Chap 2: British culture – Traditional Beliefs and Values

The British tend to be attributed with certain characteristics which are supposedly typical.However, it is best to be cautious about accepting such characterizations too easily.

1. Stereotypes and change

- Stereotypes: a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals.

Eg: + This is the population belief that Britain is a “ land of tradition”. The claim is based on what can be seen in public life and on centuries of political continuity such as:

§  the annual ceremory of the stage opening of Parliament,

§  the military ceremony of “trooping the colour”,

§  the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace.

In fact, in every country there are plenty of stereotypes about residents, some maybe true but most of them are untrue and very wrongful.

Eg: + as individuals, the British are less inclined to follow tradition than are the people of most other countries, such as:

§  few ancient customs are followed by the majority of families on special occasions

§  fewer local parades or processions with genuine folk roots than most other countries

§  fewer saying of proverbs are in common everyday use than many other languages

§  they are the most enthusiastic video-watching people in the world- the very opposite of a traditional pastime.

- Change: Societies change overtime while their reputations lag behind.There are many examples of supposedly typical British habits which are simply not typical anymore such as:

§  Bowler hat has not been commonly worn for a long time

§  Vast majority of British people have in the mornings is continental (european) breakfast, not British( fry-up) one.

§  The image of the British as a nation of tea-drinkers is another stereotype which is somewhat out of date. It is true that it is still prepared in a distinctive way(strong with milk) but more coffee than tea is now bought in the country’s shop.

§  British do form queues whenever they are waiting for st but this does not mean they enjoy it. It would therefore seem wrong to conclude that their habit of queuing shows that they are a patient people. Apparently, they hate having to wait and have less patience than people in many other countries.

2.The love of animals

- The British tend to have a sentimental attitude to animals.

§  Nearly half of the households in Britain keep at least 1 domestic pet.

§  Most of them do not bother with such grand arrangements when their pets die.Rossendale pet cemetery in Lancashire is 1 example of an animal graveyard in Britain.There are also millions of informal graves in people’s back gardens.

§  The status of pets is taken seriously. It’s illegal to run over a dog in your car and keep on driving.

- The love of animals goes beyond sentimental attachment to domestic pets

§  Millions of families have bird-table in their gardens

§  There is even a special hospital which treats injured wild animals

§  Thousands of people are enthusiatic bird-watchers.

3. Formality and informality

- The British are believed rather formal in their general behavior but it’s not true. There is a difference between observing formalities and being formal in everyday life. It depends on whether a person is playing a public role or a private role.

§  When people are on duty=> have to obey some quite rigid rules

§  When people are just being themselve => there seem to be no rules at all.

ØThe British are probably more tolerant of “strange” clothing than people in most other countries. For example, when sb is no longer at work, and for his employers to criticize him for his appearance would be seen as a gross breach of privacy.

ØThe British, unlike the people of many other countries, like to “dress down” on Sundays.They can wait to take off their respectable working clothes and slip into st really scruffy.

- This difference between formalities and formality is the key to what people from other countries sometimes experience as a coldness among the British. The key is this: being friendly in Britain often invovles showing that you are not bothering with the formalities

§  Not addressing sb by his or her title (Mr, Ms,Mrs, Professor,etc)

§  Not dreassing smartly when entertaining guests

§  Not shaking hands when meeting

§  Not saying “please” when making a request

When they avoid doing these things with you, the British are not being unfriendly or disrespectful, they are implying that you are in the category “ friend” and so all the rules can be ignored.

- The British, especially the English are more reserved than the people of many other countries.They find it comparatively difficult to indicate friendship by open display of affection.

§  It’s not the convention to kiss when meeting a friend. Instead, friendship is symbolized by behaving as casually as possible,

§  If you are in a British person’s house, and you are told to “ help yourself” to st, your host is not being rude, he or she is showing that you are completely accepted and just like “one of the family”

4.Privacy and sex

- Respect for privacy underlies many aspects of British life.

§  It is not just privacy in your own home which is important. Just as important is the individual’s right ti keep information about himself or herself private.

§  Despite the increase in informality,it is still seen as rude to ask people what are called “ personal” questions unless you know them very well.

- The modern British attitude to sex is an example of how, while moral attitudes have changed , the habit of keeping things private is still ingrained, British public life has a reputation for demanding puritanical standards of behaviors.

Revelations about extramarital affairs or other deviations from what is considered normal in private life have, in the past, ruined the careers of many public figures.However, in most of these cases, the disgrace of the politican concerned has not been because of his sexual activiy but because this activity was mixed up with a matter of national security, or involved breaking the law or indicated hypocrisy.

- Modern Britons have a positive and open attitude to sex

A millions of copies of very explicit and realistic videos with title such as Super Virility, Better sex,… sold in Britain. The British public agreed that they were not “pornographic” but “educational”.

- However, even sex may no longer be “bad” but it is still embarrassing.

§  Sex education is now seen as a vital part of school curriculum but research in 1990s suggested that little or no sex education was taking place in nearly half of the schools in the country because teachers felt too embarrassed to tackle the subject.

§  Public references to sex in popular entertainment are very common but they are typical take the form of joking innuendo and clumsy double –entendre.

