My Culture from the Outside Looking In

I found the videos very helpful for this blog assignment. I thought it was so fascinating how Professor was in New Jesrsey and had a realization that HE was different, and not his New Jersey friends. I think we do this too often and think that we are the normal ones when sometimes we are not “normal” compared to everybody else. I thought it was also really near when the video video talked about other cultures that we view as minor being distinct and unique.

If I was hosting an exchange student that had never been to the US, I would explain my culture as mainly Caucasian and spoiled. My culture is extremely spoiled because most of the students at Clemson have cars and a place to live. We too often take this for granted, and from the outside looking in one may say that we think the world revolves around us. My culture is used to getting what we want most of the time. This is nothing to brag about but it is true. Males are viewed as the “leader” in households while women are supposed to cook, clean, and take care of the children. Marriage is meant to last forever and couples are expected to have kids. .

From the information on the “Geert-Hofstede Cultural Dimensions,” power has a huge role in my US culture today. People who have more money are seen to have more power, and people who are ranked high politically. Most of these people are males. I would tell the exchange student that individualism is also highly valued in my culture. People are supposed to try their best to work their way up to success, especially in the business world. There is not much long term orientation in my culture anymore, doing “new” things or starting “new” traditions are becoming more and more popular. While people used to go to denominational churches, like Presbyterian or Baptist, most people in my culture are going to new nondenominational churches with loud rock music and no pulpits or dressing up.