One of the significant characteristics I have noted about American culture that I have noticed is the aspect and importance that American’s hold with individualism. People generally care about themselves and their comfort more than the common good. This is heavily rooted in our idealisms as a country; liberty and justice for all. These freedoms, which represent individualism, are seen through many things. Some examples include how we handled the pandemic and the freedom to get vaccinated; Another example would be personal clothing choices through fashion. In many places in Europe, dressing up and looking nice is a cultural expectation, and I don’t necessarily see that reflected in American culture. Sure, there is a time and place for dressing up, and Americans practice this, but in regards to going to the grocery store or class, I’ve heard that Europeans expect one to be put more together. I think that this is also applicable to how we talk and interact with others; too much touch (especially during the pandemic) is seen by Americans as weird or intrusive, whereas in other cultures, specifically those in Latin America, the Mediterranean, and parts of Europe. As Americans, we maintain a greater distance of personal space — a personal bubble between ourselves.
While this aspect of our culture doesn’t apply to everybody, I have noticed it significantly. One of the arguments for people not to get their vaccination is that COVID-19 won’t kill them, so they don’t feel the need to bother. On a lighter note, I think a lot of it is just comfortability; examples including not sitting directly next to each other on the bus or going out in public in leggings and a sweatshirt – it is an individual comfort aspect of our culture. I think that if this were violated within another culture, I would definitely notice. It’s not necessarily being selfish, and it’s established regularities. I have seen strong individualism, but I don’t think this is consistent for everyone. I believe it is also important to note that some cultural normalities don’t apply to every person in said representative culture
As an anthropologist, I thoroughly enjoy studying and learning from other people’s cultures through methods like ethnography and engulfing oneself into another culture. This exercise is good for learning how to adjust to differences between cultures and adapt to our new surroundings. However, it is essential to be ethnocentric and not discriminate against cultural norms that are not the same as ours. Being ethnocentric and approaching different cultures and their normalities with a ready-to-learn attitude instead of dismissive; just because they are other than you doesn’t mean that their culture is wrong or bad. I think that this is very important to consider and look at one’s cultural values and approach the differences within other cultures with open arms. I’m excited to learn about the cultural differentiation between the united states and the united kingdom – I’m sure that there will be more cultural normalities that will stand out to me from my American perspective.