People in the Contemporary American Society - Essay Example

The Contemporary USA Today’s society is made up of a mixture of culture, languages, customs as well as etiquette. The way of life has transformed tremendously and every aspect is intricately intertwined such as to form a single unit resemblance of a culture. It is on this premise that this essay will strive to highlight the ethnographic focus of the contemporary society in the USA, which is made up of varying groups from different cultural background with a composition as follows: black 12.9%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1%, Whites 81%, Asian 4.2%, Pacific Islander and native Hawaiian 0.2% (Kwintessential). Due to societal dynamism, which is inevitable, the American society has been made a unit factor as a response to changes (Wolf and Silverman, 2001). From the above exposition, the foremost element to be considered is the language adopted by the people. Language is the most important tool of communication that has made people of different backgrounds to communicate, be able to understand one another and eventual come together into a single unit that forms the wider society. History portrays a divided society classified under language clusters among others but today’s society has embraced unity based on a commonality of language use that aids them to communicate. Therefore, the popular language used in the United States of America is English. Though this is not the official language, it is in fact the most widely used means of communication with about 82% using it has a native language (Kwintessential). The black community in the United States also uses English as a native language. On the other hand the Latin are fond of using Spanish being their native language but due to a lot of interaction with other people that is whites and blacks who also make a majority of the population, the Latin have been influenced also to adopt English as their other language since it ease communication. However, what is enunciated above is not the only option that puts off or rather does away with communication barriers. It must be pointed out that even the whites and/or the blacks are very busy learning and using other native languages such as Spanish. Therefore, the people in the county are able to intermingle easily and communicate effectively such that the share of commonness in language promotes a sense of belonging and togetherness. This is what has made the American Population develop very rapidly as opposed to other countries based on comparative study that can be derived from such countries as Rwanda who used ethnic language differences to spar genocide. A unity of purpose can only be achieved through a common language as well as understanding or appreciating other languages in existence. Hence American populace have already come to this point and have chosen to used the most conducive and easily grasped language by the majority which specifically is English (American English) followed by Spanish. Other languages are in use by the native people thought not having a wider scope of use by the majority of the population. When the American society is looked at closely, one would notice that it is made up of different races such as Asians, Whites, Blacks, and Latinos among others. They are indeed a diverse composition. America is perceived as a Nation of Immigrants with the exception of the Native American Indians. On this basis, the diversity brought about by the people have been in existence for a very long period of time such that a commonest of purpose has been derived and embraces to promote oneness as opposed to a divided State. In every State, there exist every manner of people and no single state would boost of taking those of the majority to being superior to others. They are equally at par. The Constitution of the American people has played a major role in realizing the same since it provides succinctly that every individual has fundamental rights and freedoms, which are guaranteed in the constitution. The existences of the diverse cultures have brought about tolerance and acceptance among the people, which have been the virtues and pillars of cementing the society together into a single unity. The freedom and rights of the people as provided for in the constitution can be exercises at will through democratic processes that will cater for everyone interest though the decision will be based on the majority. This notwithstanding, where contentious issues tend to arise normally the people are afforded a chance of participation in decision making such that every person in the long run will be satisfied with the outcome of the decisions made. It is on this basis that the principles of democracy are said to have taken roots in the American population which an enfranchised populace. The behaviour attributed to the American people in the contemporary world is that they are friendly but in an informal manner. This means that they are socially outgoing and can mingle with any person at any time. The manner in which the American people perceive each other depicts that they are really adopted the way of life in line with their expectation. They have reached a point that they see every person as friendly and understanding as they are such that when they start an impromptu conversation with total strangers they see no harm caused to either party. The mode of embracing informal tendencies has been a part of their life and it does not mean to be rude or rather become reserved, as other cultures would dictate. If for instance a comparison were made between Americans and Britons on how they interact or intermingle, it would be rather surprising and clear that those of British origin will tend to be reserve and formal such as to follow a certain standard of behaviour or procedure. Britons tend to be formal if not procedurally formal as those from the Queen’s sphere. Probably this has been inculcated in them because of their culture practices. On the other hand, Americans are free and need not follow any standard laid down when interacting with others. Their