American Values.
Pre-reading task.
1. Do you think that values are important for every society? Why?
2. How do values reflect the national character of the country? Are they connected with traditions and customs of the country?
3. Work in groups and make a list of values which Russian people hold dear. Explain these values. Which values do you consider to be the most important?
Look at Kohl’s list of American values below.
Personal control over the environment. 8. Future outlook
Change 9. Action/work
Time and its control 10. Informality
Equality 11. Directness
Individualism 12. Practicality
Self-help 13. Materialism
Competition
Circle the values you think you understand. Try to explain these values. Do you think that Russian people have the same values?
As you read, see if your guesses were right. Say if Russian people:
can understand these values
share these values
can never accept the values.
Personal control over the environment.
Americans do not believe in the power of fate. They do not think that destiny or nature or God controls what happens to them. They believe that they can control their lives. They are responsible for taking control of what happens to them. They do not believe that people’s problems are because of bad luck. They believe that people have problems because they are lazy or they do not care.
In the United States, people consider it normal and right for humans to control nature. People believe every single individual should control the environment. That is why Americans build dams to keep rivers from flooding. They heat and air-condition their houses. This is the way of controlling the environment. They build roads through mountains. They build earthquake-proof buildings. Most Americans find it hard to accept that there are some things that are beyond the power of humans to control.
Change.
For Americans, change is good. Change is linked to improvement, progress, and growth. A good example of this is how Americans work. They often change jobs. Sometimes they change jobs to get more money. However, sometimes they change jobs because they are bored. Hey just need change.
More traditional cultures consider change a disruptive destructive force. Instead of change, such societies value stability, tradition, and heritage. None of these are valued in the United States.
Time and control.
For most Americans, time is very important. Often Americans are more concerned about time than other people. It seems impolite when they cut off a discussion to get to their next meeting on time. Americans plan their time carefully. It seems like clock control them.
International visitors soon learn that it is not polite to be late. These people usually come from cultures where human interaction is more important than time. Americans value time because they believe people can accomplish more if they do not waste time.