Values Essay

Values and American Symbols

Values are characteristics that characterize a person and the society they live in (UMSL, 2013). For instance, a person is more likely to be honest if honesty is one of their core beliefs. American symbols come in many different forms. Materialism, directness, equality, achievement, and success are among the top 10 values (UMSL, 2013). Individualism, practicality, humanitarianism, freedom and liberty, and superiority are among the other values. Achievement is one of the qualities that I support. I enjoy accomplishment since my father has made significant progress in his job and business. His success has made my life comfortable by providing not only basic needs, but also luxuries that anyone would want to enjoy in life. For example, he pays my school fees and that of my siblings thus I can study without any economic pressures that most college students experience.

Disgusting Values and the Importance of Equality

However, people have different preferences. There are some American values that I find disgusting. One of these values includes superiority. All humans are equal and should treat one another equally. In other words, no individual is superior to others. Despite the fact that people have different traits, the bottom line is that we all share the same world regardless of the physical location. The feeling of superiority often drives people to treat others as less human. In fact, practices such as racial segregation can be attributed to the feelings of superiority. A world in which people do not treat each equally is hostile especially for those from “inferior” regions.

Addition of New Values

Given the opportunity to add three values to these top ten values of America, I will add formality, silence, and family. For example, Americans like talking much in the presence of other people. Perhaps, this is due to their feeling of pride and superiority. As such, they do not allow other people to express themselves in conversations thus making them feel inferior. Americans also tend to be quite informal in their behavior and relationship with other people. For instance, most Americans do not mind their dressing or posture even in public gatherings. People from lower class also find it difficult to air their opinion. Cultivating the aspect of family will make America favorable for everyone.

American Symbols

There are various symbols that represent America. The top five of these symbols include the Stars (in the state flag), the bald eagle or the national bird, the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Statue of Liberty. Apart from representing the state itself, some of these symbols represent other components such as values. For example, the American eagle symbolizes the country’s freedom and liberty. On the other hand, the statue of liberty signifies a fresh start or beginning.

Development of Values and Cultural Lags in America

However, not all values have developed in the U.S. Some of the values such as equality and morality still need to be developed. For example, minority groups such as Hispanics and Africa-Americans still struggle for equality in the U.S., so decades after civilization. There are also a number of norms that lag behind in the country. Some of them include laws, discovery, and inventions. Discovery is attained through sharing or making known the existence of a particular aspect of reality. Americans are not fond of sharing reality experiences. On the other hand, law refers to government social control. The U.S. does not involve in controlling people’s social lives. However, it is important to formalize norms into law to control people’s behavior. Inventions result from combining existing cultural items to form new ones. Cultural invention is not common in the U.S. The cultural lags are attributed to the Westernization as people copy what others in countries such as the U.S. do rather than coming up with new culture.

Reference

UMSL. (2013). Key American values. Retrieved from http://www.umsl.edu/~intelstu/Admitted%20Students/Visitor%20Handbook/keyvalues.html