martes, 1 de abril de 2008

Gringa Values

The other day I came across an article written to help foreign immigrants acclimate to American society, explaining our "unique" belief and value systems, and was surprised to see how embarrassingly accurate it was. I guess I'm a bit of a "bicho raro" in general, but I never really thought about how shocking or offensive the American way of life may seem to the rest of the world.

I have a feeling that this article would be a LOT more effective in explaining these differences to Americans so that they could attempt to understand and adapt to other cultures, rather than assuming that the rest of the world should adapt to us... but that wouldn’t be very American now would it?!

For fun, here are a few excerpts that demonstrate what makes USA #1!!! and the rest of the world all antiquated suckers!

American Values: US vs. THEM!

1. self-help/competition VS. cooperation with others
Americans believe that competition brings out the best in any individual, challenging you to produce the maximum that is humanly possible. Foreigners may be shocked to see competition fostered even at the youngest age levels – among siblings at home and classmates at school, being pitted against each other rather than working together.

2. action VS. "just being"
Most of Americans’ energies are directed towards realizing a better future (further education, professional promotions, and of course, more money). Americans are constantly preparing for the later and greater improvements that the future is sure to bring, through their hard work and determination. The problems of one's life are not seen as having resulted from bad luck as much as having come from one's laziness in pursuing a better life. The typical expression 'Don't just stand there, do something!' describes most Americans' waking life, where any action is seen to be superior to inaction.

3. professional identity VS. personal identity
The workaholic syndrome, in turn, causes Americans to identify themselves solely by their professions. The first question an American will typically ask when meeting someone is 'What do you do?,' referring of course to your job, rather than interests or hobbies.

4. pragmatism VS. spiritualism
Americans pride themselves on being quite practical rather than spiritual – the philosophy that most Americans ascribe to is that of pragmatism. In their pursuit of the practical, Americans will typically ask: 'How will I benefit from this?' or 'Will it make money?' rather than 'How can I learn and grow from this experience?'

5. materialism VS. interpersonal relationships
Americans see their possession of material objects as the natural benefits resulting from hard work, a reward that all people could enjoy if they were only as hard-working as Americans! The average modern American owns at least 20 personal and domestic electrical appliances, more than twice that of an entire household in most other countries.