Americans and Eastern People

United States are a home to people of different national origins. It seems that the people from all parts of the world like to stay there. Many people go to United States for having vocation, studies or even business affairs. The fact that United States is vast makes us know; It seems impossible to generate people in United States.

Americans do not like to be generated as a group with other people. The fact that they do not want to be generated as a group is rather different from Eastern. How can we know? Let’s look for this example. Eastern people usually say, “We usually do this or we usually behave like this. Americans like to say word ‘I’ instead of ‘we’, because to be generated as a group is an insult to their sense of individualism.

It is interesting to describe their values. Although it seems difficult to generate the values; We can still describe their values by looking at their mainstream values. Certain ways of thinking, acting, and communicating are a direct result of cultural values. Let us look for the values.

1.      They control the environment, manage the time and help themselves

Americans control their own lives. They control the environment and manage the time. They believe that they, themselves, can determine the directions of their life. They believe that they can get what they want by their works. Success is gotten by doing hardworking. They manage their time carefully, so they can get success. They believe that time flies. If they do not manage it, they will lose the time and the success.

On the other hand, Eastern people tend to believe that what happens in the life is a result of a grand plan. Your life cannot be changed, if your life has been planned like what you have gotten. The value says that time walks. You must not be too pressured. You have to enjoy your life. You have not to manage your time, because what you get is a result of a grand plan.

2.      Americans like changes and look to the future

Eastern people really appreciate the past. They preserve the tradition. They keep on doing activities that old beliefs are precious. In Indonesia we still find some tradition that honor ancestors. They still give foods to the trees that believed as ancestors. The fact that Eastern people preserve tradition is different from Americans. They think that changes are good. People will stagnate if they do not change.

Americans look for the future. They work and do anything for their future.

3.      Equality and egalitarianism

The other value is about equality and egalitarianism. We know that Americans really appreciate equality and egalitarianism. That is why in United States it is common that we make jokes with our boss. They believe that humans are created equal. In Eastern people it will be bad if we make jokes with our boss, because Eastern people have hierarchies in the society. I think the hierarchies in the Eastern are things that continue from the past. I mean in the past there were many kingdoms in Eastern Countries.

4.      Individualism and privacy

Eastern people tend to appreciate society than individualism. Sometimes they sacrifice their needs to make the society happy. How can we know? In marriage Eastern parents usually choose a husband for their woman. This example drives us into a thought that Eastern is a communal society. Americans are different. They appreciate individualism so much. They believe that everyone has to get privacy. Parents do not enter their children room without any knocking.

5.      Informality

Americans usually seem informal. They wear casual clothes. They want to be called with their first name. The fact is different from Eastern people that usually use of titles and last name. People in Eastern tend to be polite of each other, for example you make a bow when you pass an older person or say “excuse me” when you pass a group of people.

6.      Directness, openness, and honesty

Americans say something openly. They like to talk what they think and feel about without any saving face. They appreciate directness and honesty. Honesty is the best policy, you have not to decide what you want to talk about. If you want to talk, just talk about it.

In Eastern we have to decide our sentence. People are afraid to hurt others feeling. Honesty is not the best policy, because sometimes it can hurt others.

7.      Work and Materialism

Americans see men from what they do. They like to work and get materials, because the work and the materials will show who you are. Eastern people appreciate spiritual than materialism. Material is not very important.