
Getting to Know Americans - ssn
http://www.nyu.edu/life/student-life/international-students-and-scholars/beyond-nyu/cultural-issues-/know-americans.html
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danieldk
I have been in the US about ten times and I think one of the initial barriers
is our that our perception of the US is formed through Hollywood.

Some things that did not match my expectations/assumptions:

\- The average American is much poorer than I expected. Wealth is less evenly
divided, than say West-Europe.

\- Americans are extremely nice and warm. Some Europeans say it is
superficial, but I really liked when eating at some place that a stranger
would pass by and have a chat.

\- Apart from the West coast and North-East, Americans are pretty
conservative.

\- Americans have a positive attitude towards life.

\- Americans are prepared to take risks, where Europeans are for more risk-
averse. This (IMO) has a bad effect on the social system, but a positive
effect on entrepreneurism.

~~~
protomyth
Don't let appearances dictate your perception of wealth (well, in the midwest
at least). A lot of farmers, business people in the midwest don't look the
part, but have the bucks.

~~~
rgraham
And as you might learn in 'The Millionaire Next Door' many doctors and lawyers
have nothing but debt and the appearance of wealth. Or in Texan: "Big hat, no
cattle."

------
dr_
"Be patient if Americans are ignorant of some aspect about your home country.
Use the opportunity to educate and share, just do so in a polite and brief
manner."

Citizens of other countries always like to point out how Americans are
ignorant of other nations and their cultures, oftentimes failing to realize
that within their own nation poverty is rampant and the majority of the
population remains illiterate (yes, although I was born American my ethnic
background comes from one of these such nations). Yet because of our standing
in the world as a superpower, and because so many people from so many
countries end up moving here - we are expected to be experts on the cultural
sensitivities of all these countries. Americans are more open and willing to
learn, I find, than pretty much any people anywhere in the world.

~~~
FraaJad
I agree with you.

My own "disappointment" is not with 'regular joe' Americans, but with educated
Americans. Being from a large city in India, I know from personal experience
that majority of the people with college education, especially technical
education are knowledgeable about things outside their own country at least in
a conversational level, if not they want to know more. I cannot assume the
same with Americans. I felt astonished that people who have degrees from top
technical universities have lop sided and often dated views of the rest of
world.

Many time they are not even ready to acknowledge that things can and often are
done better outside their own country. The sense of NIH is very strong.

~~~
smanek
America is special.

We're special for a lot of reasons, including 'soft power' (e.g., the most
watched movies in the world are from America), 'hard power' (our military is
more powerful and more likely to be used than any other plausible combination
of nations I can think of), and economic power (our GDP is on par with the
entire European Union. It is significantly larger than Brazil, Russia, India,
and China's combined).

For these reasons, most every educated person in the world knows more about
America than almost any other country (excluding their own and a handful of
neighbors). I don't understand why a citizen of country X is surprised that
most Americans don't know much more about X, than they they themselves do
about Country Y (where Y is roughly of equal importance as X, but is on the
other side of the world).

I've met Brits who were insulted that I only know who their Prime Minister is
and what the major parties are, while they are familiar with the intricacies
of American politics (upcoming elections, controversies, major players in each
party, etc). Yet, they almost always know absolutely nothing about Brazilian
politics (while I also know Brazil's major parties and President). Why is it
so difficult to understand that, to an American, British politics are about as
important as Brazilian politics are to a Brit?

~~~
nooneelse
I think that "country X vs Y" stuff is much of why, when an American is
ignorant about facets of another country/culture, they don't default to
feeling like they are in some way at fault for that ignorance. That isn't the
same thing as being proud of their ignorance (which is around in America, but
much less common than one might fear), it is a reasonable position to have.

Any time spent learning about the details of some other culture/country is
time not spent on learning about another. Faced with the abundance of sets of
details to learn, and with little to make one country/culture's set of details
stand out as the one an American might want to learn, lack of self-
recrimination is a pretty healthy response. Maybe it would seem more polite if
American's made like they were embarrassed about the ignorance when it comes
up, but that would go against being honest.

~~~
smanek
My point is that Indians (for example) aren't embarrassed by their ignorance
about Brazil (for example), but expect Americans to be embarrassed by their
ignorance of India.

------
jarin
One thing I've heard from several Europeans I've met (who are currently living
in the US, either for work or school) is that Americans have a reputation for
being very friendly but making a lot of empty social promises.

One European I met at my local watering hole was a programmer and a very cool
guy, so we made plans to get together for beers and nerd talk. He mentioned
the whole thing about social promises and said that he's had tons of cases
where an American would express an intention to hang out at some later date
and then flake out.

