Basic American Values and Assumptions劳动法加班规定
美人心计张嫣 How does American culture differ from others? The way to address this question is to consider the values and assumptions that Americans live by. As people grow up, they learn certain values and assumptions, which will influence and mode their way of life. "Values" are ideas about what is right and wrong, desirable and undesirable, normal and abnormal, proper and improper. "Assumptions'' here are the postulates, about people, life, and the way things are. Most people who grow up in a particular culture share certain values and assumptions. The values and assumptions overlap and support each other. They fit together. A culture can be viewed as a collection of values and assumptions that go together to shape the way a group of people perceive and relate to the world around them. American culture refers to the dominant patterns of thinking and behaving of mainstream Americans.
The United States probably has a greater diversity of racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious groups than any other nation. Most early Americans recognized this diversity as a f
act of life. The large variety of ethnic, cultural, and religious groups meant that accepting diversity was the only practical choice. However, many Americans came to e strength in their country's diversity and there is more recognition of the value of cultural diversities than at any other time in the history. The Declaration of Independence reflect American beliefs, "We hold the truths to be lf-evident, that all men are created equal, that are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among the are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
The core American assumptions and values organized into form of activity, form of social relations, perception of the world, perception of lf and the individual, etc. Assumptions and values discusd in this part are the dominant values commonly associated with the American middle class.
裴礼文 1) Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance管待
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The belief in the freedom of the individual is probably the most basic and most strongly held of all American beliefs. The most important thing to understand about Ameri月上高楼
cans is probably their devotion to "individualism". They have been trained since very early in their lives to consider themlves as parate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies.
The earliest ttlers came to the North American continent to establish colonies that were free from the controls that existed in European societies. They wanted to escape the controls placed on their lives by kings and governments, priests and churches. To a great extent, they succeeded. In 1776 the British colonial ttlers declared their independence from England and established a new nation, the United States of America. In doing so, they overthrew the original control and declared that the power to govern would lie in the hands of the people. In 1789, when they wrote the Constitution for their new nation, they parated Church and the state so that there would never be a government-supported church. This greatly limited the power of the church. Also, in writing the Constitution they expressly forbade titles of nobility to ensure that an aristocratic society would not develop. There would be no ruling class of noblemen in the new nation. The historic decisions made by tho first ttlers have had a profound effect
on the shaping of the American character. By limiting the power of the government and the churches and eliminating a formal aristocracy, they created a climate of freedom where the emphasis was on the individual. The United States came to be associated in their minds with the concept of individual freedom. This is probably the most basic of all the American values.
成交率 Perhaps the word "freedom" is one of the most respected popular words in the United States. By "freedom", Americans mean the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference from the government, a ruling noble class, the church, or any other organized authority. The desire to be free of controls was a basic value of the new nation, and it has continued to attract immigrants to this country. We can e this in the way Americans treat their children. Even very young children are given opportunities to make their own choices and express their opinions: The child's preference will normally be accommodated. Through this process, Americans come to e themlves as parate human beings who have their own opinions and who are responsible for their own decisions.
However, there is a price to be paid for this individual freedom: lf-reliance. Americans believe that individual must learn to rely on themlves of risk 'losing freedom. This means achieving both financial and emotional independence from their parents as early as possible. It means that Americans believe they should take care of themlves, solve their own problems, and stand on their own feet. They are apt to imagine that their whole destiny is in their own hands. This strong belief in lf-reliance continues to today as a basic American value. Americans believe that they must be rf-reliant in order to keep their freedom. If they rely too much on the support of their families, of the government or any organization, they may not be free to do what they want.
露华浓指甲油 Self-improvement and lf-help em at the core of American ideology. Americans are trained to conceive of themlves as parate individuals, and they assume everyone el in the world is too. When they encounter a person from abroad who ems to them excessively concerned with the opinions of parents, with following traditions, or with fulfilling obligation to others, they assume that the person feels trapped or is weak, indecisive, or overly dependent. They assume all people must rent being in situations
where, they are not free to make up their own minds. They resume that after living for a time in the United States people will come to feel liberated from constraints arising outside themlves and will be grateful for the opportunity to do their own thing and have their own way. It is this concept of themlves as individual decision makers that blinds at least some Americans to the fact that they share a culture with each other. They have the idea that they have independently made up their own minds about the values and assumption they hold. Americans consider the ideal person to be an individualistic, lf-reliant, independent person. Americans admire people who have overcome adver circumstances and succeeded in life. The blind and deaf author and lecturer Helen Keller is an example.
