Culture encounters

AMERICA’S GLOBAL IMPACT1. America’s main impact on the world

has been its commercial culture: business, pop culture, entrepreneurial spirit, & middle class materialism.

2. American foreign policy has always been cautious about global adventurism & imperialistic empire building.

3. However, America has occasionally followed in Great Britain’s footsteps transplanting its institutions on foreign soil (the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, & more recently Middle Eastern military incursions).

The only way to really

understand your culture is to get outside

it.

THE PERFORMANCE CULTURE

1. Goals, competition, promotions2. LSAT & GMAT exams3. Commission sales4. Football coaches5. Job interviews 6. Continuoulsy-updated resumes7. Companies hire college graduates

because college life (controlled and performance-oriented) “programs” students for similar corporate environments—learning to do what an organization wants you to do

CAUSES OF ITALIAN & WESTERN

GOVERNMENTAL PARALYSIS 1. Numerous splintered political

factions that won’t compromise (“Red” vs. “Blue” states in America & Republican-Democratic paralysis)

2. Self-seeking politicians & lobbyists

3. Continuously re-elected incumbents

4. Voter apathy & cynicism

Personality 1:THE FRENCH LIBERTINE

1. Liberal lifestyles & uninhibited licentiousness (La Moulin Rouge & the infamous “Can-Can” dance & LA FEÉ VERTE (absinthe)

2. Mardi Gras (vs. Lent)3. Self-indulgent sophistication

4. Political activism, strikes, unionism

Personality 2: FRANÇAIS LE BUREAUCRATE

1. Code Napoleon & a pervasive “Civil Service” system of professional employment

2. Competitive examinations3. Rules for hiring, promotions,

raises, etc.4. The discipline of impersonal

organization structure (the strange Anglo Saxon transplant)

AMERICA’S #1 EXPORT

America’s greatest legacy is exporting our “free to be me” culture to the rest of the world: pop culture (fast food, commercial entertainment, informal dress and consumerism). American rebelliousness shows up in our dress-down informal clothing, which brings everyone down to the lowest fashion level.

TEMPORARY CULTURAL INSANITY

1. Assuming everyone sees the world the way you do

2. Assuming everyone works the way you do

3. Assuming your way is best4. Assuming everyone wants

what you want5. Assuming everyone wants to

be like you

Most behavior in Western culture is governed by laws vs. peer pressure in Asian cultures. Peer pressure is a more powerful human influence than laws because we internalize the etiquette reinforced by our peers (friends, work associates, etc.), while laws remain largely external to our daily lives. Laws motivate us through fear, while peer pressure motivates us through the much stronger human desire to be accepted and respected.

Privacy is essential for neutralizing

nervous stress in in

emotionally neutral

cultures.

5. Power is based on (elite) people, not institutions

6. The corrupt know each other well

7. Special interest groups know they can court Italian

officials8.“Pork barrel“ political projects

(“earmarks” in America)9. Organized corruption (the

Mafia)10. Good-ole-boy “justice”

networks of lawyers, DAs, judges, police

1. "Profit is the bottom line of business."  (What about market share? Stable employment? Loyalty to business partners?)

2. "Time is money." (Time might be viewed as competitive advantage or as a matter of fate.)

3. "The way to get ahead is through hard work." (Maybe success comes through contacts, or personal characteristics, or family background).

"4. "Plan your work and work your plan." (What if God wills otherwise? What if your low social position denies you economic opportunity?) 5. "We're an equal opportunity

employer." (Not in hierachical societies).

6. "Let's be practical and come up with a compromise." (What--and sell out your values and ideals?!)

7. "We hire on the basis of competence." (We hire on the basis of who you know, who you're related to, or based on your ethnic background).

8. "Professionals are punctual."  (Not if they are at the top of the hierarchy or in a relational culture).

WHY DO AMERICANS HAVE SO FEW LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS?

1. Lack of extended family structure2. Career (mobility) comes first3. The “1-no-rule:” On-the-move

professionals can get away with turning down a corporate promotion only once before their career in that company is permanently side-tracked

4. The prevalence of careers for American women only speeds up the short-term relationship syndrome

One of the most humbling experiences in life is learning another nation’s language while living in that nation. The inability to communicate clearly and competently can play havoc with ones confidence and sense of sophistication. Enduring this experience is often the ideal “cure” for ethnocentric people.

WHAT IS COMMUNITY CONSCIOUSNESS?

