Post #5

For introduction into our discussion of American culture, the teacher asked for each of us to email him two pictures that we believe capture our culture in the United States.  A majority of the pictures were the same-iPhones, McDonald's and other fast/fattening food, other brand names like Lulu Lemon, Ugg, and Vineyard Vines (which I didn't understand, as I know for a fact at least two of those companies are Australian).  My personal favorite was a picture someone sent in of hoards of people charging into the mall on Black Friday as it was first opening.  These images were the first things that people in my class, American people, thought of when they thought of their own country.  In our reading of Kohl's The American Values to Live By, the author addresses 15 or so different identifiers of American culture.  They are:

1. Personal control/responsibility
2. Change/Progress 
3. Time
4. Equality
5. Individualism/freedom
6. Self-help/initiative
7. Competition
8. Future Orientation
9. Action/work
10. Informality
11. Directness/Honesty
12. Practicality
13. Materialism
14. Personal Achievement
15. Morality

Above, I addressed two aspects of American culture-materialism and individualism.  I think the most predominant characteristic of our culture, one that is easily recognizable by any person who observes or lives in our culture, is our emphasis on materialism, as seen by the pictures that each of us in the class picked.  The second factor I think can be examined by the pictures that we chose as our immediate response the thought of American culture, is a desire of Americans to have individualism, and to be unique.  As Americans, each of us strives to be seen as different from others, to be seen as special.  And we all try to view ourselves in that way.  Because of our desire to be seen and see ourselves as different from everyone else, we are easily able to describe our culture as being materialistic, even though that is usually seen as being a bad thing.  But, though we may deny it, all these aspects of American culture affect each and every one of us, even the less desirable ones.  Even though we all value uniqueness, we are a lot more alike than we would care to admit.  In our class of 20+ kids, only about 4 people in the class didn't have an iPhone.  Over 80% of our class owns the same exact phone, but we still like to believe we are individuals.  That being said, I also have an iPhone.  What can I say, I'm an American.  

Another source we analyzed that depicts more of these values of American culture is a passage from the book Thrive by Dan Buettner. In the novel, Buettner outlines strategies to achieve true happiness.  Based on the tips to the reader, it is easy to see how the novel is modeled to find happiness by embracing and moving past certain aspects of American culture.  For example, one step to finding happiness is to create a type of "pride shrine."  That is, a place in your home that is dedicated to celebrating and displaying your own personal achievements.  By doing this, people can find some happiness by embracing the American values of personal achievement and success, along with motivating you to value self-help and initiative.  Another one of Buettner's tips is to live close to where you work (close meaning walking distance, not a ten minute commute).  While this increases happiness by removing many people's most dreaded part of the day, the morning commute, while also increasing one's interaction with nature, which also increases happiness, being able to walk also takes into account some American values.  By being able to get to work with a short walk as opposed to a 20-60 minutes drive in heavy traffic, Americans are able incorporate their value of practicality and efficiency into their daily routine by saving time from no commute and money from not having to pay for gas.  

I myself, having become more sociological mindful, have decided to embrace the values of American culture I am proud of, while trying to separate myself from the ones I'm not.  There are certain aspects of American culture that should inspire and motivate us to do well. Our culture pushes us to have strong work ethics and strive to gain personal success, which are both good things that I want to have in my life.  Our culture also values taking personal responsibility, which I believe is commendable, as it makes each of very aware of the effects of our actions, allowing us to grow from our mistakes, where as a culture that values fate and destiny might not be able to do that.