I insisted that I totally intended to call him up the following weekend and
set something up, but of course I totally forgot, and by the time I remembered
it had been an awkward amount of time, so I never did call.

~~~
notJim
My Singaporean roommate complains about this very thing. He thinks it's a
politeness thing, as in, Americans will say "Let's do this again sometime," to
sound polite, even when they have no intention of doing so.

~~~
jarin
I know that I totally intend on following up, but starting up new friendships
often seems like a lot of work. Most of my friendships come from work, friends
of friends, or other regulars at the bar my friends and I all go to. It seems
like less of a risk after you randomly socialize with them a few times.

~~~
jarin
Just wanted to clear up that by "them", I don't mean foreigners, I mean
potential new friends.

------
TillE
It's hard to tell what perspective this article is written from. There are
many subjective qualifiers. For example:

> Americans place considerable value on punctuality.

From a German perspective, this is wildly untrue.

~~~
francoisdevlin
I think Germans are the ONLY exception to the rule. Of course, someone will
provide a counter example, I'm sure :)

~~~
iopuy
Japanese.... In Japan being late is seen as seriously wrong.

~~~
ido
Austria, Switzerland, all or most of Scandinavia...Probably most or all
central/north/north western European societies.

IIRC Australia is also the same.

~~~
bwanab
All of your examples are Germanic cultures. Notably, I think this is true in
the German speaking part of Switzerland, but not nearly as much in Suisse
Romande.

~~~
ido
Most of Central Europe is Slavic.

I'll bet it's the same in Russia and many other Slavic countries.

------
holdenc
How about American irony and sarcasm? Here in Asia sarcasm is almost non-
existent.

Also, Americans value humor as a way of showing affection for someone. Whereas
in Asia displays of servitude are a sign of affection. For example, if I
engage in a humorous conversation with you, that means I like you. Even if I
don't pour your tea for you!

~~~
arethuza
Actually, by British standards America appears an irony and sarcasm free zone.
Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but it is _very_ noticeable.

~~~
danieldk
Indeed, but Britain is probably the other extreme. I believe there is only one
country that could've produced magnificent material such as Monty Python or
Fawlty Towers ;).

~~~
bioh42_2
You know, unlike English some languages have a sarcastic tense.

~~~
nebaneba
Fascinating. Sarcasm is inherent in the grammar? Can you give some examples?

update: searched a bit, cannot find any supporting evidence for bioh42_2's
statement.

~~~
bioh42_2
Inferential or renarrative mood:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferential_mood>

Not always intended as sarcastic, but:

 _The main body of the news report tends to use the renarrative correctly -
but sometimes, again, it is intentionally avoided. (...) This is because, due
to its ambiguity, the renarrative in such cases could be perceived as a
passing of judgement or expression of doubt by the reporter..._

------
limist
A shorter version would be: Americans are generally individualist Protestant
technologist capitalists. Like any other culture these defining traits bring
inherent strengths, and unavoidable weaknesses.

On a different note, Does anyone know the author of this essay? I've seen it
around at least as far back as the early 1990's, and it's good to see it still
in use.

~~~
StudyAnimal
Just curious about what weaknesses you have in mind?

~~~
limist
Take any one of those four traits and consider its opposite, e.g.
individualism vs. group/tribal orientation. Individualism confers strengths
most Westerners know and prize: freedom of expression, of employment, some
degree of class/social/geographical mobility, personal merit and meritocratic
ideals, etc. Individualism also brings severe and frequently self-destructive
liabilities/weaknesses: alienation, lack of trust, lack of social bonds and
support networks - as evidenced by the high rates of broken families, mental
illness (depression, anxiety), and substance abuse.

Of course, a combination of traits brings strengths that are more than the sum
of their parts, and concomitant weaknesses. For example, the US is a great
market for consumer goods (and thus entrepreneurs), as individuals seek their
own immediate gratification and the promise of salvation/transformation
through buying something new - all while supposedly contributing to the
greater economic welfare (there being few if any other widespread, concrete,
social goals). But it is far from a given that this way of life is at all
viable, even in the course of one human lifetime, never mind a few centuries.
As some scholars put it, every society confronts (and creates) large
collective problems; the US has consistently chosen individualist capitalist
technologist solutions, and it remains to be seen whether that approach has a
long-term future.

------
keiferski
Even as an American, I still love to read about others' views of America. A
little narcissistic, maybe, but I think it's more like getting another pair of
eyes on something _you_ look at everyday.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
It took centuries to come to the point of introspection - anthropologists
apparently label the normal American kinship system as Inuit or some such,
because it wasn't until studying another culture that we recognized our own.

------
crasshopper
_Other cultures are often evaluated as better or worse than this one rather
than simply being seen as different._

True.

 _Americans tend to think that theirs is the best way to do things_

Not true. Just think about American adoption of yoga and buddhism. Certain
aspects of Asian cultures, once discovered, were adopted and adapted by Yanks
who thought their culture could use improving.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
...my Austrian friend is amazed at the variety of ethnic food available in
America. He doesn't see that in his travels, and certainly not at home.

------
kloncks
Is there a typo here?

 _Americans usually think of nature as something that can be altered,
conquered, and controlled for people's comfort and use and in order to
minimize the effects of fierce weather conditions. In contrast, many cultures
accept nature as something they can change or control._

~~~
StudyAnimal
You mean that last "can" should be "can't" right? Yep pretty sure that is a
typo.

