Recently, I was discussing with a friend of mine (who is originally from France, and I met in NYC) the difference in social-economic attitudes between different cultures. Having never been to Europe myself, I found it interesting to hear the opposite mentality that people had when it came to presenting their economic status in France and the mentality Americans hold. Here in the U.S. social status is of great importance to people, for people here money symbolizes success, power, independence and sometimes even happiness. Even more disturbing, sometimes if people do not posses a higher status economically they will present themselves in a manner that gives the impression that they are "well off" just so that in the social eye they can make that impression of "dominance". In contrast, for people in France, to be economically successful is negatively associated with bourgeois, snobby attitudes, and lack of general motivation for the well being of society. Where as people in the U.S. would flaunt their monetary success, people in France would try to hide all signs of high economic status, because otherwise would be socially taboo. So why such a difference in mentality? Is one better than the other, or are both just opposite sides of the spectrum and the optimal position would be somewhere in the middle?
I'm curious about other opinions on this topic, so please feel free to leave comments and join the discussion.
This is an interesting observation. So much of the American culture seems to be about EXCESS. More is better? I wonder... --prof K
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised about this at all. Prof K is right--- American culture is definately about EXCESS. Just look at one of the major causes of the economic meltdown: so many people were living in excess, living beyond their means, living in houses they couldn't afford. This definately speaks to the same issue.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, many Americans who have money today are members of the so called "Bourgeouis", or "new money". They came from families that didnt have much 50 or 60 years ago. "New Money" tends to flaunt their money, whereas "old money" doesn't. I'm sure this also goes hand in hand with what you're saying.