2.4 Cultural Values and America

 As we wait for students to arrive, please review the readings I assigned last class:

Kohl's Values Americans Live By

Buettner's Thrive

Remember that we were learning how humans are shaped by their society.  Culture is a strong force in nurturing who we are.  We are born into a culture and before we are even conscious, we are shaped by it.  Culture is made up of different components, but values are one of the strongest components in shaping the lives of individuals living within the culture.

Please open the Google Doc and answer questions 1 and 2 individually 

Individually, please write a response to #1 below:

1.  Choose one of the values that Kohl writes about.  How does this value show up specifically in your everyday life?

In a small group please answer number 2:

2.  Look at the list of values that Americans hold.  Identify American values that might complement each other.  These are called value clusters.  

Culture in general and values specifically are not always so easy to define.  Culture is dynamic, constantly evolving.  And sometimes different aspects of a culture conflict.  Culture can be both ideal and real;  that is, culture can contain values that people agree are important but they may be different from values that are actually manifest in everyday life. 

Sociologist Karen Cerulo explains the importance of understanding the complexity of American values in her 2008 essay here:

3.  What cultural values from the Kohl reading might conflict with each other? (use the list of values)  (Or look for American values that might contradict the other American values.)  These are called value contradictions.  As Cerulo explains, Americans may shift between competing values depending on the context.

The Importance of Values

Values are very strong components of culture.  They shape so much about what we do and how our daily lives are structured.  Below are some studies of values in the U.S. identified by social scientists:

American Values

In 1970, sociologist Robin Williams published his examination of American cultural values.  

In 1985, L. Robert Kohl published a similar examination of values written for refugees like the Lost Boys so that they could adjust to American culture.  

And, in 2015 Sociologists Erik Olin Wright and Joel Rogers published American Society; How It Really Works in which they identify five core social values that most Americans affirm in one way or another: freedom, prosperity, efficiency, fairness, and democracy.

Below is a chart that synthesizes the lists of values from above.  (For more on values see my previous post on Amer-I-can Values)

American Values                          vs.              Other Cultures’ Values

Personal control/responsibility                           Fate/destiny

Change seen as natural/positive/Progress          Stability/tradition

Time and its control                                          Human Interaction

Equality/fairness                                               Hierarchy/rank/status

Individualism/independence/freedom                 Group welfare/dependence

Self-Help/initiative                                            Birthright/inheritance

Competition                                                     Cooperation

Future orientation                                            Past orientation

Action/work                                                     “Being”

Informality                                                      Formality

Directness/openness/Honesty                           Indirectness/ritual/”face”

Practicality/efficiency                                        Idealism/theory

Materialism/Acquisitiveness                               Spiritualism/detachment

Achievement/Success                                       Acceptance/Status Quo

Morality/judgement                                          Consequentialism/situational ethics

Thriving in America? Comparing American values to the ethnographic documentary.

Thrive by Dan Buettner is a cross-cultural ethnographic study of cultural values.  

Using the excerpt from Thrive, answer individually:

4.  What was one suggestion that Buettner made that was interesting to you - something you had not thought about before?

5.  What is something that Buettner mentions that our culture might make difficult to pursue?  Why does our culture make it difficult? 

As a small group, please answer:

6.  Identify values that are contradictory to U.S. values from the film God Grew Tired of Us.

US Value        How does it contradict with the Lost Boys?

Hopefully, you see that culture can shape our lives in numerous ways - especially what we value about community, workplaces, social life, financial life, homes and our self-identity.

My goal is for you to become sociologically mindful about the ways in which culture shapes you, especially in how it leads you to be happy or not.  With sociological mindfulness, we can use research like Buettner's to consciously guide our choices to help us live happier lives.

For more on Thrive:

Here is the Thrive happiness test- it will measure your satisfaction and make recommendations. 

Here is a review of the book from NPR.

You can read a preview of the book from Goodreads here. 

Here is link to an interview with the author on NPR.

Here is the publisher's Thrive website.

For More on American culture:

This link to the US State Dept. provides ways of thinking about American culture: https://www.state.gov/courses/answeringdifficultquestions/html/app.htm?p=module2_p2.htm

This link to Study USA explains American values for foreign exchange students coming to the USA:

https://www.studyusa.com/en/a/1223/six-aspects-of-u-s-culture-international-students-need-to-know

What People Around the World Like – and Dislike – About American Society and Politics, PEW 2021

Look at the graph below, what stands out to you?

How Americans’ views of the U.S. compare with international views of the U.S., PEW 2023

Foreigners Reveal 17 Weird Things Americans Do (That We Think Are Normal) 2020

American Themed Parties around the world:

Socimages

Instagram

TikTok

This skit from SNL called Washington's Dream is a funny take on American cultural differences in weights and measurements.

