.jpg){kind=small}
University of Florida, CJC Online, Foundations of Intercultural Communication MMC5708.
"All human cultures confront universally shared problems: relationships with fellow beings, activities, time, and nature” (Neuliep & Jandt, 2021, p.300).
Reading this week’s assignment from Foundations of Intercultural Communication, I found it especially interesting to trace the development of Western individuality back to its roots as the authors, Neuliep and Jandt, discussed the five value orientation problems with a focus on American culture.
Are problems a universal experience, or do they differ across cultures?
Applying the five value orientations can help determine the similarities and the differences.
1) Nature Orientation
How do people relate to the natural world around them and to the supernatural?
2) Activity Orientation
Do we live our lives through the activity of being, becoming, doing, or controlling?
3) Time Orientation
Does your culture focus on the past, present, or future?
4) Basic Human Nature Orientation
Are people viewed as good, evil, or both?
5) Relational Orientation
How much responsibility do we have toward others?
Nature Orientation
Humanity’s belief in dominion over nature has changed the course of America’s rivers, destroyed forests, eliminated native grasslands, and exhausted our continent of natural resources. Even the soil used to grow our food is depleted of nutrients.
Unfortunately, “people in the United States make a clear distinction between human life and nature, placing a higher value on human life” (Neuliep & Jandt, 2021, p.324). But why should this be so?
My Native American heritage teaches that humans and nature are one; to think of humans as “parts of nature that should live in harmony, rather than exploiting or protecting it" (Neuliep & Jandt, 2021, p.302).
The idea of walking softly on the earth followed me and my sister into adulthood. We grew to epitomize a nomadic lifestyle full of respect for nature and good deeds towards others (imagine Bill Bixby’s “David Banner” from The Hulk television series or David Carradine’s character in the Kung Fu series). My good fortune to join Disney’s Frozen North American Tour has made this childhood dream of wandering the world with few material belongings a reality. But the days of living in harmony with nature are gone and I doubt we'll ever reclaim them.
Activity Orientation
Americans are depicted as working hard and playing harder, acquiring material possessions as the ultimate goal. But even deeper lies Americans' penchant to "define themselves by their occupation and the concept of “busyness” as a status marker” (Neuliep & Jandt, 2021, p.307).
In the music industry, the concept of “busyness” reigns supreme: you are only as good as your last gig. Those who are constantly running from job to job are considered most successful. However, I prefer to work enough to live comfortably while retaining free time for travel, adventure, and exploration. This mindset hurt my career many times over the past 20 years, but I look at those setbacks as a fair trade for a life well-lived rather than a lifetime of confinement within the dark pits of Broadway.
Time Orientation
Time orientation deals with the emphasis that cultures place on the past, the present, or the future. “In the US, time is viewed as a commodity” (Neuliep & Jandt, 2021, p.308). For example, rather than take the scenic route, most prefer to take the fastest drive to work. Emphasis is placed on living practically, efficiently, and for the achievement of a future goal rather than for the enjoyment of being alive. Time is the master and we have become slaves to it.
This article, written by Valerie Soleil, advocates that we are wasting time by not learning a language during our daily commute, needlessly re-reading emails, and spending time with people who don't promote our career or personal goals. While this may illustrate a typically American attitude, I thoroughly enjoyed my daily Metro-North train ride into Manhattan, relish re-reading communications, and freely invite others to expand my life experiences in ways that have nothing to do with my career or personal goals. My world feels enriched by these "wasteful" activities.
But like many, I am still frequently motivated by future concerns. Who can support themselves in this society by living only in the present? Fortunately, my circle of artist/musician friends often take time out to enjoy “the life of Riley” by having multi-day bonfires, barn movie nights, and collaborating on wild artistic endeavors.
Non-creatives often view this lifestyle with disdain, “oh…is this how artists live?” But over the years, valuing the enjoyment of company, conversation, music, laughter, and creativity above work has led to my most treasured memories. Today I tell my colleagues (as they fret about whether or not to take a 1-week vacation), that they’ll never regret missing those extra 8 shows, but the time spent with family and friends is irreplaceable.
Human Nature
Are humans primarily evil, primarily good, or a mixture of both?
Regardless of people’s religious backgrounds, I subscribe to the idea that biological factors dictate human behavior. Human beings act in ways that increase their chances of survival and procreation. In a safe, stable environment, moral choices support our place in our community.
Conversely, in high-stress, resource-poor situations, people exhibit immoral behavior in an effort to survive. Television shows like The Walking Dead and Survivor demonstrate these biological imperatives. Personally, I have witnessed both heroic feats of human generosity and treacherous behavior by those seeking to remain at the top of the music industry.
