Culture Shock in America
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Introduction
Generally, Americans are cliquish, paranoid, closed, anti-social when outside their clique, hard to meet, and may ignore a person and expect him or her to mind their own business. They are always in a bubble, introducing a barrier among strangers. This makes them look like automatons that are oblivious and very unaware of other people around them. In addition, Americans appear to be always getting things done hurriedly. Sometimes it is as though they do not develop interest and concern with any human connection. An alien coming to America may thus stick out and experience extreme culture shock. This is likely to be so for individuals coming from a cultural background differing significantly from one Americans are used. The behavior of most Americans may be extremely peculiar or even annoying at first. This paper explores some traits and values one might find strange while in America. Ways of understanding the intentions and the meanings of some of these things have also been described. In addition, a simple way of overcoming this shock is outlined as the paper wraps up.
Culture Shock in America
In the history of American relations, racial discrimination and segregation are becoming replaced with the concept of equality. Many Americans have the feeling every person ought to access equal opportunities notwithstanding his or her race, religion, or gender. This notion of equal opportunities has extended to a general disregard for one’s socio-economic status. Having connections to extremely powerful individuals or being wealthy does not command respect automatically from any American, and it does not entitle individual privileges or special treatment.
Americans are generally quite friendly. This has been the result of their tendency to move regularly to new activities, cities, as well as jobs. In the United States, a person will begin a conversation with other passengers in public transport; invite a newly acquired acquaintance to his or her birthday party or lunch. At times, an American will smile or even greet strangers in the streets. It is extremely easy for an American to develop casual friendship. Such habits come in handy when adaptation to changes occurring in one’s lifetime is necessary. Nevertheless, this also implies that Americans lack many life-long friends. At school, children do not prefer keeping the same mates during the time they stay there. Family members and neighbors keep moving. Indeed, there exist extremely few opportunities for the formation of intimate friendships. Although Americans are known to treasure the close friendships in which they engage, it may be hard for new acquaintances to reach this level (Gorea & Gorea, 2012).
The other cultural aspect an alien may find strange is Americans’ value for privacy and /or personal space. Americans covet this and feel offended whenever somebody invades that space. When another person stands too close, an American is likely to feel uncomfortable, which might lead to his or her moving away unconsciously. Additionally, Americans are characterized by an untold sense of privacy, with a strong feeling that everyone, regardless of race or socio-economic status, is entitled to it. Most hate questions pertaining to age, salary, or weight. If one wanted to hold a conversation on topics like family matters, religion, or political opinions, he or she should reserve them for more advanced levels of friendship. To aliens coming from places where a tight network of friendship exists, culture in the United States can be quite frustrating. In fact, actions Americans do to show casual friendliness has been interpreted to mean deep friendship by such aliens (Gorea & Gorea, 2012).
Conclusion and Recommendations
One big culture shock visitors experience in America is between the expectations they had about the culture and the real situation. Films and books about the United States have always made the culture seem exciting and free, with the nationals emotional and interesting. On arrival, the place appears conservative, and people look robotic and quietly go about their businesses. Nobody is open; all people appear not only closed but also mistrustful. Strange enough, one gets a situation where everyone is working in a tired, apathetic state. The existence of thousands of subtle regulations and laws seem strict and dogmatic to all aliens coming to the United States for the first time. Every time, an alien is at high risk of disobeying a little norm and then facing dire consequences.
Any transition from one’s country to America calls for extreme support, of which there are several sources. If one is a student, the school administration will facilitate relevant orientation programs for all international students. Such programs can be organized between the students and the office of the international students or even admissions office of the campus of choice. Shortly after arrival, most institutions will have coordinated some orientation sessions for their new students to acquaint them with the new surroundings.
For other aliens, support mostly comes from new acquaintances, counseling centers or even alien advisors. There are therapists with training to help people on their first days in America. These discuss the kinds of challenges to be expected in this new environment. Nonetheless, the most critical thing is to be open to new experiences and to prepare to learn each day during interactions with various people.