level of personal savings is typical.
-You can always start over.
–Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
-A high level of personal bankruptcies is common. There will always be enough opportunity to go around, so taking risks involves no real danger. For the truly ambitious, failure is only temporary. Experimentation, trial and error are important ways to learn or to improve your product or service.
- Concept of Suffering and Misfortune
-People rush to cheer up a friend who’s depressed.
-If you’re unhappy, take a pill or see a psychiatrist.
-Be happy.
Because we are ultimately in control of our lives and destiny, we have no excuse for unhappiness nor misfortune. If you are suffering or unhappy, then just do whatever it takes to be happy again. If you’re depressed, it’s because you have chosen to be.
Vocabulary:
categories – classes or divisions of people or things regarded as having particular shared characteristics, “The library books are divided into clear categories based on their genre.”
aspects – distinct parts or features of a situation, idea, or problem, “We need to consider all aspects of the problem before making a decision.”
adapted from – altered or modified to suit a new purpose or situation, “The script was adapted from a classic novel written in the 19th century.”
emphasize – to give special importance or prominence to something in speaking or writing, “The teacher wanted to emphasize the importance of turning in homework on time.”
judge – to form an opinion or conclusion about someone or something after careful thought, “It is unfair to judge a person based entirely on their first impression.”
worth – the value, usefulness, or importance of something or someone, “Her contribution proved its worth when the company’s profits doubled.”
seniority – the state of being older or having a higher rank or status than someone else due to longer service, “The company promoted him based on his seniority rather than his actual performance.”
concrete achievements – clear, tangible, and undeniable successes or accomplishments, “The engineer’s portfolio was full of concrete achievements, including building three major bridges.”
highly valued – regarded as being of great worth, importance, or excellence, “Honesty is a highly valued trait in any close friendship.”
accomplish – to achieve or complete something successfully, “If we work together, we can accomplish our goals much faster.”
suspect – regarded with suspicion, distrust, or doubt, “His sudden generosity was suspect, making his friends wonder what he really wanted from them.”
out of touch with – not having regular contact with or knowledge about a particular group, idea, or reality, “The politician turned out to be out of touch with the daily financial struggles of regular citizens.”
fate – a power that is believed to control everything that happens and that cannot be stopped, “Many ancient myths tell stories of heroes trying to escape their tragic fate.”
destiny – the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future, “She felt that it was her destiny to become a great musician.”
Where there’s a will there’s a way – a proverb meaning if you are determined enough, you can find a way to achieve what you want, “Even though the project seemed impossible, he proved that where there’s a will there’s a way.”
rags-to-riches – involving a transition from extreme poverty to immense wealth, “The biography tells a classic rags-to-riches story of an orphan who became a billionaire tech mogul.”
self-determination – the process by which a person controls their own life and makes their own choices, “She believed in self-determination, insisting on choosing her own career path despite her family’s objections.”
negates – nullifies, cancels out, or makes something ineffective, “A high calorie intake negates the positive health benefits of a rigorous workout routine.”
influence – the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, “Peer pressure can have a strong influence on a teenager’s choices.”
givens – factors or facts that are assumed to be true, certain, or unchangeable, “In this fast-paced industry, there are no givens regarding job security or company profits.”
external limits – restrictions or boundaries that come from outside sources rather than oneself, “Due to external limits like government regulations, the small business couldn’t expand.”
proven guilty – shown to be responsible for a crime or misdeed through evidence in a court of law, “Under our legal system, a suspect is considered innocent until proven guilty.”
benefit of the doubt – a concession that a person is telling the truth or behaving correctly because the contrary cannot be proven, “Even though she was late, the boss gave her the benefit of the doubt and assumed traffic was bad.”
vicious – deliberately cruel, violent, or dangerous, “The neighborhood was warned to stay indoors after a vicious dog escaped from its yard.”
inherently – in a permanent, essential, or characteristic way; naturally, “Skydiving is an inherently risky activity, but proper training minimizes the danger.”
evil deed – a wicked, immoral, or harmful action, “Stealing from the children’s charity was a truly evil deed that shocked the community.”