However, there are a few exceptions to this biological chemistry. In this, I concur with Paul Zak, author of The Moral Molecule who states: “the exceptions to this rule are the 5 percent of the population who do not have an oxytocin response and are pathologically selfish like Bernie Madoff, and another few percent who are nearly pathologically virtuous like Mother Teresa. The rest of us vacillate between good and evil. We're a complicated species—both moral and immoral as our environment and physiology dictate” (Zak, 2011).
Relational Orientation
Relational orientation explains the way cultures organize interpersonal relationships.
In other countries, the first question asked after meeting someone new might be:
“Who is your family? Are you married? Do you have children?”
But in America, these questions seem intrusive. The first question we expect to hear is:
“What do you do?”
Americans identify themselves by their career choices. To go a step further, musicians often identify themselves with their chosen instrument. To emphasize the importance placed on musical identity, several of my close colleagues chose to die or commit suicide when faced with living their lives without performing.
For example, Sarah Watkins Shirley-Quirk was told that if she continued playing the oboe she would die of an aneurysm. Her response? She was an oboist; she couldn’t live without playing. In 1997, she died on stage, leaving her 3 children to grow up without her.
"Sara embodied everything that is right about this business -- working to exhaustion and with little thought of her remuneration to make a concert as perfect as humanly possible. Her boundless joy and enthusiasm for the job infected all around her. She will be missed terribly, as a colleague and as a friend" (Rasmussen, 1997).
For years I’ve strived to live a well-rounded, holistic life that does not solely depend upon performing. But deep down, I wonder. What if I couldn’t play anymore? Would I be able to wholeheartedly embrace a new life purpose? I’m not sure.
What does this say about the level to which American culture values career above family?
What do you believe is the most significant U.S. cultural pattern in the intercultural communication context? Why?
Individualism is the most significant U.S. cultural pattern. “The most defining value in the United States is the emphasis placed on individualism and conformity to modern norms” (Neuliep & Jandt, 2021, p.324).
When people think about American culture, images of Western cowboys, Coca-Cola, baseball games, and Hollywood spring to mind. Yet individualism influences society, economics, and politics. It shapes the character of our nation.
With self-centeredness at its core, Americans consider “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as a protected right. An individual’s life belongs to themselves, and they possess an inalienable right to pursue the values they choose. “This is the ideal that the American Founders set forth and sought to establish when they drafted the Declaration and the Constitution” (Hao, 2015).
“Individualism passed down culturally for at least 130 years from the American frontier, is complicating local responses to the pandemic. On the frontier, independence and self-reliance were essential for survival. People with those traits self-selected to migrate to the frontier, survived, and ultimately passed those traits to the next generation” (Newman, 2020).
This article, Big Data Analytics Shows How America’s Individualism Complicates Coronavirus Response | UVA Today (virginia.edu) describes how researchers tracked levels of individualism, measured by the amount of time each locality spent on the American frontier from 1790 to 1890, and correlated individualism to social distancing compliance and COVID-19-related crowdfunding.
To further appreciate America’s love of individualism, we need only look at the national response to the coronavirus pandemic.
QUESTIONS
Do you agree that individualism is America's most significant cultural pattern?
Do you tend to live in the present, past, or future?
Are people basically good, evil...or a little of both?
Share your thoughts.
References
Hao, S. (2015, February 19). An analysis of American individualism culture [Blog]. Wordpress. An Analysis of American Individualism Culture – haosuyawen (wordpress.com)
Neuliep, J. W., & Jandt, F. E. (2021). University of Florida MMC 5708 Foundations of Intercultural Communication Electronic Edition. SAGE Publications.
Newman, C. (2020, July 6). Big data analytics shows how America’s individualism complicates coronavirus response. UVA Today. Big Data Analytics Shows How America’s Individualism Complicates Coronavirus Response | UVA Today (virginia.edu)
Rasmussen, F. (1997, December 4). Sara Watkins Shirley-Quirk, a conductor, Peabody Conservatory faculty member and former principal oboist with the National Symphony, died Tuesday. The Baltimore Sun. Sara Watkins Shirley-Quirk, 52, orchestra conductor – Baltimore Sun
Scientific America. (2011, April 27). Dirt poor: Have fruits and vegetables become less nutritious? Scientific American. Dirt Poor: Have Fruits and Vegetables Become Less Nutritious? - Scientific American
Zak, P. J. (2011, February 10). Are humans good or evil? Chemistry can provide the answer. Psychology Today. Are Humans Good or Evil? | Psychology Today