Conforming Countries, The American Way

In the short amount of time that humanity has inhabited this planet, we have managed to leave a bigger imprint than any other species. The human population is well over 7 billion individuals and the presence of humanity is extended to all four corners of the globe. As a result of the large population, intellectual superiority, and the wide range of human existence, humanity has naturally transformed into a diverse populace. Consequently, cultural narratives are prominent in our daily lives and play a role in shaping our social interactions, opinions, and lifestyles. The influence of cultural narratives have only expanded with the growth in technology. Technology provides a platform for individuals to be connected with regions on the opposite side of the globe within seconds. This advancement has led to the widespread dispersion of cultural traditions and tendencies. This is evident in the news, social media, and other media platforms. Different cultures have developed different beliefs about what “norms” are and abide by those beliefs. If someone falls out of the lines of normality, most people immediately formulate an ethnocentric mindset and begin to create opinions that that person’s culture is inferior to their own.

Our nation is no longer the nation of “the American dream”; instead it has become a “melting pot” for all types of wrongs against its own communities. Do you consider yourself a millennial, the generation that will change all that is wrong in our nation? People born in the late 80’s up until the beginning of the new millennium might be the answer to ratifying every single wrong turn our nation has taken. Every day it is the younger generations that are taking a step forward, trying to restore what once was called, “the greatest country in the world”; certainly, it is only with the decline of our nation that this has been made possible. With an ever growing negative information by the media and the state in which we are inheriting our nation

Studying in abroad is one of the greatest social and academic challenges for international students as they have to adjust in new culture and live with completely new people. Studying abroad is a decision which should be considered carefully and you should take this decision about completely understanding the social and academic challenges that one could face in a new culture (Wendroff, 2016). When I took the decision of coming to the United States of America and to study in a completely different environment and culture, I knew that I would have to go through a lot of social and academic problems and challenges. which needs a lot of patience and understanding to adjust in new culture. In this paper, I will discuss my social and academic challenges and how anyone can going through those challenges and deal with them. Major challenges that will be under discussion in this research are: how can you understand the American culture? How can you become more independent in everyday life? How can you improve your speaking and listening ability?

Moreover, the survey suggests that the reason why international students stay together is because they have different cultural values from Americans. In her blog “The Truth: Americans Reveal What They Really Think of International Students,” Jessica Stahl, who works for Voice of America, reports from an American student's answer that “There's always a group of two or more in my classes and they rarely try to talk to us...” Christine from Texas A&M University answers “I sometimes do not share the same values or norms as international students do, nor the same culture.” This reveals one important point, which is that because of not sharing the same values and culture, it is very hard for international and American students to bridge the communication gap between them. Furthermore, it is not only Americans that think so, but also international students. One international student answers in the blog that “Most of the international students in my social environment are from Asian countries and thus they are brought up in a similar culture to me and I find it easier to communicate with them not because we have similar ideas but we are used to live our lives in a more similar way compared to Americans.” (“The Truth: Americans”). Thus,

Studying abroad, which has become a common phenomenon, can be a fun and meaningful experience. Many university students are interested in studying abroad because it gives them an opportunity to explore different cultures and broaden their horizons. As Mark Sherry, Peter Thomas and Wing Hong Chui argue in “International Students: a Vulnerable Student Population,” the goals that students pursue international study are often to acquire different ways of learning and to improve cross-cultural understanding, which helps them gain self-confidence as well as maturity (33). This experience turns out to be beneficial to those who study abroad. Nevertheless, when students are surrounded by a wholly new environment, many problems that hinder their

All these examples show the powerful influence of social media and technology on society (Goldfarb, 2016). The United States is frequently accused of Americanizing other countries, or “to cause to acquire or conform to American characteristics” (Merriam-Webster). One of the primary reasons behind America’s vast influence on the world is the astonishing number of immigrants in the United States. Nearly 43 million people who live in the United States were born in other countries. Not only is the number of immigrants very large, but the number of different countries they come from is impressive as well. People from all over Europe, Mexico, China, Vietnam, and many Central American countries all travel to the United States in hopes to reside there. Around 11 million of these immigrants are illegal, but they still play a role in Americanization (Nicholson, n.d.). These immigrants often stay in touch with people from their homeland through the internet or other forms of communication. This communication helps spread American ideas and culture back to the birthplace of the

