new book of lectures USA Новик Н,А.... new book of lectures USA Новик Н,А... Учебное пособие по дисциплинам Страноведение иЛингвострановедение
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Freedom and equality: In the center of all that Americans value is freedom intermingled with the ideas of democracy/equality. The notion that America offers freedom for all is an ideal that unifies Americans and links present to past. Whereas most European, Asian or even African peoples were and are unified by race, language, culture, traditions, and history, America's immigrant population had little in common other than the initiative to get to America. In the first years of the U.S.A. when communication was slow, and the country was too big for a centralized government, American colonists could hardly be called the American nation. Freedom and democracy became their faith, the unifying theme which united them and made them the new nation. America may be the only country in the world founded on a creed. During the first half of the 19th century, the doctrine of equal rights was developed to mythical proportions. A.A. Bennet wrote in 1827, "We may look forward to the period when the spark kindled in America shall spread and spread, till the whole earth is illumined by its light." Americans consider themselves the world's freest people. And they regard their society as the freest and best in the world. They like to think of their country as a welcoming haven for those longing for freedom and opportunity. Americans’ understanding of freedom is shaped by the Founding Fathers’ belief that all people are equal and that the role of government is to protect each person’s basic integral rights prescribed in the Bill of Rights. But some people weren’t so equal. In reality, Constitutional rights have been unevenly distributed throughout the U.S. history. Each immigrant group has been subjected to discrimination; the Chinese, for example, suffered from the laws that once prohibited Chinese land ownership, school attendance, marriage with whites, and other rights. Blacks had a long and unique history of discrimination. Women were not allowed to vote until 1920. Today, all discrimination according to race, color, sex, or creed is illegal, but it continues in subtle forms. Furthermore, no one could seriously think that anyone who grows up poor, lives in a bad neighborhood, and attends an inferior school has an opportunity equal to that of someone more favored. But at least philosophically Americans are against prejudice. They do not accept the idea that some people are born inferior to others, and it is not socially acceptable to make impolite contemptuous statements about people on the basis of their race. Americans historically have despised efforts to trade on “accidents of birth,” such as great inherited wealth or social status. Article I of the U.S. Constitution bars the government from granting any title of nobility, and those who cultivate an air of superiority toward their fellow Americans are commonly dishonored for “putting on airs,” or worse. However, common people in their private conversations are not always as delicate about references to nationality, and jokes about the Polish, the Irish, the Chinese, the Scottish, etc., are widespread. But to dislike people because of their color is considered ignorant and stupid, and in public no responsible speaker makes outright racist statements. We may conclude here though Americans may not have achieved equality, but at least they aspire to it, which is more than many nations can claim. And the doctrine that all people should have an equal chance of success remains a sacred American belief. We should keep in mind that American equality is the equality of opportunity. Everybody might not win, but everybody had and has a chance. Family and connections are not required. Effort and brains and imagination are. Frankly speaking, opportunity rather than democracy gave America its name as the Land of the Free. In America, all kinds of people have a vast menu of opportunities to make and remake themselves. Americans respect the “self-made” man or woman, especially if he or she has overcome great obstacles to success. Progress: This idea is directly associated with the value of freedom. The nation’s progress has been measured by the taming of the frontier and industrial expansion. The desire to progress by making use of opportunities is important to Americans. In this immigrant society, progress is personally measured as family progress over generations. Many Americans can boast that with each succeeding generation, since their first ancestors arrived, the family’s status has improved. The classic American family saga is all about progress. The great-grandparents, arriving from the Old World with nothing but the clothes on their backs, work hard and suffer poverty and alienation so that they can provide a good education for their children. The second generation, motivated by the same vision of the future and willingness to work hard and make sacrifices, pass these values to their children. The attainment of the vision of one's grandparents is part of the American Dream. Individual freedom and individualism: Since the 18th century, Americans have defined themselves not by their racial, religious, and ethnic identity but by their common values and belief in individual freedom. Nearly every American would agree upon individual freedom as the cornerstone of American values. It saturates every aspect of the society. Americans’ notion of freedom focuses on the individual; and Americans believe the country has achieved its heights because of dynamic individuals who never stopped seeking a better way. Individualism has strong philosophical roots in America. T. Jefferson believed that a free individual’s identity should be held sacred and that his or her dignity and integrity should not be violated. America’s 19th-century philosophers wrote about individual self-reliance. They encouraged individuals to trust in themselves and their own consciences and to revolt against routine and habitual paths of conduct. The 19th-century poet Walt Whitman celebrated the individual in his poetry. In “By Blue Ontario’s Shore” he writes, “I swear nothing is good to me now that ignores individuals, the American Compact is altogether with individuals”. Early 20th-century pragmatists such as William James and John Dewey insisted upon the individual’s ability to control his or her fate. Individualism, understood not only as self-reliance but also as economic self-sufficiency, has been a central theme in American history. In the early days, most Americans were farmers whose success depended not on cooperation with others but on their ability to confront the hardships of land and climate on their own. Both success and virtue were measured by individual resourcefulness. Cowboys were never a large part of the population, and they're very scarce now, but in many ways they characterize the American ideal - self-reliant, self-sufficient, tough, risk-taking, and masculine. The cowboy stands alone, opposing