The United States of America is one of the younger countries in the world. Yet it is already culturally rich and unique in many ways. It values independence, diversity, and a fast-paced lifestyle. One aspect of U.S. culture is competitiveness. American culture values competition, millions of people in America chase for the first-place position in all sorts of fields. Without that competition, many products would have never come to exist. If Nikola Tesla hadn’t competed with Thomas Edison, we wouldn’t have AC as well as DC electricity. This is how our free market works. When one company succeeds it is because it has done better than all the other companies in the field. This results in the best products reaching American consumers. This competitive drive also helps strengthen the economy and regulate prices. When an individual chases after the American dream, works hard and succeeds, they add to the overall GDP of the economy. If someone is able to start a business than they can even increase available jobs in the economy. The business than offers good products at competitive prices to consumers, simultaneously balancing their prices with the buying power of their customers. This results in a mostly self-regulating market, guided by the “invisible hand” (concept coined by Adam Smith) that occurs naturally in a free market.
I like the competitive aspect of American culture; while I think it is important to recognize effort, it is best to encourage competition. It means that you get to try your best and see the reward of your efforts. It is as simple as you get back what you put in. Letting people follow their dreams, start companies, and specialize in what they excel at will really mean that you’re getting the highest quality products from the market.
Someone outside the U.S. may not understand why competition can be so good for the country. It may be for them that their government regulates their economic markets for them. For me, I would fear that this would case product quality to go down. There would be less incentive for individuals not working for profit, than for those that are. Even so, for a culture that values collectivism, competition may not make sense. People may believe in working together so that everyone succeeds. After all, if one person is in first place, then someone is in last. It may make more sense to them then that everyone is given equal rewards for disproportionate levels effort.
This exercise helps me realize that as odd as I may think it that someone will not understand this aspect of U.S. culture, I don’t think it odd at all. And in turn, I must realize that what is odd to me, will certainly be standard for the people of the country I am visiting (in this case the U.K.). I will have to be understanding and open-minded about all the different viewpoints and perceptions that exist in the world so that I can become a better global citizen!