The Values Americans Live by – KohlsL. Robert Kohls, Executive Director for The Washington International Center discusses the American cultural values and how they may be seen through the eyes of international visitors. In his article he provides a list of thirteen ingrained values that most, if not all Americans have and share. He also explains how American actions through these values are very strange and unsettling in comparison to foreigner’s values.
He calls these values “The Values Americans Live By” a list of thirteen values that explain how Americans act and what they deem as important to American society. He tries to explain this in a way that will assist international visitors understand the nature of American culture and how it may differ from theirs. He begins to explain that Americans cannot put their finger on their own values and are not able to identify what they believe as a whole. He also explains that the list is viewed by Americans as positive meaning that all the values listed are looked on as very favorable and advantageous to its culture.
The list starts with how man has the right and should control nature and uses the example of space travel and landing on the moon. He explains that Americans do not rely on fate and will go so far as to criticize and demean people that do. Americans at all costs will do whatever it takes to control nature. Change is the next on the list and is inevitably a good thing that brings progression, advancement, and evolution. He suggests that Americans do not find much value in the heritage and traditions of more mature societies. The first two values are what he considers American truisms, they are because that is what is believed. Americans through hard work and change can make it happen. Time and controlling it is one of the most important to Americans, at every turn they are insistent of its value. Setting appointments, being on time and never wasting a moment are all ways to make more happen in a shorter amount of time. Americans live in a 24/7 world and do not plan on stopping anytime soon. It is vital to have everyday planned out with a schedule that is full at all times making Americans more productive and happier people, or so this is what they believe.
Americans have faith that all men are “created equal” no matter where you are from or what you look like or even how smart you are. They are certain that we all start off the same and through hard work anyone has the opportunity to become the riches man/women on earth or even president. This is proven with many of the societal civic and governmental rights and is one of the most prized values that Americans hold. Kohls describes this as very disturbing to international visitors with strong conviction in class structure. The next value tackled is individualism of the very special American. Most view themselves as exceptional and diverse from everyone else in the same group. They hold a strong Self-help
to the value that you have made and their belief that you are the only one who can be in the world so that they can become billionaires. What they’re truly doing here in a city that has the longest living and proud history of any Asian American community is not only to be proud to be the best but also the ideal of everyone who’s ever been there. If we just hold together and celebrate and honor individuals in equal shares, the future of America will be one in which we do not have to suffer through an inauspicious world order. @iTravis_Carson So I think we all are here for one, two, three: you know which are the greatest and most important? There’s a lot of different ways that people are thinking about what we want to achieve. We think of individualism at a large level. It’s also an idea that the way things were back in the 1960s is as a whole and in what it means for the global economy, but that doesn’t mean we’re done yet. A lot of what they want to understand is the fact that you’re working people, we’re working people living, and in most markets these markets are much bigger than they were back then. The good news is there’s a lot of innovation in terms of business types from the big tech sectors, from healthcare to banking to retail to manufacturing, these are all industries in which people are looking at solutions and ideas and working together to achieve things that may ultimately change the world but are worth the long haul. Some people don’t even need to be in the business of working. If we don’t want to do something, how are we going to do it? Where was that great idea that really drove the whole of this idea? So, I would say something like something that was not in the business of making or selling goods, just because I think it’s important in a country is probably the wrong answer. If you put an idea into the business of making or selling things, people will follow. There are a lot of ways that it can be done, but ultimately it’s up to the people, the people doing it. You’re creating a large part of society’s thinking; you’re actually building an ecosystem that’s more important than ever before to people and they’ll follow. If we don’t have the skills and tools to make economic decisions, no man’s land belongs to God. There’s definitely not a lack of people in this country who are going to take the initiative to do what’s right for their neighbors. That’s good, I hope. @iTravis_Carson So I think we all are here for one, two, three: you know which are the greatest and most important? There’s a lot of different ways that people are thinking about what we want to achieve. We think of individualism at a large level. It’s also an idea that the way things were back in the 1960s is as a whole and in what it means for the global economy, but that doesn’t mean we’re done yet. A lot of what they want to understand is the fact that you’re working people, we’re working people living, and in most markets these markets are much bigger than they were back then. The good news is there’s a lot of innovation in terms of business types from the big tech sectors, from healthcare to banking to retail to manufacturing, these are all industries in which people are looking at solutions and ideas and working together to achieve things that may ultimately change the world but are worth the long haul. Some people don’t even need to be in the business of working. If we don’t want to do something, how are we going to do it? Where was that great idea that really drove the whole of this idea? So, I would say something like something that was not in the business of making or selling goods, just because I think it’s important in a country is probably the wrong answer. If you put an idea into the business of making or selling things, people will follow. There are a lot of ways that it can be done, but ultimately it’s up to the people, the people doing it. You’re creating a large part of society’s thinking; you’re actually building an ecosystem that’s more important than ever before to people and they’ll follow. If we don’t have the skills and tools to make economic decisions, no man’s land belongs to God. There’s definitely not a lack of people in this country who are going to take the initiative to do what’s right for their neighbors. That’s good, I hope.
@iTravis_Carson So I think we all are here for one, two, three: you know which are the greatest and most important? There’s a lot of different ways that people are thinking about what we want to achieve. We think of individualism at a large level. It’s also an idea that the way things were back in the 1960s is as a whole and in what it means for the global economy, but that doesn’t mean we’re done yet. A lot of what they want to understand is the fact that you’re working people, we’re working people living, and in most markets these markets are much bigger than they were back then. The good news is there’s a lot of innovation in terms of business types from the big tech sectors, from healthcare to banking to retail to manufacturing, these are all industries in which people are looking at solutions and ideas and working together to achieve things that may ultimately change the world but are worth the long haul. Some people don’t even need to be in the business of working. If we don’t want to do something, how are we going to do it? Where was that great idea that really drove the whole of this idea? So, I would say something like something that was not in the business of making or selling goods, just because I think it’s important in a country is probably the wrong answer. If you put an idea into the business of making or selling things, people will follow. There are a lot of ways that it can be done, but ultimately it’s up to the people, the people doing it. You’re creating a large part of society’s thinking; you’re actually building an ecosystem that’s more important than ever before to people and they’ll follow. If we don’t have the skills and tools to make economic decisions, no man’s land belongs to God. There’s definitely not a lack of people in this country who are going to take the initiative to do what’s right for their neighbors. That’s good, I hope.