his enemies. His strongest tie is only to his horse. In many countries, people cannot think of themselves apart from the family or group they belong to; their loyalty is to the group and their achievements are for the group. In America, instead, self-reliance is the fundamental virtue. Each person is a solo operation, and independence is considered the birthright of every child. American highest aspiration is self-fulfillment. Many decisions that would be made by the group in other cultures are made by the individual in the U.S.A. Newcomers in the U.S., especially those from tightly knit families, are frequently aghast to discover that American children quite regularly leave home - with their parents' blessings - at the age of 18. From then on, they will make most of their own decisions without their parents help, having already been quite independent during their teenage years. If they linger too long under the parental roof, they will cause anxiety. The child's job is to go out into the world and succeed. The job of the parents is to give the children every opportunity while they are growing up and then get out of their way. Many of the aspects of American life, that seem most bewildering to foreigners, make sense in the light of the individual freedom principle. Aged parents as well as children remain independent. If you want to be a salmon fisherman in Alaska, you go. You don't have to stay home to take care of your elders. In fact, sticking around your home town could suggest a lack of backbone, a failure of imagination and courage. American psychiatrists are quick to conclude that their patients' problems stem from "inadequate separation" from parents. The individual comes first. Americans do not consider this selfish. A person serves society by living up to his potential. The classic American hero is someone who succeeded on his own, pulling himself up by his own bootstraps. The finest American literature praises the rebel: Huckleberry Finn, Walden from Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Gatsby, his independence and self reliance. Frank Sinatra sang in a classic popular song "I Did It My Way". In the U.S.A., accomplishments or success are likely attributed to hard work, perseverance, and innate abilities of the individual. Americans give respect for self achievements not achievements based on rights of birth. This positive spirit of individual resourcefulness enables Americans today to take risks in areas where others might only dream, resulting in tremendous advances in technology, health and science. In the industrial age, the idealization of the self-reliant individual translated itself into the celebration of the small businessman who became a financial success on his own. It is a part of the American Dream to “be your own boss,” and being an entrepreneur is one of the most appealing ways to improve one’s economic future. Individual proprietorship in business is still thought as the ideal. Government regulation is often resisted in the spirit of individualism. “Right to work” laws, which discourage union activity, are defended on the grounds that they protect the independence of the individual worker. Individualism has made the U.S. a No-Status Society. In a status society, people learn their places and gain some dignity and security from having a place in the social order. Americans, however, are taught not to recognize their places but to constantly assert or defend themselves. This can manifest itself in positive ways - hard work, clever ideas - but also in ongoing dissatisfaction. As an American is always striving to change his lot, he never fully identifies himself with any group. Americans have no expressions such as in China where "the fat pig gets slaughtered," or in Japan, where "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." In the U.S., everybody is trying to stick out, which limits closeness between people. Americans say, "It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease." According to Alan Roland, author of In Search of Self in India and Japan,in the U.S. "a militant individualism has been combined with enormous social mobility," leaving very little group identity. Roland psychoanalyzed Americans, Indians, and Japanese and discovered that the two Asian cultures had no concept of the strong inner separation from others that is characteristic of Americans. Because American society is so competitive, Americans feel in the end that they can only rely on themselves. Americans praise those who take initiative and do what they want. If you want to put on your jogging shoes and run non-stop across the country from South Carolina to California and back, that‘s great! Quit your job as an executive and sail around the world with your family? Why not? That doesn‘t mean that all Americans live such daring lives, but they admire those who do, and highly value individual differences. This freedom from the group has enabled the American to become "Economic Man" – the one directed almost purely by the profit motive, mobile and free from family or community obligations. It's a personality type well suited to national development, but one that leads to identity problems for the individual himself. Now to American patriotism which as said differs from nationalism. A consequence of Americans’ mobility is that Americans develop relatively little attachment to place. In the U.S.A., national pride has become generally stronger than regional pride. Foreign visitors to America are quick to observe the prevalence of patriotic symbols: flags fly in suburban neighborhoods, bumper stickers announce “I’m proud to be American,” the national anthem is played at every sporting event, at schools and in churches. National holidays such as Thanksgiving and Independence Day intensify the sense of national identity. Patriotism in America is in some ways distinct from patriotism in other countries. American patriotism is expressed in its national icons: the U.S. flag, American family, apple pie, the Statue of Liberty, etc. In many nations, patriotism is essentially the love of the land. Songs celebrate the scenery of certain rivers, valleys, and forests. In America, however, this specific sense of place, this identification with a particular geographical region as the homeland, is generally not developed to this extent. American patriotism has a sort of abstraction about it: it is a devotion not to a specific physical place, gene pool, cuisine, or cultural tradition, but to a political and social vision, a promise and the idea of freedom. From the above said I may conclude that American identity is, as B. Franklin understood, grounded in actions and attitudes rather than racial, religious, or ethnic identity; Americans differ from many other peoples both in how they define themselves and in the kinds of lives they choose to lead. Andwhat distinguishes America and her people is a shared set of political and philosophical commitments—those commitments which animated the founding of the United States. SUMMARY
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