Growing up, I would watch the news or see on tv show stereotypes Americans follow and would mock them or talk down about them for it. It wasn't until I got older when I realized that I fit into a lot of these American stereotypes as well. Gary Althen discusses some of these stereotypical values such as competition and materialism in “American Values and Assumptions”, a chapter in the his book American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners in the United States.
I don't know about you all, but I am obsessed with ‘90s television shows and one of my favorites was The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. If you know this show, you know Carlton and Will are always in competition with each other and the outcome is always bad. For instance, when Will and Carlton were competing for the spotlight on the basketball team in Season 2, Carlton got jealous and costed the team the winning shot.
Although Alten tells his readers, “it is also obvious in schools and extracurricular activities for children, where games and contests are assumed to be desirable and beneficial” he goes on to prove that they end up being alone because they spend the majority of their lives comparing themselves to others who are better than they are in a particular area (8). Carlton, left alone in the gym after losing the game, admits to Will that he basically spends his time comparing himself to Will. It is human nature to want to compare yourself to those who are better than you but many people forget to not dwell on the idea of being someone else.
Another example of competition is evident in school. There is always the really smart kids who always strive for straight A’s and who are only concerned with their grades. I’ve noticed that a lot of the times, those kids don’t have many friends or isolate themselves from everyone else. I recently did this when I was preparing for my speech in my communication class. I isolated myself from all of my suitemates and only focused on my speech and I missed out on my opportunity to go to the mall that weekend and just have overall fun with them. I did well on the assignment, receiving a high A, yet I was bummed that I missed out on the fun. Alten concludes the competition section saying, “People who are competing with others are essentially alone, trying to maintain their superiority and, implicitly, their separateness from others” (8). I believe Alten is trying to show the readers that competition is good to an extent, meaning it shouldn’t drive you to loneliness and cause you to miss out on life opportunities.
A value that has a profound presence in society is materialism. Everywhere I go, I see Supreme, Nike, Pink, Thrasher or Ray Bans. It is so present in California culture and walking around you feel the need to conform to this materialistic culture. I hate to say it but I’m guilty of it and kind of ashamed. The argument that Alten says most Americans believe is that it's a good thing to be able to possess more materials; that it shows some measure of success (12). However, I do not agree with this American value. I don't think it should be considered a value. Yes, it is nice to have nice things but to make others feel as if they are not socially accepted because they value materialism is just ignorant.
I agree with you that there is so much competition in our society, especially in school. I've always been that student who stays in and studies to get the 'A', and fortunately, I found friends who did the same. The result was that we'd all be working so hard, we would rarely have personal time to spend together. We were always doing something independently, rather than cohesively. However, this reflected very well back on our transcripts because we'd compete with each other for the highest score, so our Friday nights were homework and studying. Nothing more, nothing less. It was all built on competition. Still though, I don't feel like I missed out on too many life opportunities, but a balance probably could have been more beneficial.
ReplyDeleteI also came from a high school which had a lot of competition. Competition can be found in almost any activity, and it's weird to see how much competition drives Americans together. From sports games, to competitive institutions, competition seems to follow Americans everywhere we go. Also, I completely agree with you that materialism should not be an American value. Materialism is superficial, and while it does exist, I do not think that it is a value that is widely shared.
ReplyDeleteI got so excited to see your Fresh Prince of Bel Air reference! My high school thrived on competition as well. Who would be valedictorian? Who's prettier? Who can beat who in whatever sport? Competition has both a negative and positive connotation depending on the circumstance. We often hear people say "friendly competition is good" but in reality, American is full of well, not so friendly competition. I am also a victim of materialism, I enjoy nice things and follow trends. I agree it should not be an American value as well. If someone makes enough money to buy an expensive pair of shoes that is fine, great for them. The form of materialism described in the reading only categorizes a certain population.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog! I must say I completely agree with both your points on competition and materialism. Everything is a competition these days, and it's almost annoying. There always has to be a winner and a loser or who does something best or the most. It doesn't always have to be like that though. Why can't it just be about the experience or learning something in the process or just doing something for the fun of it? Competition in school especially causes the most pressure in my opinion. You're constantly reminded of how you need to be the top tier in your class if you want to get scholarships and get into a good school and to get a good job. It's so stressful, and I know everyone must relate to this! The pressure of constantly trying to be the best at everything is way too much of a burden for anyone to handle. As for your analysis on materialism, I too, am guilty of it. Coming from another state, California is definitely more about name brand items and having certain popular shoes or bags or clothes. So many people have the same wardrobe, and I wish more people were to express their individuality and wear other things. Even I feel like I have to buy certain things to fit in. Though I agree with Althen that materialism can be good, I also see your point and how you shouldn't have to own certain things to be accepted in society.
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