Introduction
The American culture bears both the qualities which can lead to heroes and those which can lead to some people becoming villains. There are cases leading to prominent figures becoming villains such as Jeffrey Skiing and Kenneth lay’s financial misdeeds and accounting malpractices at Enron (Messner & Rosenfeld, 3). There are also stories about heroes such as Milken who is famous for his innovative spirit and bottom-line fanaticism. The American culture is encourages creativity, courage, confidence, energy, intelligence and the use of innovative solutions to solve conventional problems (Messner & Rosenfeld, 3). This culture is diverse and supported by a vibrant democracy and constitution. As such many Americans feel free to pursue their dream and experiment in an effort to gain success. Americans are unified by a dominant language (English) and they have a culture that is made up of a mixture of several of the world’s cultures (Naylor, 21). This is an advantage to America as its people can draw from the strength of a living in a multicultural society.
Every American has a chance to join the chase for wealth and material things. There are several differences in the manner in which heroes and villains chase wealth and material things. Naylor asserts that while heroes chase wealth in ways approved by the law of their land, villains usually pursue wealth in ways that contravene the law (24). There is also a big difference in what heroes and villains do when they get money. While heroes reinvest their money and are patient in acquiring wealth, villains get excited about money, become greedy and devise unlawful or unethical ways of obtaining more money in a quicker and easier way (Naylor, 24). As such villains contravene the law and hence the reason for their downfall.
Several prominent American cultural values are evident in the book by Messner and Rosenfield. One of these values is creativity. Mr. Madoff is highlighted as a classic example of a brilliant crusader of who protects the interests of small American investors. He was bent on changing how securities trade on Wall Street to ensure that they benefited the small investors. Many of America’s most successful companies were started by creative thinkers who nurtured their ideas to become great multinationals. One of these people is the late Steve Jobs who founded one of the greatest computer companies ever named Apple. The other prominent cultural value is energy and passion. Many Americans are known worldwide to pursue their dreams with exemplary passion and energy. President Barrack Obama is a testament to this American cultural value. En route to becoming America’s first African American president, Mr. Obama ran a spirited campaign, delivering memorable speeches and exuding great energy, confidence and passion to improve the lives of Americans.
Conclusion
The American culture is one that is laden with several heroes and villains. The American culture generates both heroes and villains because is roots for social character, it is dynamic and supported by a vibrant democracy. While some people are controlled in their expenditures and the need for money, some are greedy and act in ways that contravene the law and hence the differences between villains and heroes. The American culture also has prominent cultural values such as creativity which is best exemplified by successful businesses such as Apple Inc- a shining multinational started by the late Steve Jobs. American culture also roots for energy and passion in the manner people pursue their dreams such as the campaigns that led to the election of Mr. Barrack Obama as president of the United States in 2008.
Works Cited
Naylor, Larry L. American Culture: Myth and Reality of a Culture of Diversity. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Bergin & Garvey, 1998. Print.
Messner, Steven F., and Richard Rosenfeld. Crime and the American dream. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA, USA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2001. Print.