turned bad – corrupted or shifted from being good to being wicked or criminal, “The movie explores how a young hero slowly turned bad due to greed.”
fairly open to – reasonably welcoming, accessible, or receptive to something or someone, “The manager is fairly open to new ideas on how to improve workplace efficiency.”
improved upon – to be made better or enhanced than a previous version or state, “The new smartphone model can definitely be improved upon in terms of battery life.”
march of progress – the steady, unstoppable forward movement of human civilization, technology, or history, “Many believe that the march of progress will eventually eliminate poverty.”
pursuit of perfection – the continuous, determined effort to achieve a flawless state or outcome, “His relentless pursuit of perfection often caused him to miss project deadlines because he was never satisfied.”
superior – higher in quality, rank, or status than others, “The handmade leather shoes were clearly superior to the mass-produced ones.”
personal savings – money that a person keeps in a bank account rather than spending it immediately, “She used her personal savings to pay for her college tuition.”
Nothing ventured, nothing gained – a proverb meaning you cannot achieve success or get what you want unless you are willing to take risks, “I decided to apply for the executive position because, hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
bankruptcies – legal states of being unable to repay debts to creditors, “Economic recessions often lead to a sharp increase in corporate bankruptcies.”
go around – to be sufficient or enough for everyone in a group, “We need to make sure there is enough food to go around at the party tonight.”
truly ambitious – exceptionally determined to succeed, achieve power, or attain wealth, “A truly ambitious student will often seek out extra research projects outside of class.”
temporary – lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent, “The power outage was only temporary, and the lights came back on after an hour.”
trial and error – a method of solving problems or finding the best way by trying various alternative methods until one succeeds, “She learned how to program software through trial and error rather than taking formal classes.”
Suffering – the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship, “The organization works to alleviate the suffering of refugees displaced by war.”
Misfortune – bad luck or an unfortunate event, “It was a great misfortune that her car broke down on the morning of her job interview.”
rush to – to move or act with urgent haste to do something, “When the alarm sounded, everyone began to rush to the nearest emergency exit.”
cheer up – to make or become less sad, depressed, or miserable, “We brought her flowers and a funny movie to try and cheer up her spirits after she lost her job.”
depressed – feeling in a state of general unhappiness, despondency, and lack of energy, “He felt deeply depressed after his dog passed away, losing interest in his usual hobbies.”
psychiatrist – a medical doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating mental illness, “The doctor recommended seeing a psychiatrist to help manage her severe anxiety.”
ultimately – in the end, finally, or fundamentally, “While many factors contributed, the decision was ultimately made by the CEO.”
no excuse for – lacking any valid reason or justification for an action or state, “There is no excuse for rudeness when dealing with customer service representatives.”
do whatever it takes – to be willing to use any method or make any sacrifice necessary to achieve a goal, “The team was determined to win the championship and promised to do whatever it takes on the field.”nd romance.”
so on – used at the end of a list to indicate that there are other similar things that could be mentioned, “We need to buy napkins, plates, cups, and so on for the birthday party.”
depends on – to be determined or decided by something else, “Whether we go to the beach tomorrow depends on the weather forecast.”
mood – the way someone is feeling at a particular time, “The soft lighting in the restaurant created a romantic mood for the dinner.”
upbeat – cheerful, lively, and having a fast tempo, “The band played an upbeat song that made everyone want to get up and dance.”
really gets you going – an expression meaning something provides a lot of energy or motivation to start an activity, “A strong cup of black coffee in the morning really gets you going before a long shift.”
Spanish guitar – a type of acoustic guitar with nylon strings used primarily in classical or flamenco music, “The musician played a beautiful melody on his Spanish guitar while the sun set over the ocean.”
without any words – containing no lyrics or singing; purely instrumental, “I prefer to study while listening to music without any words so that I don’t get distracted.”
speaking of – a phrase used to introduce a remark about a topic that has just been mentioned, “Speaking of travel, have you decided where you are going for your summer vacation yet?”
artists – professional singers, musicians, or creators of art, “Several famous artists performed at the charity concert to raise money for the hospital.”