Is the influence of American culture increasing in your country? Does this worry you?

There are at least 3 reasons in the text why people make stereotypes. Work in small groups and list them. Add more of your own.

SECTION 2

SOCIALIZING

A survey about socializing was conducted amongst 16 to 34-year-olds around the world. The article below describes the findings of the questionnaire. Read it and try to restore all the questions the respondents were to answer.

A night out in Tokyo is much the same as a night out in Milan these days. Whether you live in Korea or Canada, Italy or Ireland, a typical night out is spent eating burgers, seeing American films or listening to English-language music in clubs and bars. Individual differences do survive — the ballet is still particularly popular amongst Russians, while more Japanese favour an evening of Karaoke — but American culture is everywhere.

Differences in the social behaviour of the two sexes are also disappearing. The majority of respondents world-wide felt that it was 'perfectly normal' for groups of young women to go out alone, that it was 'equally acceptable' for young women to smoke and drink, and that a couple should split the bill when they go out together. For most young people these were the biggest

differences between their own generation and their parents.

Interestingly, however, the vast majority of the young people interviewed said that parents are still stricter with daughters than sons about where they go and who they go with. Overall, only 10 per cent thought that parents treat their sons and daughters equally, and almost no one thought parents were stricter with their sons! In most countries, it was also agreed that such rules tend to be stricter outside the big cities.

Important national differences did appear, however, when it came to time-keeping. In the Far East and in Eastern Europe a night out starts — and finishes — much earlier: there seven o'clock was the average time given for meeting up with friends. For many Southern Europeans and South Americans, on the other hand, an evening out doesn't even start until ten or eleven o'clock, by which time many of their Korean and Japanese counterparts are safely home in bed!

Parents' rules reflect this. Most Japanese parents expect their teenagers home by ten o'clock or even earlier, whereas in Europe it is more likely to be eleven or twelve o'clock. The most surprising findings here came from Argentina, however, where it is apparently quite normal for 15 and 16-year-olds to stay out all night. But then perhaps this is because their parents have less to worry about. 80 per cent of Argentine youngsters claimed that they rarely or never drink alcohol!

Discuss the questionnaire in groups, comparing and explaining your answers.

Underline any findings similar to those of your class.

Circle аny findings different from those in your class.

Write (!) next to anything you found surprising about customs in other countries.

Discuss the following questions in groups.

Is the influence of American culture increasing in your country? Does this worry you?

2)Should parents have strict rules about where their teenage sons and daughters go?

3)Do you think that sons and daughters should be treated the same?

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 1587