Blog #7 Americans vs. Foreigners
Along with other people whose culture is anything other than American, I think I have an interesting perspective on this article.
I grew up in a household that spoke Portuguese, ate Brazilian food, and watched Brazilian TV (yes, you can pay to get Brazilian channels here and you can bet that my parents did that). But I also grew up going to school with people who I spoke English with and ate American-style food and liked watching shows like The Bachelor (sorry guys I really can't relate to this one haha).
Because I have been surrounded by American culture my entire life, I have definitely noticed some of the values that Althen mentions in this article. The first one he focuses on is Individualism. I feel like being from liberal California, especially having grown up in the Bay Area and now being in San Diego I am so used to hearing parents allow their children to choose their own path. It seems very normal for people to "live for themselves" rather than for others. He mentions this in the article, but I think this individualism stems from our ideals of freedom in this country. People feel that doing their own thing and acting like a single individual rather than a group of people is an example of their freedom to live the way they want to live. I do agree with the idea of choosing your own destiny, however, I'm more used to Brazilian culture which is all about embracing community and the power of family and close relationships that help you grow and move forward.
Another value she talks about is privacy. This one is interesting to me because Althen specifically notes that foreigners have trouble with this concept. Its true! I mean, in the article she mostly talks about physical spaces, but a lot of my family from Brazil says when they come here Americans seem more closed off and wanting to be alone more. He mentions that they have to "recover their spent psychological energy," which is understandable, but comes off as cold sometimes to people who aren't used to that. It's culture shock to say the least.
He also touches on equality, which I think in this day and age is not just an American value. Yes, there are some countries that still live oppressed and without freedom of equality, but I think that this generation has proved that activism and changing legislation is important to use. He mentions that the Declaration of Independence states that "all men are created equal," and though I believe in this fully, I think we can all agree that our country needs some serious work in making this actually true through legislation and political activism.
Living here in the United States where I know I have enjoyed a lot of freedom due to these ideals, I do feel very strongly about equality for all. I think about having grown up in a country that didn't offer me these many opportunities and I feel grateful to live here, despite the troubles and issues still seen in this country.
Your blog was very interesting to read because you have the ability to reflect on this topic from two different view points, an American view point as well as the view point of Brazilians. I only grew up surrounded by American culture so it is very eye opening to be able to read about how Brazilians (or any other culture) view "normal" American traits as indeed, not so normal.
ReplyDeleteI also had the same situation where I have a foreign household so I agree with many things you said, I can really relate. I like what you said about equality, we do need serious work. Especially after reading Chomsky haha
ReplyDeleteI definitely relate to your situation as I grew up in a Mexican American household. I would like to agree on the fact that equality is more than just an American value, but frankly I don't have enough experience with culture other than Mexican and American to judge, or maybe its just the American in me thinking that we have better culture in progressiveness towards equality. However I hear that Europe is very striving towards equality as well??
ReplyDeleteJuliana, I am also from the Bay Area so I can relate to the fact that you grew up in a liberal area and there was an out pouring support for choosing your own path in life. I really liked that you added your own story into the blog and made it personal. I also like the point you brought up about equality and how although it is stated in our Declaration it isn't actually true in this day and age. I really liked your blog post!!
ReplyDeleteI too chose to talk about the American value of Individualism. I come from a Mexican household, in fact was born in Mexico myself and spent most of my childhood there and I remember coming here, one of the biggest things I thought was different is how dull the streets look in the weeks before Christmas. Where I'm from we have these gatherings called "Posadas" where we get together days before Christmas and celebrate with everyone as a community. All I saw here was lights and inflatable reindeer, there were even neighbors competing over who had the best Christmas decor, evident by the "Christmas-light shows" around our neighborhood in Temecula. Funny how something that was so communal can be a competition in a different place.
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