Values and Assumptions: American Style
Bonus Blog
Ever since I was little I have been taught American values but I have also been taught many Mexican values because my mom came from a Mexican home and passed along what she learned to me. The American values I learned from my dad because that's how he was raised. So you could say I have a pretty good balance of understanding different values, rather than just thinking the Mexican values are the only way or the American values are the only way. However, there are people who believe that the American way is the best way to live, while people from other countries believe that wherever they come from is the best way. Gary Althen's "American Values and Assumptions" helps teach many international students how to deal with the American lifestyle. But, as I read it I found it helpful to me as well...and I already live in the American lifestyle.
One of the values he talks about is privacy where says, " Americans have great difficulty understanding people who always want to be with another person, who dislike being alone. Americans tend to regard such people as weak or dependent" (10). Now I can understand both sides of this value, there are times where I love to be around people and don't want them leave because I enjoy their company or I'll feel happier having people around me. However, there are also times where I want to be left alone, so I can use the peace and quiet to collect my thoughts and just have some time to myself. The reason why I believe this is so hard for people to understand is because they have the belief that you either like to be with someone all the time or you like to be alone all the time, you either one or the other. When is reality, you can be both; you can enjoy being with someone without being weak and you can enjoy being by yourself without being a loner. Which is something I feel like many Americans can easily work on to learn and understand.
Another value that Althen brings up is achievement, action, work and materialism. He describes this value as American's always being on the go, always need to be doing something and working hard to achieve what they want. He even describes a hard worker as " one who gets 'right to work' on a task, works efficiently, and completes the task in a way that meets reasonably high standards of quality" (13). I would say that I really agree with on Althen on this value, but they're are some exceptions as to ALL Americans being hard workers. There are people who feel like hard work is unnecessary and don't do it at all. But they're are also people try to find the easiest way to do something. I have always been taught that no matter what I do in life to do with 150% because if you're not going to do your best, why even do it at all. However, I have been guilty of finding an easier way to do something I didn't even want to do in the first place, but I still did that easier way with 150%. Overall, I do believe that if you want to get something done or you want to achieve a goal you can do it if you work hard enough.
By reading all of the assumptions and values Althen shares, I feel like I learned a lot about our own American assumptions and the values that foreigners have. I feel like foreigners can learn even more about America. Although we may live different lifestyles than the people who live in other countries and have different values we all share the similarity of having values. If we learned and worked to understand each other's difference we could come to find ourselves sharing some of the same values in the future.
That's cool you have the opportunity to not only learn American values but Mexican values as well growing up. Personally, I was only taught one perspective, so I find it interesting when there are other countries that value completely opposite ideas. I agree with your idea that sometimes you like to be around people, and sometimes you like to be alone. This is one of the great things about America - we have the freedom to choose!
ReplyDeleteGirl, I totally get the whole raised with other values. Mine's a little different since I only have one perspective because both of my parents weren't raised in America but still we're both somewhat in between. And going off of Americans working hard, I believe that's the case because we have this American Dream that people believe we can achieve through hard work. So if you care for the American Dream and succeeding, then you will work hard. However, if you don't believe in the American Dream then you might not get a hard working person.
ReplyDeleteI can also relate to having different traditions from a different culture, it definitely gives you a different perspective on America and the values we would like to keep for ourselves. As for privacy omg, it can be frustrating when someone takes it the wrong way when all you want to do is stay at home by yourself and watch a movie, it doesn't mean you don't like them! Not working hard will not get you anything in life, unless you're those random people who literally do the most mediocre thing and get super famous and rich, but for everyone else, hard work is what gets us places.
ReplyDeleteThis back and forth conversation was super interesting to me. Like Brittany, I was raised by two born and bred Americans, and my life was pretty much exactly like Althen describes until I started reflecting on the implications of some of these values. I suppose I'm still very much like this, but hopefully a little more balanced? I've started to realize the value of collectivism, and while I'm still very individualistic, I see that I'm much better when I consider the needs of other people.
ReplyDeleteI hope I've progressed, but who knows. (Oh, another American value.)
I really agree with you because we share almost the same values. The reason is because my two parents come from Mexico and both of them teach me different values than the ones that Althen described. But unlike you, I do not have the same values as an American even though I live in the United States. I really like how you explained each value by providing a quote from the text as evidence. I agree with you that everyone is different but what they have in common is that everyone have some values.
ReplyDelete