Non-American Values

There are many things within each culture that may be universally specific and others that may be only culturally specific. When a particular culture is looked into microscopically, there might be some things that might seem normal, abnormal or ambiguous. It is all based upon the ones particular group’s cultural perceptions and the culture that is being compared to (Matsumoto & Juang, 2013). In the article, L. Robert Kohls discussed thirteen American values that are essential to living the American dream in which is somewhat the backbone of what America is built upon. Although, I considered myself Americanized after living in the United States for about twenty seven years, there is one distinct American value that is still hard for me to comprehend, the …show more content…
Non-Americans may think that all Americans care about are material possessions such as money, cars, designer clothes and other material objects. Also, foreigners might view Americans’ poor interpersonal relationships as a flaw in the American society. If Americans are not making any kind of profit in some ways, then they would see it as the time that was wasted. Most non-Americans perceived interpersonal relationships, spirituality and human interactions as more valuable than money could buy. Most foreigners would spend their excessive wealth helping family members, friends, and sometimes those in need because they remember how it is to struggle on the road to success. In another word, they believe in paying it forward, because at some point someone had also helped them also their personal path to success. If most Americans would stop obsessing over their need to attain material objects, then maybe they would be less in debt and happier than they pretend to be. One should be aware that material things would not bring the type of fulfillment that one seeks, it only brings temporary