| 作者 |
 Perpectives on Mainstream culture |
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阿修罗
[博客]
[个人文集]
头衔: 海归准将
声望: 博导
性别:  年龄: 43
加入时间: 2006/05/07
文章: 996
来自: Venus
海归分: 170826
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作者：阿修罗 在 海归商务 发贴, 来自【海归网】 http://www.haiguinet.com
I appreciate the existence of the haiguinet.com as the platform for different opinions.
I think of culture as comprised of five components: values, norms, institutions, artifacts, and language(s). Values define what is important to an individual or a group. Values guide and shape norms, institutions and artifacts. Language enjoys its one weight in culture. Language is also intricately inter-twined with the other elements. Cultures differ because value systems and languages differ. Cross-cultural distinctions between languages are easily identifiable and those between value systems are less so. In a nutshell, America has held the following values dear and near throughout its brief history: freedom, morality, equality, independence, work ethic, volunteering, capitalism, self-determination, democracy, rule of law, freedom of religion, charity, mutual respect and acceptance, privacy, effort and optimism, pragmatism, and change. These values determine human behavior which in turn sculpts American norms, institutions and artifacts. After all, it is through human behavior that laws are instituted, governments are created, and music is composed. My personal definition of “main stream culture” is an embodiment of the aforementioned values. And I believe that the culmination of these values makes America unique and vibrant.
In practice, how successful are we in assimilating into the main stream culture? After considerable self-renovation efforts, we speak English and we act American. We ask ourselves: Are we being perceived as main stream Americans by other groups? At a personal level, perception of self by others contributes to one’s position in a workplace and in a social circle. At a higher level, perception of us as a group determines where we are in a social and political agenda. In my opinion, we are in the main stream in technical worlds that represent a component of culture/artifacts. Our Chinese as well as American hard work value takes us to nothing short of technical excellence. We are assimilated! Pay checks and backbone status in the technical fields are hard evidence. We must not forget: the success is underpinned by our ownership attitude; the acceptance is earned with efforts and outcomes. Are we in the main stream outside of this sub-category? A consensus to this inquiry is yet to be reached. Adopting my own definition of culture, I can’t help returning to the very idea of values. Do we regard ourselves as valuable fabrics of the America tapestry even though our English is not perfect, our Chinese cultural holidays are not observed, and we don’t have close friends outside of our own ethnicity? Do we take ownership of our own position in the society? Do we accept others the way we would like to be accepted? Do we reach out to other layers of society as if they were our own? I, for one, think some introspection is needed.
作者：阿修罗 在 海归商务 发贴, 来自【海归网】 http://www.haiguinet.com
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 Perpectives on Mainstream culture -- 阿修罗 - (2891 Byte) 2007-4-30 周一, 11:57 (1369 reads) - 英文不及格 -- 惊涛拍岸 - (19 Byte) 2007-4-30 周一, 23:29 (270 reads)
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