Mindfulness and Values

Let's think with sociological mindfulness for a second about values.  They shape you in so many different ways. And they also shape the entire culture in certain ways.  These values lead to behaviors that we all participate in unconsciously.  These behaviors can have an enormous impact on a culture when you view them as cultural behaviors.  Watch this TED talk by Chris Jordan to see how the behaviors impact our culture:

A guide for self-reflection on grades

 A guide for self-reflection on grades

Check your grades

Are you able to see your grade in Sakai?  If you can, notice how for my class Sakai breaks your grade into categories.  And  it calculates your overall grade.  Note that some professors may have different settings for their gradebook.

Participation

Participation is 20% of your overall grade.  But at midterms we have roughly half of that grade left.  If your participation grade is lower than you'd like, consider:

Are you showing up to class?  If not, why not? Have you communicated with your professor about it?  

If you are showing up, are you on time? Are you giving good nonverbal feedback like: looking up, using nonverbal communication like nodding, using facial expressions that indicate you are attuned to the lesson?  Are you answering questions in class and raising your hand to comment? 

Midterm Assessment

The first midterm assessment (unit 1) is worth 15% of your overall grade.  

If you are showing up and doing the lessons, but your midterm assessment was low, a few things to consider:

Reflect on the structures around you and your biological needs:

• Are you getting enough to eat?  
• Are you getting quality food to eat, especially fresh and less processed foods? 
• Are you drinking enough water? 
• Are you getting enough sleep?
• Are you getting to class with enough time to get situated and into the right mindset for learning?  In my class, you can use the bell as a way to focus. 

Reflect on how you process the lessons.  

• Are you limiting distractions and not multitasking? If not, consider limiting where the distractions are from - put away digital devices, keep apps/tabs closed, maybe use pen and paper, or maybe consider changing where you sit.
• Are you not just listening to the lesson, but thinking about what the overall lesson is - what are the key ideas that we are learning?  If not, look for clues about what is most important for each lesson - use the syllabus as a guide as well as what is written on the board, or in my case the blog.  Note that I try to include key questions on the blog page and then I try to give students a preview of the lesson at the start.
• When we do activities in class like thinking about something, writing, or sharing with other students, are you actively doing it?  Are you also thinking about how that activity relates back to the lesson?
• Try to take some time to process the lesson outside of class before the next class. So, even if no homework is assigned, your homework should be to go over the lesson and process it again.  The best way to process it is to try and explain it to someone or pretend you are teaching it.  Make a note of questions you have as you do this and you can ask them the next class.  Also, for my class, most lessons have a way of applying the lesson to your own life.  Even if we don't get a chance to discuss this, you should do it on your own.  Note that in my class this will be what the final essay requires from you too, it is all in preparation for that.

Lastly, note that in my class, I give students the opportunity to do a qualitative essay if students are unsatisfied with the quantitative assessment.  If you want to raise your grade, take advantage of that on the next two midterm assessments.

2.3 Cross-cultural Ethnography; God Grew Tired of Us

ACTION ITEMS: Please read the two readings below for our next class. Both of them are about culture.  

Action Item:  Kohl's Values Americans Live By

First, the Kohl reading is about American culture.  It was written to help emigrants arriving in America adjust to cultural values that they may not be familiar with.  For Americans, the reading provides interesting insight into the culture that surrounds us.  Like fish who have never questioned water, we are engrossed in our cultural values so ubiquitously that we don't realize it.  This reading will help us take a step back and view the ways that American culture shapes those within it.  As you read, think about examples from your own life that illustrate the values Kohl highlights. 

 

Action Item:  Buettner's Thrive

Second, the Thrive reading is from a book by Dan Buettner.  Buettner travelled the world as sort of an ethnographer writing about people all over the globe.  In Thrive, Buettner focuses on the places in the world that report the highest levels of happiness.  The book focuses on a few happiness anomalies (Blue Zones) around the world: Denmark, Singapore, Mexico and San Luis Obispo (USA). This excerpt is Buettner's concluding chapter in which he tries to make sense of what the places all have in common and what we can learn from them to make our lives happier. As you read, look for areas of happiness that you had not thought about.  Make a note of things that Buettner suggests that you can do right now in your own life as well as things you want to do as you get older.

Today's lesson:  An ethnography of refugees; studying others to learn about ourselves.

In order to better understand the culture that we live in, sometimes it is easier to examine those in a different culture to find revelations about our own culture.  Like the fishbowl metaphor, if the fishbowl is our culture, we are like the fish swimming in it.  That makes it very difficult to notice the water.  So, to help us become more sociologically mindful about the ways that our own culture influences us, let us examine refugees who are from a completely different culture.  To do this, we will watch the documentary "God Grew Tired of Us."  

This documentary is an ethnography of sorts where you get to follow Sudanese refugees to examine all the ways that they have to adjust to American culture.  Pay special attention to the values that are so difficult to adjust to.

