Conformity

To an American, what the world thinks of him is extremely important. Only through the eyes of others can success have significance. The theory of culture analyst David Riesman (author of The Lonely Crowd) is that Americans are no longer primarily governed by inner values handed down through generations. Instead, he thinks Americans have become outer-directed people - guided not by their own consciences but by the opinions of others. To be liked is crucial.

Although individualism is central in America - in the sense that the self comes first - Americans are not individualists. Actually, persons in status societies who are secure in their niches are allowed more eccentricity than Americans, who rely heavily on signals that other people like them. In America, popularity is a sign of success and terribly important. Nobody can have too many friends - as long as they don’t take up too much of their valuable time.

The contradictions

The alert visitor will quickly note much that seems contradictory in American life. Freedom of the press has not produced a well-informed public. Despite our wealth, we have people sleeping in the streets. Americans are friendly, but neighbors -don’t stop to chat. Supplied by the world’s richest farmlands, America’s cuisine leaves much, to be desired.

The social commentator Paul Goodman aptly wrote, “America has a high standard of living of low average quality.” Despite the luxuries and conveniences Americans enjoy, our lives are not very elegant. Equality has a way of leading to mediocrity. When half the population goes to college, one cannot expect the colleges to maintain the same standards as in countries where only the elite attend. Television shows are expected to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Mass produced goods are not finely crafted.

Not all contradictions are reconcilable. We are anti-royalist but fascinated by royalty. We are suspicious of government but re-elect incumbents over and over. We are a religious people (compared to other westernized societies) but many of our much-revered founding fathers were not.

Expect also to find innumerable exceptions to any of these claims about American life. Generalizations should not be used to pigeonhole individuals. Just as not every Japanese is hardworking and deferential to superiors, nor every Chinese devoted to family, not every American is ambitious or patriotic - or even unsophisticated.