(Insert College/and or class)
December of 2014
Americans behave and think in the most interesting way I have ever seen. We come from one of the richest countries in the world, we have deemed ourselves as the most free, and we live in a complete free enterprise. America was based on the notion that no one should ever unleash tyranny upon the mind of man, thus giving the ability to our citizens to produce some pretty crazy concepts. As I have already stated, a lot of factors go into why we think the way we do.
Americans think money, they think independently, they think like entrepreneurs trying to conquer the world. Yet Americans think about security measures, they think about terrorism a lot, they think about way to keep themselves safe, and improve the life of others. Tons of ground breaking, catastrophic events have taken place, such as the Cold War, Nine-Eleven, the introduction of computers, and integration cell phones in our society. These events play into exactly “why” we think these ways. To begin with, the Cold War against Soviet Russia, or commonly known as the non-violent, space-race between the United States and Russia heavily influenced how western culture would develop in years to come. Both countries spent billions of dollars on new space equipment, NASA research, military defenses, missile silos, and a plethora of other categories. With these investments, our government became more, and more powerful, which led to a more patriotic vibe for citizens. We all think our military is unstoppable, and proceed to give it gratitude. When 9/11 happened, Americans began to think that terrorism is always around the corner, resulting in us buffing up security through the passing of legislation, like the Patriot Act.
As an American myself, I can tell you that we, as a people, are a walking paradox as well. This elaborates on how unusual we think. See even though we are great, perhaps the greatest civilization to ever live, our way of thinking is still extremely contradicting in some aspects. For example, we want everyone to good, ethical people with morals, yet we subject ourselves to Hollywood and celebrities. We want to think we are a healthy country, and that your body image matters so you should workout. Yet we are extremely lazy, and focus a lot of great knowledge and power on the advancement of technology. There are a plethora of examples for this notion, whether it be for medical purposes, for convenience, or for recreational use. Technology has, and will be shaping the way western culture thinks, and perhaps more than any other sociological factor. Currently 2014, cell phones seem to dominate all Americans. Making them phone crazy, and willing to sit in line to get the next iPhone, reducing the need to read and write, and creating laziness. Yet we are still such intellectual people! It’s such a paradox!
All in all I believe that the American people think on a level higher than most civilizations, we are a unique people who have ultimately achieved whatever we think we need to achieve. Hence, Manifest Destiny probably being our biggest ones. With this in mind, I don’t think there is anything America’s people can’t do. We represent the American dream, and I do not mean to speak for every fellow American citizen, but let’s be honest, we think that anything is possible in our country, and I believe there is no better way for a group of individuals think behave. Yes, like I stated earlier, there are some things that we need to work on, such as laziness produced by our drive to advance technology, but overall we are on the right track, and we do think in the best of ways.
Sources:
Why Americans Are the Weirdest People in the World. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.psmag.com/magazines/magazine-feature-story-magazines/joe-henrich-weird-ultimatum-game-shaking-up-psychology-economics-53135/
How we Think. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-we-think/
Most Americans think the U.S. is great, but fewer say it's the greatest. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/02/most-americans-think-the-u-s-is-great-but-fewer-say-its-the-greatest/
Weisenthal, R. (2013, May 28). 13 Things That Americans Do That The Rest Of The World Just Finds Bizarre. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.businessinsider.com/things-americans-do-that-seem-just-bizarre-to-the-outside-world-2013-5