Chap 2: American traditional beliefs and values

1. The context of traditional American values

- From the beginning of the history of the US, there has been diversity:

§  Native Americans throughout the North American continent(lục địa)

§  Spanish settlers in the Southwest and in Florida

§  French missionaries and fur traders along the Mississippi River

§  Black slaves brought from African countries

§  Dutch settlers in New York,

§  Germans in Pennsylvania

§  The British colonists, whose culture eventually provided the language and the foundation for the political and economic systems that developed in the US

- Most early Americans recognized this diversity or pluralism as a fact if life. The large variety of ethnic, cultural, religious groups meant that accepting diversity was the only practical choice. However, in time, many Americans came to see strength in their country’s diversity.

=> Today, there is more recognition of the value of cultural pluralism than at any other time in the history of the US

- Historically, the US has been viewed as “the land of opportunity”, attracting immigrants from all over the world. The opportunities they believed they would find in America and the experiences they actually had when they arrived nurtured this set of values

3 represent traditional reasons:

§  The chance for individual freedom

§  Equality of opportunity

§  Material wealth

3 represent the prices to be paid

§  Self-reliance

§  Competition

§  Hardwork

2. Individual freedom and self-reliance

Individual freedom

Historical context:

Early colonists came to America to escape the controls placed on their lives (Europe) by kings and governments, churches and priests, noblemen and aristocrats

1776: Bristish colonists declared independence

1789: In the Constitution, church and state were separated. Titles of nobility (Lord, Duke, Sir) were forbidden to ensure an aristocratic society would not develop.

ðhad a profound effect on the shaping of the American character

ðcreated a climate of freedom where the emphasis was on the individual

ðthe concept of individual freedom were associated in Americans’minds – the most basic of all the American values

ðFreedom: the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference from the government, a ruling noble class, the church, or any other organized authority.

ðAttract immigrants

Self-reliance

- Individuals must learn to rely on themslves on risk losing freedom.

ðThis means achieving both financial and emotional independence from their parents as early as possible, usually by age 18 or 21.

ðThey should take care of themselves and solve their own problems.

- It is one of the most difficult aspects of the American character to understand but is is profoundly important.

Most people believe that they must be self-reliance to keep their freedom

If not, they risk losing freedom as well as the respect of their peers

ðeven if they are not truly self-reliance, they believe they must at least appear to be so

ðreceiving financial support from families, charity or government is allowed but it is never admired.

3. Equality of opportunity and competition

Equality of opportunity

- Immigrants believed that everyone has a chance to succeed in the US for 3 following reasons:

§  Individuals are free from excessive political, religious, and social controls

§  Titles of nobility were forbidden in the Constitution => no class system => lack of a hereditary aristocracy

§  Million of these immigrants succeeded

- Equality of opportunity may be thought of as an ethical rule.

Americans see much of life as a race for success and people have an equal chance for success. => ensure that the race for success is a fair one and that a person does not win just because he or she was born into a wealthy family or lose because of race or religion.

Competition

- It is a price to be paid for this equality of opportunity.

§  It is every person’s duty to try Americans match their energy and intelligence against that of others in a competitive contest for success => People who like to compete and more successful than others are honored by being called winners. On the contrary, they are called losers.

§  The pressures of competition begin in childhood and continue until retirement from work

§  Is encouraged by strong programs of competitive sports provides by the public schools and community groups

- However, there are consequences of competition

§  Make Americans energetic but places a constant emotional strain on them until retirement

§  People may feel useless and unwanted when retired

§  Compete unsuccessfully => won’t fit into the mainstream of American life

4. Material wealth and hardwork

Material wealth

- US appeared to be a “ land of plenty” where millions could come to seek their fortunes => Immigrants came to US to have a better life or to raise their living standards.

- It became a value to American people

§  “Going from rags to riches” became a slogan for the great American Dream.

§  Many achieved material success =>they became very attached to material things. However, to say that a person is materlialistic is an insult because to an American, this means that this person values material possessions above all else.

- It became an accepted measure of success and social status

Because Americans rejecte the European system of hereditary aristocracy and titles of nobility => had to find a substitute for judgin social status

Hardwork

- Americans have paid a price for their material wealth: hard work

Because North American continent was rich in natural resources when the first settlers arrived but all these resources were undeveloped => only by hard work could convert them into material possessions, allowing a more confortable standard of living.

- Hard work has been both necessary and rewarding for most Americans

Because they came to see material possessions were seen not only as tangible evidence of people’s work but also of their abilities. A famous saying or Jame Madison: “the difference in material possessions reflected a difference in personal abilities”

- However, US has shifted from an industry-based economy to service or information-based => a decline in high paying jobs for factory workers.=> They have become the “working poor” workers with a low standard of living

In conclusion:

It is important to distinguish between idealism and reality.Some values is not always put in to practice such as equality of opportunity. The fact that American ideals are only partly carriout in  real life does not diminish their importance.Many Americans still believe in them and are strongly affected by them in everyday lives. The 6 values do not tell the whole story of American character but should be thought as themes that will be developed in our discussions on religion, family life, education, business and politics.