Why Do Americans Perceive Their Culture As Egalitarian, And Their Culture In Society

The United States of America is a big, powerful and wealthy country in the world. The diversity of class, individuality, religion, and race are a few of the embellishments within the "melting pot" of our society. The blend of these numerous diversities is the crucial ingredient to our modern nation. America has been formed upon them, its inhabitants- the "average American"- have a single means in common; a single concept; a single goal; the American Dream. The Dream consists of a seemingly simple theory; success.

I believe Americans may be somewhat more ethnocentric than people in other Western industrial nations. This might be the case because many Americans feel superior and more advanced than other ethnic groups. Most of the time, Americans ignore the fact that different cultures and ethnicities make up America. A few of many reasons why Americans may feel exceptional is because of all the opportunities their country offers them, how well the government values the people and how other countries appreciate America. Even though America is multicultural, the way Americans take pride in their country may come off as ethnocentric. Linton Ralph’s article “One Hundred Percent American” assures that the American culture is shaped around all kinds of ethnic

The mass media has become a big part of our society and its counterparts. In a time span of 50 years this medium has influenced society to an extent where it has created wonders. This immaculate tool can control almost every action we perform, from speaking to the actions that every human being performs in society. The mass media has brought upon a new era of idea's and changes in the world we live in. As we analysis media in depth we will find many aspects of media which overlap and some of the smallest factors and aspects of media, which create the biggest impact on society.

In Seeing and Making Culture: Representing the Poor, author Gloria Watkins under the pen-name Bell Hooks discusses the problem with the way poverty is depicted in the media in America. From her own personal experiences growing up poor, she has observed what the stigma surrounding poverty does to the underclass. Hooks points out how the media generates the idea that being poor means that one can’t live a meaningful life, and that one should feel ashamed for not having lots of money or things. To further her argument, Hooks uses examples from encounters she has had where people are conditioned to believe the poor are lazy, dishonest, and unworthy. Bell Hooks

The media carries a significant role in the distribution of information in American society. The American populace rely on entertainment and news networks to properly feed them updates on science, politics, celebrities and so much more. The media has this kind of power due to the fast pace way of life Americans live as well as their inability, or lack of want, to read pure and unadulterated academic articles on any given subject. While the media never seems to stop covering vast topics of interest to great length it is fundamentally failing at properly commenting on one of the most important social issues of the century, class and its relation to social inequality. The media is downright disrespectful and negligent in the way it goes

What is your perception of the poor and less fortunate in society? Would you say that you have a low perception of them or do you regard them in the highest? Would you do your social duty to reach out to the poor and impoverished to assist them, or help assist, in establishing programs that would aid in leading them to a brighter future? These are the questions that I ask of myself as I read, “Seeing and Making Culture: Representing the Poor,” by bell hooks. My paper examines the perception that pop culture, society, and media have of the poor, as well as, the expectations and responsibilities of society to ensure a response to

Since its inhabitance, competition and dominance has been a concept that remains prevalent throughout American life. Past ideologies such as Manifest Destiny, Cultural Imperialism, and Ethnocentrism are all practices and beliefs comprising what it means to be American for many citizens, while also continually shaping outside perception of Americans today. On one hand, many countries have and continue to fully embrace American culture, globalization, and the rise of capitalism. In contrast, many countries have and continue to reject America’s stride for world assimilation regarding their ideals and values.

In this article by Mantsios, we are told how the media holds a negative bias towards those impoverished. One such example is the choice of words for similar acts with wealthy individuals being ‘chemically dependent’ on a particular substance while a poverty-stricken one would simply be a ‘drug addict’. When the poor are to be addressed, it is usually through the eyes of how they inconvenience the middle-class. An example being the homeless veteran panhandling for enough food to live on outside of a store, causing an annoyance to he who owns the store. A picture is painted of how the middle class is a victim of a crime being committed against ‘us’ by minorities rather than the exploitation of labor from the upper-class. All of this information

In the article Media Magic: Making Class Invisible, Mantsios speaks about how the social classes are placed upon the society, and how mass media plays a role towards the individual’s perspectives within our surroundings. Mantsios explains the class effects of a person’s life changes, such as the inequality of rich and the poor from the representation of false truths from “daily newspapers, magazines, movie studios, and radio and television outlets in the United States” (Mantsios, pg. 92). Advantages were usually directed towards the higher class, as their status and access to resources were usually the center of attention when it came to favoritism from the media. The idea which the media “provided hype for individuals who have achieved “super” success” (Mantsios, pg. 96) as individuals praise the idea of the 1% upper class by “making it all on their own ” along with the acknowledgment of being wealthy is to be accepted.

Culture War: The Myth Of A Polarized America by Fiorina is a book which examines the nature of Americans, on many levels. The main thesis proposed is this atmosphere of conflict and animosity between Americans is nil and only put forward by the political class and dishonest reporters. The issues raised throughout the book pick apart this myth and its many reasonings through facts, data and tracking of the American attitude throughout many eras. The central idea Fiorina holds and present is valid view, which I believe to hold much more merit than this assumed atmosphere of deep division among Americans.

The idealization of a pure culture creates a strong wave of chauvinism. America became the epicenter for the idealized culture to form, but idealization leaves out the human aspect surrounding it. Mukherjee added to this idealization, dreaming, “’America’ in contrast, exists as a myth of democracy and equal opportunity to live by, or as an ideal goal to reach” (Mukherjee 1997, para.1). Mukherjee’s dream is beautiful and what many people desire out of America, however America is not an ideal; it

Please summarize the ways in which our mainstream media make the issue of economic class invisible, as discussed in Article 45, “Media Magic: Making Class Invisible.”

However, Hofstede Center’s (2014) cultural assessment comparison of these three countries displayed higher difference mainly America scoring Individualism and Power Distance, while it scoring very low for Long-Term Orientation. It appears that American people promote a high degree of interdependence. People are mainly look after themselves and their direct family. Has less commitments for extended or elderly families. Emphasis on equal rights in all aspects of the society and government as individual not as collectivist societies. Organizations are

Over the centuries, the media has played a significant role in the shaping of societies across the globe. This is especially true of developed nations where media access is readily available to the average citizen. The media has contributed to the creation of ideologies and ideals within a society. The media has such an effect on social life, that a simple as a news story has the power to shake a nation. Because of this, governments around the world have made it their duty to be active in the regulation and control of media access in their countries. The media however, has quickly become dominated by major mega companies who own numerous television, radio and movie companies both nationally and

The subject of power, inequality, capitalistic persuites, profitability all influences the quality of news people receive and the objectivity shown within the news dissemination. In a critical media scrutiny Chomsky and Edward S. Herman in a book called The political Economy of the mass media( Pantheon, 1988) provide a methodical ‘propaganda Model’ and it’s ‘filters’ that clearly depicts the deeds of the corporate news agencies in the United states. Thus being Media ownership, Advertising, Media sourcing and ‘flack’." Although propaganda is not the sole function of the media, it is "a very important aspect of their overall service" (p. xi), especially "in a world of concentrated wealth and major conflicts of class interest" (p.1).