Sensitivity toward what others expect you to do +

Whattraditional social

etiquette says you must do =Built-in etiquette for putting

thecommunity first

La società li serve

Most Italians liken their countryto a whore—used, but not loved

INDIVIDUALISM CULTURE SPREAD BY CAPITALISM

• Capitalism, the pursuit of wealth via private companies, thrives on individualism (pursuit of self-gain): entrepreneurs; investors; advertisers and public relations professionals; financial brokers, etc.

• Capitalism erodes community via job mobility; employee layoffs; foreign off-shoring; mergers/acquisitions; economic swings; dual-career marriages.

EXAMPLES OF CAPITALISM-BASED CULTURAL CHANGE

• China, ancient bastion of community culture, is currently undergoing a jarring shift to individualism spawned by its rapid shift to capitalism.

• Exporting to individualist cultures in the West has long been Japan’s national economic strategy.

• India’s thousands of call-center workers must learn English & use English first names while working.

• English is the international language because capitalism is the international economic system.

• To a large extent, global consumerism thrives on promoting self-identity consumerism and individualistic lifestyles: fashion; women professionals; pop culture & entertainment icons; social websites; birth control; target marketing, etc.

THE AMERICAN COMMUNAL MINDSET

1. By a 6 to 1 margin, Americans believe that people’s lack of success is due to their own shortcomings rather than due to social inequalities (discrimination, unequal opportunity, etc.). 64% of Americans say that the main reason people become wealthy is due to their personal drive & hard work (rather than being in a privileged social situation).

2. 71% of Americans (vs. 40% of Europeans) believe the poor can escape their poverty if they really want to.

ETIQUETTE BUILDS COMMUNITY& CHECKS SELFISH HUMAN NATURE

1. Surface harmony sustains peaceful interactions (vs. conflict).

2. Putting others first creates cooperation and teamwork (vs. self-serving competitiveness).

3. Accepting your niche and duties promotes social stability (vs. revolution).

4. Sacrifice brings out the best in others (while selfishness unleashes coarseness).

1. Most Italians believe that MBAs care more about their careers than the company they work for—they are in it strictly for $$$ & career-building

2. MBAs got no style or sophistication because the only thing they value is profit

3. MBAs don’t care what they sell as long as it makes them $$$

4. MBAs pass nothing on to the next generation except their workaholism

EAST & WEST SEE REALITY DIFFERENTLY

WEST: Focus on separate objects in the environment

EAST: Focus on the total environment

WEST: The individual shapes society

EAST: Society shapes the individual

WEST: I am always the same person

EAST: I am a different person in different social situations

WEST: I strive to be unique in the group

EAST: I strive to fit into the group harmoniously

WEST: I transmit information & must send it clearly

EAST: I receive information & must interpret it situationally

1. Americans admire individualism but lead conventional, conforming lives in American organizations.

2. Americans profess a love for democracy but rarely vote.

3. Americans cherish freedom & independence but are heavily in debt & dependent on Middle Eastern oil.

4. Americans spout “family values” but spend only a few hours per week away from work or school.

5. Americans love to consume but hate commercials.

6. Americans feel culturally superior but know little about other cultures.

7. Americans love to watch sports but not play them.

8. Americans come from immigrant backgrounds but don’t particularly like immigrants.

9. Americans either eat too much (more than half are overweight) or not enough (families below the poverty line, anorexics, street people, etc.).

10. Americans believe in God but not global warming.

CommunityCommunity

EgocentricIndividualism

Submissiveindividualism

(Separation)

Why devote all of your time, energy, & talents to

helping somebody you don’t even know (a

corporation’s stockholders) get rich?

Why not give your family members your quality time (on the job with

you)?

1. In individualistic Western culture,WHAT you do is more important thanHOW you do it or WHY you do it: “Justdo it!” This is because pragmaticWesterners usually act on the basis of

whatis best for them as individuals rather

thanwhat may be in the best interests of

thecommunity. Hence, how you achieve

self interest is not important, as long as

youachieve it. Why you do something is

also agiven most of the time: to benefit

yourself.

1. Most Italians & Latins would feel a massive loss of freedom in Anglo-Saxon institutional/organizational culture, with its obsession for control, analysis, punctuality, conformity, & performance, performance, performance.

2. Latins don’t want to eat in robot franchises, work for mercenary profit maximizers, cater to rude customers, or separate themselves from family 50-60 hours a week.