pattern of behaviour would be relative to an individual and religion one ascribes to. The education system does not emphasize on such behavioural practices, which are flowing from customs, and usages of an individual based on his/her origin. The pattern of behaviour embraced by Americans has been because of many aspects in life. The economy of the country does not afford any person to be reserve or rather lazy but dictates that every person should be proactive and aggressive. The capitalistic mode of economy would afford everyone the chance to create his/her own wealth based on wits and acumens. Everyone in America has been given a chance to play a role in choosing the kind of life one would like to lead without resorting to too much of a blame game in the end. The sentiments that portray time to be of essence work wonders in the American system. In deed, money is time and time is money. Therefore, every person is conscious of time as a factor, which dictates the kind of lifestyle one leads. The use of time in an efficient and effective manner will eventually provide the kind of a person one would be as being either successful or disoriented and being either rich or poor. Therefore, people in America value time as money. The conventional way of classifying or rather categorizing families is slowly disintegrating in the contemporary American society. This is made possible by the manner in which people are been pressurized to obtain their livelihoods rather than been able to sit back and relax while everything goes on swimmingly. This in America is an Imaginary dream that people long for and can only be achieve by those who have attain the paragons of riches. It is on this pedestal that people have been subject to a very busy schedule that will be able to meet the demands of the daily life (Wilcox, 2006). People have moved from place to place and majority has broken ties with their family due to the need to survive and live on their own hence individualism. As opposed to the traditions attached to nuclear families and extended family relations where communal assistance was paramount. People in America associate themselves with individual success in life. Family bondage is no longer valued by majority, it is like everyone has to work hard and carry his/her own burden. Again, when it comes to marriage everyone is free to marry from where and when he chooses so long as the capacity to do so is attained as prescribe by relevant statutes. The western world has been for a long-time the mirror of the world in terms of culture and other aspects of life such as economy. Wilcox (2006) has pointed this out in that western civilization has transformed every aspect of life. The custom and mode of life in the American world has been embrace with equal share throughout the world and this has been made possible through the social media such as TV and internet. Every element of etiquette and custom has been the American way. In America therefore, people do embrace each other through greetings, which is made casual by a variety of modes depending on the personality. Although the most frequently used mode is the hand shake accompanied by word mouth indicating greeting such as “Hallo,”“How are you,” “Hi Good morning” and “Good evening” among others. Most frequently, a smile will accompany the greetings as a sign of positive gesture and pleasure of meeting the person. At this juncture, where the persons are strangers to each other normally they will say their names when introducing themselves to each other. On the other hand the relationship created between or among people are valued so much such that some attributes of symbol has to be tendered to represent or display the relation be it love or just a thanks giving gesture. The presentation of gifts has become part and parcel of every American lifestyle. This is to show affection or giving thanks to the person based on circumstance. Normally the gifts will come in the form of a note, card or something big such as a house, a car and an airplane among others. The American lifestyle has been that of socializing in the social places and/or social networks. These mechanisms have brought people together despite the distances. To balance the demands and stress from work, majority of American have come up with the scheme of intermingling with others in social places such as restaurants and theatre to share a different view of life. On the other hand reunions be it friendly or family can be done through taking a trip to picnic sites where other mode of occasion appurtenant to it are performed. Again time is of essence when dealing with such issues such that a delay may result to cancellation of an enormous undertaking. When it come to dinners, table manners is of paramount since these exercises are valued and are performed in well furnished surrounding that the aura will demand so. The table manner will envisage the conventional mode of “ladies first” and everything done will be about the rule. The dressing code will usually be formal though at time will be casual. Generally as a concluding remark, the way of life in the American society has change tremendously and it has moved away from the conventional way of life. This can be attributed to the diversity in the society with different cultures intermingling and sharing commonness in the end. Time has proved to be the master of change and indeed society has undergone dynamism in every sphere such that the division initially made between the people of different races can no longer be sustained. People in the contemporary American Society have come together has one with relative aspects on ideals, beliefs, rules, behaviours, objects and language. References Kwitessential, USA (America) - Culture, Etiquette, Customs and Protocol, viewed on 29 May 2012 < http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/usa.html> Wilcox, C 2006, Robert Redfield And the Development of American Anthropology, Lexington Books. Wolf, E & Silverman, S 2001, Pathways of Power: Building an Anthropology of the Modern World, University of California Press. Read More