In an increasingly interconnected world, America remains alarmingly isolated due to cultural rigidity. Though often dubbed a “melting pot” of people and ideas (Wolff, 2), this is quite the misnomer. Most Americans have no experience with anything outside of the country. In fact, almost 64 percent have never travelled outside their own familiar borders (Fischl, 1) and less than 25 percent can speak a foreign language conversationally (Wolff, 2). This lack of global literacy comes at a high price. In order to thrive internationally in areas such as economics and politics, the United States needs people proficient in the global culture (Altshuler and Skorton, 1). Fortunately, through the cultivation of foreign language, integration of foreign

International Students of all age from around the world come to study in America each year. Though campuses of different education level have become more diverse over the years, cultural stereotypes are still very active in society. First, not all international student are the same, they are not a same group of people. Though they relate in being

As a way to learn and validate the research process, the students of English 1120 each conducted a survey with the other students in the class. Surveys were composed of two-three focused subject questions. Question were intended to have enough depth so that the students could form several assumptions based on the way their peers answered. In the class survey I composed, students answered questions based on their relationship with cultures different from their own. The first question asks students if they had ever traveled, and how far their adventure took them if they had. Ten students have traveled outside of the United States borders, and five students have gone across the pond to other countries. When asked, “Do you desire to know about cultures that differ from yours?” Twelve students replied that they do desire to learn more, and seven students replied that they would like to learn cultures in some respects. The final question asks, ““Do you think learning about different cultures is beneficial to you as a student?” Eighteen out of the nineteen respondents marked that they believe cultural learning is beneficial to them in their academic life.

Our understanding of intercultural communication help us to realize the differences we have in assuming that human beings are fundamentally relational creatures and who strive for communion with the world as well as fellow beings. We need to understand that we are constructing at the same time deconstructing cultures (Rodriquez, 2012).

Whether we know it or not, we all tend to succumb to the norm of others. We do something or act a certain way because we want to fit in with the others around us. Whether it be from bullying, persuasion, teasing, criticism, or social norm, conforming to the way of society is a part of life. Conformity is defined as a change in behavior or belief in order to accord with others. We all strive to be liked and to fit in, sometimes conforming to others around us is the only was we see fit to do so. Other factors that effect conformity are group size, unanimity, cohesion, public response, and prior commitment (Bikhchandani, Hirshleifer & Welch, 1998).

Humans have thrived in their outlined structure of society and communicate with different cultures in a variety levels, ways, and ideas. Communication between cultures is shaped its values, beliefs, and behaviors. These components characterize an array of individuals, with determinate factors that affect how they communicate. The United States cultural components of values, beliefs, and behavior, affect how I communicate with unfamiliar cultures in a variety of ways.

With globalization and people’s living quality advancing dramatically, every year, American universities welcome tens of thousands of international students from all over the world. The land of freedom and justice has opened its doors to those who seek new options and better opportunities and sometimes it asks for certain changes and adjustments fir those who come to study aboard. When these international students pursues higher education in US, fulfilling their life experience and learning something new from American culture, they too bring with them elements of international experience to an American university. Taking up a considerable portion of student population in the university, international students face difficulties to

With our advancement of information technologies, we can communicate with our friends instantly without the restrictions of time and space. Such instantaneous communication has the potential to increase the amount of communication that occurs among people from different cultures (Lustig and Koester 7-8). However, we are not able to experience other countries’ culture unless we have been to that place.

In today 's world, the culture rely on human’s behavior. These days, the social media made human and communities have became closer to each other “openness to experiencing and thinking about things from other points of view” (Zion and Kozleski, 2005, p.17) because the people from different cultures have openness of the whole world and they have ideas about diverse cultures regardless the identity of the person his origin or religion. Culture had become the identity of our communities through our behaviors. It has many factors contribute to the formation of each individual’s cultural . Social networking between people contributed to the development of the individual culture and in the development of society.