------
timinman
I'm sure this is great for immigrants , but it's just as useful for Americans,
like myself living abroad. Before living overseas, I only understood a few
vague general distinctions. Knowing your own peculiarities is a good starting
point for adaptation.

There's also a link from the page on 'Cultural Adaptation' with great content
for anyone interfacing with a second culture.

------
jerf
This seems a bit more accurate for New Yorkers than as a primer for Americans
in general. "Observe their focus on themselves, rather on than their families"
was particularly a "bwuh?" for me. In a university area (my local one is
definitely like that), sure, but not in general.

~~~
Hemospectrum
By Asian standards, particularly Chinese, Americans are outrageously selfish.
But it's true that Europeans (and perhaps most cultures) would find nothing
unusual in Americans' value of self vs. family.

------
protomyth
Oh, and one more item for those college students who become grad students and
decide they need to do field study, if you come out to a reservation in the
northern plains and decide to hold a noon meeting, then YOU are on the hook
for catering lunch. If you don't, prepare for a seriously insulted crowd. This
includes dinner time meetings also. Brown bagging is not acceptable.

------
mtinkerhess
> Americans are taught that "all men are created equal." While they
> continually violate that idea in some aspects of life, in others they adhere
> to it.

Boy, I wish more Americans understood that.

~~~
Alex3917
More accurately, Americans mostly adhere to the notion that "all men are
equal" when it serves the interests of the top 1%. Voting, the military,
taxes, college admissions, etc.

~~~
yummyfajitas
_Americans mostly adhere to the notion that "all men are equal" when it serves
the interests of the top 1%....taxes..._

Really bad example. The US has the most progressive tax system of the entire
OECD. The only countries that come close are Australia, Ireland and the
Netherlands.

<http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/27134.html>

Here is data on the top 1%. Specifically, they earn 20% of income in the US,
but pay 38% of taxes.

<http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/250.html>

I'm not sure why you believe the military gives preferences to the top 1%. As
far as I'm aware, the military is strictly egalitarian (being based on fairly
rigid performance criteria) with the sole exception of having racial and
sexual preferences.

~~~
Alex3917
"I'm not sure why you believe the military gives preferences to the top 1%. As
far as I'm aware, the military is strictly egalitarian..."

And that egalitarianism is partly used to hide the fact that the people dying,
losing limbs, suffering traumatic brain injuries, etc., aren't the ones who
are making billions of dollars from the war.

------
krakensden
> Fields and professions that were unwelcoming to women in the past have seen
> remarkable growth of women in their ranks, including areas such as medicine,
> police, law, and engineering.

Unless you talk to an engineer.

------
invalidOrTaken
(I'm American and) I'm most curious about the supposed "superficiality" of
Americans, particularly w/respect to friendships. Can anyone enlighten me on
the reason for this? Are people of other countries accustomed to dealing with
people who are less mobile and more likely to stick around for a while, and
therefore more willing to invest time in a relationship? Is it an overemphasis
on an appearance of independence?

~~~
crasshopper
In my experience, Germans are more likely to retain friends from secondary
school, more likely to date someone for longer, and more likely to keep a
social appointment.

I would describe Germans as "slower to warm" to someone, but they "stay warm"
for longer.

------
paulnelligan
... And If you see Americans in the wild, make sure to stop what you're doing
immediately, turn, and walk calmly, don't run, it will only excite them. If
you have some food or drink, drop it, it may distract them, and in turn give
you a few extra valuable seconds to escape ...

------
robotron
Living abroad, I can definitely see myself in a lot of this.

------
known
The Xenophobe's Guide to the Americans
<http://www.ovalbooks.com/xeno/Americans.html>

------
Gunkertyjeb
For what it's worth, this is a very "New York" way to view American culture.

Each corner of the country is vastly different than the others.

------
ssn
The page seems to have been removed from nyu.edu. Strange.

------
davidw
"US Americans" ?!

~~~
yardie
Yes, US Americans, as opposed to US Mexicans, or Canada Americans, Brasil
Americans, or Columbia Americans.

See what I did there.

~~~
davidw
"What you did there", besides beat a dead meme-horse was invent words that no
one actually uses, as far as I can tell.

~~~
bostonpete
> a dead meme-horse

It's reassuring to know that meme-horses can die. I was afraid we were stuck
with them forever...

