Book
3 Unit 5
The USA only became a
world power in the 20th century, but has achieved a status unlike any other 
nation.
How did the United States come to mean so much
so fast? Strength is not the whole story, nor can wealth explain everything; for
better or worse, America has somehow captured the attention of the whole world.
At once naive and sophisticated, vulgar and brilliant, noble and terrifying, the
USA is seen around the world as both a joke and a dream, a promise and a threat.
The three texts in this unit attempt to explain different aspects of this
controversial culture. Text A takes a light-hearted approach to some of the
strange details of life in the USA, while Texts B and C discuss some puzzling
features of the American national character.
Text
C A
Foreign Anthropologist's Observation Of Americans
Deena
R. Levine & Mara B. Adelma
Sometimes it's difficult to describe the
values or ideals of a culture from within that culture.However, if one looks at
the culture from the outside, certain observations can be made more easily. It's
important to understand American values if you want to understand American
behavior. Certain ways of thinking, acting and communicating are a direct result
of cultural values. The following list of values describes the basic values of
many Americans (even a majority of Americans). For each entry in the list of
American values, a “contrasting value” is given. Each of these opposite
values may be found among some Americans (particularly those belonging to
certain minority groups), but for the most part is more typical of people in
non-Western cultures of the world.
1. American Value: Personal control over the environment: People can alter
nature, and, to a large extent, can determine the direction of their lives.
Contrasting Value:
Fate: What happens in life is a result of a grand plan or destiny.
2. American Value:
Change: Change is healthy. People stagnate (变迟钝)
if they don't make enough changes.
Contrasting value:
Tradition: The preservation of ceremonies, customs, and beliefs from the past is
important and worthy.
3. American Value:
Control over time: Time flies. People are pressured by time. People shouldn't
waste time. They must rush to get things done, and must follow their schedules
to be productive.
Contrasting value:
Time walks. There's no need for people to feel so pressured. They should take it
easy!
4. American Value:
Equality and egalitarianism (平等主义):
All people are created equal and deserve equal rights. (Remember: This is a
value or ideal, not an established reality.)
Contrasting value:
Rank and status: People's roles are defined in terms of their relationships to
other people; people can be inferior or superior (优秀的)
to someone else.
5. American Value:
Individualism and privacy: Individual needs are considered primary.
Contrasting Value:
Group orientation: The individual sacrifices his or her needs to those of the
group.
6. American Value:
Self-help: People can and should try to improve their own lives, their own
minds, their own marriages and even their own personalities.
Contrasting Value:
Birthright inheritance: People are born into either wealth or poverty and should
live according to tradition; we all “are who we are” and shouldn’t pretend
otherwise.
7. American Value: Action
and work orientation: Work often defines people; they identify themselves by
what they do.(“What do you do?” nearly means: “Who are you?”)
Contrasting Value:
“Being” orientation: Work is not the heart and soul of person;
it's okay not to focus on work, accomplishments and achievements.
8. American Value:
Informality: First name usage (“Just call me Bob”), casual clothes, and a
lack of formal ceremony are typical of American life.
Contrasting Value:
Formality: The use of titles and last names is common; displays of respect are
important; keeping a little distance is considered good manners.
9. American Value:
Directness, openness, and honesty: “Honesty is the best policy.” People
should express themselves openly. It's not considered good to “beat around the
bush (转弯抹角).”
Contrasting Value: Being indirect
and “saving face”: People should consider one another's feelings when
deciding what to say. Honesty is not always the best policy.
10. American Value:
Materialism: It's okay to be more concerned with material goals than with
spiritual (精神的)
or intellectual goals.
Contrasting value:
Spirituality: All reality is spiritual; nothing material is as important.
一个外国人类学家对美国的评价
身处某种文化之中有时侯很难描述那种文化的价值观或理想。然而，如果从外部来看这种文化，反而可以更容易地谈一些看法。如果想要理解美国人的行为，就必须先理解美国人的价值观。某些思考、行为和交流的方式是文化价值观的直接产物。下面列出的一些价值观描述了许多美国人（甚至是大多数美国人）的基本价值观。对列出的每一条美国人的价值观都配有一个“形成鲜明对照的价值观”。这些相反的价值观中的每一种也许会在一些美国人（尤其是那些属于某些少数民族的美国人）身上发现，但它多半在处于世界非西方文化之中的人身上更为典型。
1.美国人的价值观：个人对于环境的控制：人们可以改变自然，而且在很大程度上可以决定他们的生活方向。
相反的价值观：宿命论：生活中发生的事都是一项伟大计划或命运的结果。
2.美国人的价值观：变革：变革是有益的。如果人们不进行足够的变革，就会停滞不前。
相反的价值观：传统：维护过去的礼仪、习俗和信仰是重要的、值得的。
3.美国人的价值观：对时间的控制：光阴似箭。人们受到时间的压力。人们不应该浪费时间。他们必须抓紧时间完成任务，必须遵守他们的时间表才能富有成效。
相反的价值观：时间悠悠。没有必要让人们感到如此大的压力。他们应该不慌不忙！
4.美国人的价值观：平等和平等主义：人人生来平等，有权享受同等的权利。（记住：这是一种价值观或理想，而不是一种已经确立的现实。）
相反的价值观：等级和地位：人们的角色依据他们同他人的关系而定；人可以比另一个人低贱或高贵。
5美国人的价值观：个人主义和隐私：个人的需求被认为是首要的。
相反的价值观：集体主义：个人为集体的利益牺牲自己的需求。
6.美国人的价值观：自助：人们能够而且应该试图完善自己的生活，自己的智力，自己的婚姻，甚至于自己的个性。
相反的价值观：与生俱来的继承权：人们或生在富有人家或生在贫穷人家，应依照传统生活；我们都是“我们自己”，不应冒充别人。
7.美国人的价值观：以行动和工作为中心：工作经常可以确定人们的角色；他们依据自己做什么事情来确定自己的身份。（“你是干什么工作的？”几乎就意味着“你是什么人？”）
相反的价值观：以“存在”为中心：工作并不是一个人的核心；不专心于工作、成绩和成就也可以。
8.美国人的价值观：不拘礼节：直呼其名的习俗（“就叫我鲍勃”），随意的穿着，缺乏正式的仪式是美国人生活的典型特征。
相反的价值观：拘泥形式：用头衔和姓称呼人是很普遍的；显示敬意很重要；保持一点距离被认为是得体的举止。
9.美国人的价值观：直截了当、坦率和诚实：“诚实总是上策。”人们应该坦诚地发表自己的看法。“拐弯抹角”被认为是不好的。
相反的价值观：委婉和“保全面子”：人们在决定说什么时，应该考虑彼此的感情。诚实并不总是上策。
10.美国人的价值观：物质主义：人们对物质方面目标的关注可以超过对精神或知识方面目标的关注。
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