The National Character of America
This is an excerpt from the paper...
The national character of America is difficult to define as it is changing with the times. Americans tend to be independently-minded people, ever protective of their civil rights and freedoms. Because of massive immigration into the United States, the population is made up of people of such diverse cultures, religions, and ethnicities, that to define an American character is almost impossible. Though all these people come to America in search of freedom, and a chance at the good life, many stay embedded in their own cultures and traditions once they arrive here, rather than blending in with the rest of the population. Some of this is because of language difficulties, some of it is due to racial prejudices, but it keeps a lot of them apart from the average American and so distorts the definition of the American character. The American character is based on freedom: freedom of speech, freedom to pursue their own interests, freedom from persecution, freedom of religion, freedom of movement within the country, freedom to associate with whomever they please, and all that these freedoms entail (Bellah, Madsen, Sullivan, Swidler and Tipton 3-51). Immigrants have often fled repression of various sorts in their native lands, and seek to escape from oppressive governments. The American character embraces volunteerism and getting involved, which is a driving force still, even though many community events and institutions are disappearing (Bellah, Madsen, Sullivan, Swidler and
. . .
and get-togethers, and children in these families often belong to sports teams which have social functions. However, in two-income families, parents do not always have time to go to such events on a regular basis. Women are usually the main instigators of social involvement in a family, and with working mothers having so little time, this may account for some of the decline in social engagement. Men are less likely instigators of such engagement.
Neighborhoods are not what they used to be 30 or 40 years ago. Business has gone global, and large corporations run nearly everything. Large stores and supermarkets have replaced the corner grocery store and small shops, so that interaction is less personal. No one knows their bank manager on a first-name basis anymore - or for that matter, the name of their bank, since mergers and takeovers are happening constantly. Lots of people now shop over the internet or through television home shopping networks, further reducing personal interaction (Putnam 148-180). People pay bills on line, or by direct bank deductions; everyone carries a cell-phone so everyone knows where everyone else is and what they are doing all the time - there is no need to get together over coffee or at the cl
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Swidler Tipton, Alcoholics Anonymous, , Lions Club, Watch Tip, social capital, social responsibility, american character, Madsen Sullivan, Sullivan Swidler, California Press, Simon Schuster, sullivan swidler tipton, sullivan swidler, bellah madsen, decline social, madsen sullivan, swidler tipton, civic organizations, Bellah Madsen, bellah madsen sullivan, putnam 277-284, madsen sullivan swidler, decline social capital, build social capital,
Approximate Word count = 1519
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
More Essays on The National Character of America
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
