Unique Values
People from all over the world hold different values according to their customs, beliefs, and backgrounds. America is a diverse country, making it difficult for foreigners to understand American ideals. For this reason, foreign student advisor Gary Althen identifies and explains some core American values in the chapter “American Values and Assumptions,” taken from his book American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners in the United States.
One key American value that Althen emphasizes is informality of “speech, dress, and body language” (11). I did not notice the informality of American life until I began taking Spanish classes in high school. I have never been out of the country; therefore, I am not exposed to various cultures and traditions. I believed that everyone universally addresses their parents and professors in the same manner that we do here in America. What I came to learn throughout four years of taking this class is that people of Latin America have more respect for their parents and professors. It’s not that I think that Americans are deliberately rude most of the time, but Americans generally are less formal when talking to people who are wiser than them. In the Spanish language, there is another tense called the “usted” tense that they use when talking in a more formal setting. This more formal setting can be applicable when talking to family member, which is not something that we think about here.
We also tend to use slang words frequently. I came to be more aware of this once I began to meet foreign exchange students in high school. Words that I thought were to be common and easily understood could not be interpreted by my foreign friends.
A disappointing American value is the dependence of materialism. We as Americans always desire the best make and model of every product. If a new iPhone is released, we immediately want the new upgrade even if it has very few upgrades from the model of the working phone that we already have. From a young age, we “Americans tend to spend money rather freely on material goods” (13). I remember walking through stores while I was little and claiming to my parents that I needed a new stuffed cat to play with, or a new doll. As I aged, this desire transformed into a need for a new purse, or new shoes. I see this value within my friends as well. I have one friend who has over $500 of makeup, yet she finds a need to go back to Ulta, a beauty store, and purchase more.
When people become extremely wealthy, you don’t find them driving a minivan. They’re driving one of the nicest sports car to one of their beach houses. Although people only need one form of shelter to survive, wealthy people often spend some of their money on several expensive homes or cars.
One last American value that I don’t totally agree with is directness and assertiveness. What I’ve come across in my life is that people are not “frank, open, and direct in their dealings with other people” (14). Generally, when there are issues with my friends for example, there is a lot of gossip before there is any direct confrontation. This may be an issue with age and maturity, but I do not see Americans as especially direct people.
However, if we were to focus on the job and professional setting strictly, a setting I am not familiar with, this value might be more prominent. If a boss is planning on firing one of their employees, they are not going to avoid doing it. They are going to complete the action efficiently whether they want to or not, they are going to “stop playing games and get right to the point” (14).
Informality, materialism, and directness are only three of the several values that Althen lays out in this chapter. Although I notice that some are more applicable in my daily life than others, it is important that foreign people recognize these American values so that they don’t quickly judge Americans based off of stereotypes or think we are intentionally being rude. Just as if I were going to visit another country I would try to learn about their values rather than expecting them to adapt to mine. I found this article to be interesting because not only does it pinpoint certain American values that I did not notice to be significant before, but it gives insight to what is different about American culture versus other cultures.
I always thought to speak to my professors with more grace than friends or family but the formal "usted" tense also struck me as odd. In Spanish class, I would even hesitate to use usted as I never knew of the correct examples to put it toward. As this may seem out of the norm for Americans, our individualism as a nation is something I value, as it gives us diversity. However, Althen's references to our directness and materialism are also values I find myself shameful of. We operate primarily off of technology and have allowed these machines to hypothetically run our entire lives (i.e. relationships, shopping, planning appointments, even controlling lights and alarm systems in your home). Directness corresponds with individualism in a sense as we are taught to go after what we want, to a sense in a selfish way. As directness and materialism are both aspects of being an American that I turn my head to, we can all admit that to some degree, we are all guilt of it because we are the Americans that foreigners are so confused or spiteful toward.
ReplyDeleteI am bilingual and I don't like speaking English to adults since It is difficult to find normal words of respect, on the other hand Spanish almost requires respect.It is interesting that you don't agree with assertiveness, I had not thought of it that way. But now that I read your blog i think you are right. American culture is not very direct, they ma show facial expression of discontent and odd behavior but that is not directness nor assertiveness. Finally, it is also very disappointing to observe the materialism that surrounds the American Culture. In my opinion , i think it comes from living a comfortable life, Not many Americans had to struggle as much as other countries where there are higher levels of poverty, oppression, corruption, the list goes on. However, I think its safe to say that materialism is connected to individualism. People are to focused on consumption and don't look around to help others in need or to improve the community
ReplyDeleteLindsay, I really liked the way you brought up the Spanish language and how Spanish speakers use the "usted" verb form when addressing adults or other respected individuals in a formal setting. My mind was also drawn to the "usted" form in Spanish when Althen mentioned Americans' informal tendencies. I agree that our informal tendencies are not necessarily rude, because I believe that our culture is an overall laid-back culture. It's kind of funny actually, how we find the phrases "please" and "thank you" and gestures of hand-shaking to be our expressions to be signs of formality. I often notice my Spanish-speaking cousins using the 'usted' form when addressing their other aunts/uncles. Now if I hadn't taken Spanish classes throughout high school that explained the difference between the "tu" and "usted" forms, I probably would've been rather confused. However, I was able to understand my cousins' reasoning for using the more formal verb tense, and therefore became more appreciative of the Spanish culture.
ReplyDeleteThis post was really interesting and I enjoy how you took a unique stance on each value/assumption. Using specific examples from your Spanish class helps me to understand the idea of Americans not necessarily being rude, but not putting in extra effort to respectful. That is a strange aspect of our culture compared with others, but I never thought about it in that way. I also enjoy how you take a strong stance on materialism, staying from the very beginning that its "disappointing." I agree with what you say about always wanting the newest and most expensive things, and yet I still find myself wanting the new iPhone or laptop??? Weird.
ReplyDeleteLastly, I wanted to add how it's crazy to think that so many of these values are so widely held. Yes, we are a diverse country, but most people to some degree value all of the qualities talked about by Althen. Maybe we just don't notice until someone points it out to us.