Activity and Work

Work – directed and disciplined activity in a regular occupation – is a strong pattern in American society. Work is often a desired and desirable expenditure of energy, a means of controlling and expressing strong affective states, and an avenue to recognition, money, or power. It represents a cluster of moral and affective conditions of great attractiveness to Americans, whereas voluntary idleness often constitutes a severely threatening and damaging social condition. That is, although Americans are humanitarian and charitable to those whom they perceive as deserving assistance, they look with displeasure and intolerance upon anyone who can work but does not. And yet, on the other hand, they tend to admire someone who is independently wealthy and does not have to work – as long as his or her behavior is acceptable; otherwise, the independently wealthy may be perceived as the “idle rich” or spoiled children who ought to be doing something useful with their lives. As you can see, such value orientations can be quite complex.

One of the most important distinctions in American life is that between work and play. Work is pursued to obtain material possessions; it is what a person must do, and do with great zeal. Play, on the other hand, is relief from the drudgery and regularity of work; it is in play that we find real joy. This emphasis on recreation and relaxation takes a variety of forms. Each weekend people rush to get away in their recreational vehicles, or at least try to find the time to engage in some leisure activity; and the large and complex recreation industry in the United States tries to satisfy the American desire to play, providing everything from gambling casinos to snowmobiles.

Sources:

Althen, Gary. American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners in the United States. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, 1988, pp. 15-17.

Samovar, Larry A., and Richard E. Porter. Communication between Cultures. New York: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1995, pp. 85-86.

1. DIRECTNESS & ASSERTIVENESS

Americans, as has been said before, generally consider themselves to be frank, open, and direct in their dealings with other people. “Let’s lay our cards on the table,” they say. Or, “Let’s stop playing games and get to the point.” These and many other common phrases convey the Americans’ idea that people should explicitly state what they think and what they want from other people.

Americans tend to assume that conflicts or disagreements are best settled by means of forthright discussions among the people involved. If I dislike something you are doing, I should tell you about it directly so you will know, clearly and from me personally, how I feel about it. Bringing in other people to mediate a dispute is considered somewhat cowardly, the act of a person without enough courage to speak directly to someone else.

The word “assertive” is the adjective Americans commonly use to describe the person who plainly and directly expresses feelings and requests. People who are inadequately assertive can take “assertiveness training classes.”

Americans will often speak openly and directly to others about things they dislike. They will try to do so in a manner they call “constructive,” that is, a manner which the other person will not find offensive or unacceptable. If they do not speak openly about what is on their minds, they will often convey their reactions in nonverbal ways (without words, but through facial expressions, body positions, and gestures). Americans are not taught, as people in many Asian countries are, that they should mask their emotional responses. Their words, the tone of their voice, or their facial expressions will usually reveal when they are feeling angry, unhappy, confused, or happy and content. They do not think it improper to display these feelings, at least within limits. Many Asians feel embarrassed around Americans who are exhibiting a strong emotional response to something. (On the other hand, as we shall se later, Latins and Arabs are generally inclined to display their emotions more openly than Americans do, and to view Americans as unemotional and “cold.”)

But Americans are often less direct and open than they realize. There are in fact many restrictions on their willingness to discuss things openly. It is difficult to categorize those restrictions, and the restrictions are often not “logical” in the sense of being consistent with each other. Generally, though Americans are reluctant to speak open when:

the topic is in an area they consider excessively personal, such as unpleasant body or mouth odors, sexual functioning, or personal inadequacies;

they want to say “no” to a request that has been made to them but do not want to offend or “ hurt the feelings of” the person who made the request;

they are not well enough acquainted with the other person to be confident that direct discussion will be accepted in the constructive way that is intended; and, paradoxically,

they know the other person very well (it might be a spouse or close friend) and they do not wish to risk giving offense and creating negative feelings by talking about some delicate problem.

Americans might feel especially reluctant to say “no” directly to a foreigner, for fear of making the person feel unwelcome or discriminated against. They will often try to convey the “no” indirectly, by saying such things as “it’s not convenient now” or by repeatedly postponing an agreed-upon time for doing something.

Despite these limitations, Americans are generally more direct and open than people from many other countries. They will not try to mask their emotions, as Scandinavians tend to do. They are much less concerned with “face” (that is, avoiding embarrassment to themselves or others) than most Asians are. To them, being “honest” is usually more important than preserving harmony in interpersonal relationships.

Americans use the words “pushy” or “aggressive” to describe a person who is excessively assertive in expressing opinions or making requests. The line between acceptable assertiveness and unacceptable aggressiveness is difficult to draw.

Iranians and people from other countries where forceful arguing and negotiating are common forms of interaction risk being seen as aggressive or pushy when they treat Americans in the way they treat people at home.

Source:

Althen, Gary. American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners in the United States. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, 1988, pp. 17-20.

1. TIME

For Americans time is a “resource” that, like water or coal, can be used well or poorly. “Time is money,” they say. “You only get so much time in this life, you’d best use it wisely.” The future will not be better than the past or present, as Americans are trained to see things, unless people use their time for constructive, future-oriented activities. Thus, Americans admire a “well-organized” person, one who has a written list of things to do and a schedule for doing them. The ideal person is punctual (that is, arrives at the scheduled time for a meeting or event) and is considerate of other people’s time (that is, does not “waste people’s time” with conversation or other activity that has no visible, beneficial outcome).

The American attitude toward time is not necessarily shared by others, especially non-Europeans. They are more likely to conceive of time as something that is simply there around them, not something they can “use.” One of the more difficult things many foreign businessmen and students must adjust to in the States is the notion that time must be saved whenever possible and used wisely every day.

In their efforts to use their time wisely, Americans are sometimes seen by foreign visitors as automatons, unhuman creatures who are so tied to their clocks and their schedules that they cannot participate in or enjoy the human interactions that are the truly important things in life. “They are like little machines running around,” one foreign visitor said.

The premium Americans place on efficiency is closely related to their concepts of the future, change, and time. To do something efficiently is to do it in the way that is quickest and requires the smallest expenditure of resources. American businesses sometimes hire “efficiency experts” to review their operations and suggest ways in which they could accomplish more than they are currently accomplishing with the resources they are investing. Popular periodicals carry suggestions for more efficient ways to shop, cook, clean house, do errands, raise children, tend the yard, and on and on.

In this context the “fast-food industry” can be seen as a clear example of an American cultural product. McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, and other fast-food establishments prosper in a country where many people want to minimize the amount of time they spend preparing and eating meals. The millions of Americans who take their meals at fast-food restaurants cannot have much interest in lingering over their food while conversing with friends, as millions of Europeans do. As McDonald’s restaurants have spread around the world, they have been viewed as symbols of American society and culture, bringing not just hamburgers but an emphasis on speed, efficiency and shiny cleanliness. The typical American food, some observers argue, is fast food.

Source:

Althen, Gary. American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners in the United States. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, 1988, pp. 14-15.

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 958