INCOME EQUALITY COMPARISONS BETWEEN RICH NATIONS (the lower the score, the greater the degree of income equality)

1. Denmark (22) Highest income equality in the world

2. Sweden (23)3. Netherlands (25)4. Switzerland (26)5. France (27)6. Germany (28)7. Australia (31)8. Japan (32)9. Britain (33)10. Italy ((34)11.USA (41)

2. Asians feel HOW & WHY you do something is more important than what you do, because the interests of others (the community) come first. Since how you do things affects others around you, behavioral etiquette is followed in a way that looks out for the interests of others as well as your own interests. Why you do something is also important because things must be done to benefit the community in addition to self.

1. Similar to Scandinavians, Germans have a strong sense of social justice based on equality of outcomes and protection against insecurity.

2. The German government uses a complex legalistic regulatory system to promote equality of hours retailers can be open, cartels (restricting how many new companies may move into an established industry), & bailing out bankrupt companies to avoid unemployment & layoffs.

3. German companies often work in alliances, even between competitors, to promote stability.

4. Companies are slow to change, since their quest for security and social justice promotes consensus decision-making among wide networks of cooperating alliances.

5. However, the German workplace is serious business, “low on compassion, high on performance. Error-free, competent performance is the standard against which employees will be judged. Performance issues are taken up directly and bluntly.”

MUTATION OF THE AMERICAN DREAM1. The American Constitution’s idea that

everyone has an inalienable right to pursue happiness has mutated into the expectation that Americans have the right to happiness. Thus the American Dream is no longer a quest but viewed as a right. The original American Dream emphasized that success comes from hard work, skill, and self-reliance; under the New American Dream, success is linked to self-promotion, government social activism, and luck.

2. Signs and icons of the New American Dream: mass consumerism (“I shop, therefore I am”), credit as a lifestyle, gambling, playing the lotto, and reality TV (which sends a clear cut message that success is largely a matter of luck; that anyone can become famous; and that happiness comes automatically without effort or sacrifice). Movies & TV send the constant message that life is endlessly entertaining.

“Do your own thing.”vs.Do your duty in the community.

WE S T E R N V S . A S IA N S E L F -ID E N T IT Y

1. Muslims believe that the rights of those who submit to Allah’s laws should take precedence over those who don’t submit.

2. For example, it is not against the law for an American to curse God on a city street, but he or she could be sued for cursing an individual. The reverse is true in Islamic societies. Islamic culture values their tradition of freedom of religion over the prevailing Western tradition of freedom from religion.

3. Muslims have historically viewed Islam as a key means for protecting society against political tyranny & violation of individual rights. The theocratic (religious based laws) orientation of most Muslim governments has acted as a buffer zone between government power and individual/family security.

4. Even in the less democratic Muslim nations, the average citizen plays a decisive role in choosing the political leaders—local village officials– who actually wield the greatest amount of influence over the lives of individuals.

5. Muslims would point out that the outcome of most elections in Western representative democracies is determined mainly by the campaign financing of political machines, thus greatly nullifying the influence of rank and file voters in elections and political affairs.

6. The main freedom desired by Muslims today is the freedom to confront their own political problems and find their own solutions within a Islamic religious context.

“There is practically no part of the ummah (Muslim culture) that

hasn’t been ruled by others and remains today, to a greater or

lesser degree, under the influence or occupation of the West. Arab nations have been on the losing end of history for the past 500 years, and especially in the last

decade. This explains why so many Muslims today cling to the

powerful combination of national and religious identities.”

CIVIC-MINDED AMERICANS?

America ranks 139th among nations in voter turnout. Seventy-eight million eligible citizens (approximately the populations of California, New York and Texas combined) did not vote in the 2004 presidential election.

A NEW AMERICAN FINANCIAL ARISTOCRACY?

1. American income equality is definitely growing wider. In the 20 year period from 1980-2000, the wealthiest 20% of Americans increased their share of total national income from 44% to 50%. Every other lower wealth bracket (top 60%-80%, 40%-60%, 20-40% & lowest 20%) lost money during this 20 year period.

ASIAN vs. WESTERN VIEWS OF COMMUNITY

1. Westerners tend to self-define their own identities based on their lifestyle & profession. Asians draw on the outside community for self-definition, such as family niche & their interdependencies within the larger community.

2. Thus, Asians are programmed to look for how they can serve the larger community, while Westerners look for how the community can serve them individually.

Western culture focuses on

understanding reality, while Asian culture

seeks to experience

reality.