When I was in undergrad here at Loyola, we had a class where we got to meet with Lost Boys and hear about their struggle.   Here is a website dedicated to the Lost Boys of Sudan in Chicago.  This movie wasn't out yet though.  But then, a few years ago my mom happened to meet and talk to one of the lost boys in the film and she recommended it to me for sociology.  I'm so thankful to her for that. Anyway, in the movie we see numerous cultural differences.

To speak about culture in a more distinct way, think in terms of the way sociologists might explain all the components of culture; culture is made up of material culture as well as the nonmaterial: gestures, language, norms, mores, folkways, taboos, values.

Watch the documentary

Here is the movie on Amazon Prime

Here it is on Watchdocumentaries.com

Here it is on Tubi

Here it is on Youtube (free with ads)

If you cannot view God Grew Tired of Us, the documentary Babies is also an interesting ethnography.

NOTE: The first 10 minutes gives background into the Sudanese civil war.  Although brief, some of the scenes are upsetting.  But the rest of the movie is not like that

Google form is here.

Part 1: Beginning to finding work in America.  Please focus on the cultural differences that the boys must adjust to, especially, norms (folkways, mores, taboos) and language.  

1.  Describe some of the norms that the Sudanese men are used to that are different from American norms.

2.  Describe some of the material culture that is different for them.  

3.  Although the men speak English, what is some language (words, phrases) that they learn in America? 

Part 2:  From work to their Sudanese Ingroup

For the second half of the ethnographic documentary, please turn your attention toward the cultural values that are shaping the boys' lives in America.  

4.  How is life in America different and difficult? 

5.  In what ways was the refugee camp easier/healthier for them?

6. How do they turn to their Sudanese in-group to find meaning?

Other Resources:

This post explains more about immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers and the 2017-2023 crisis at the border.

Here is John Bul Dau's Foundation website which also includes information about his memoir and ways that they are serving Africa and how you can help.

Here is John Bul Day speaking at Google about his life, his foundation and the Lost Boys.

Here is his Ted Talk:

Lost Boys on NPR 2007.

From PBS the documentary, The Day I Had To Run details the story of the Lost Boys.

60 Minutes part 1

60 Minutes part 2

Seeds of Sudan

International Rescue Committee timeline of the Lost Boys

March 2016 South Sudan Faces Another Civil War
Sudan broke apart into two nations; Sudan and South Sudan.  South Sudan is where the Lost Boys in the movie returned to. Unfortunately, South Sudan faces a new civil war within itself.  

February 2024 Lost Boy Signs 3 Year NBA Contract

Duop Reath, NBA player for the Portland Trailblazers, was born in Sudan before moving to the Kakuma refugee camp when he was young due to the war. He talks about growing up in the camp and his journey in basketball. 

For more about refugees (and asylum seekers, immigrants and migrants) see this post.

2.21 Language, Culture and Ethnicity in the US

As we saw during our last lesson, culture is made up of different components that shape how we think and act and what we assume is normal.  Another aspect of culture is language.

Symbolic culture is shared meaning that involves communication such as gestures and language.  

Gestures

What are examples of the importance of gestures?

Gestures are important to understanding and communicating within a culture.  Understanding a culture's gestures can also help us avoid ethnocentrism and culture shock.  Here is a guide for international business travelers to help them understand the impact gestures can have on their interaction with other cultures.  Here is a link to a list of some single-hand gestures from around the world.

Gestures are also an example that culture is a result of shared meaning among people.  And among groups of people, meaning can change over time.  Here is a post about the Bellamy Salute, a gesture that has changed its cultural meaning over time.  Another example of the changing meaning of symbols is the ok gesture which has become associated with white supremacy/white power and it is now listed as a hate symbol by the ADL.  See this link for a detail of that evolution.

Language itself is a cultural universal and part of human nature.  But the different meanings of language shared within each culture is an example of nurture.  People learn different meanings from their language.

Answer a few Questions about language without reading ahead:

Here is the Google Form for this lesson.

1.  One of the shapes below is called a "Takete" and the other is called a "Malunga."  Take a guess which one is which:

            Shape A                    Shape B

2. Which one of the color circles below does not belong with the other two?

3. Which word does not belong or is the most different for each set below:

Set 1. Auto, turtle, basket, bird

Set 2. Laundry, beer, clothing

Set 3. A chair, a spear, a couch 

4. WHAT ARE THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE THIS BRIDGE:

5.  5.  If you speak a language other than English, what is a word that you really like in that language?

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE?

Language is important because it affects how we think. When we think about something, we are using language inside of our heads so if we use certain words or do not have certain words, it may affect how think about things especially how we categorize something.   We even think based on how words sound.  

For example, takete and malunga.  Takete sounds harsh and therefore angular.  Malunga sounds softer and rounded.  But these are just made up words.  

Shape A                    Shape B

What is the Saphir-Whorf hypothesis?

The importance of language was first highlighted by researchers, Saphir and Whorf.  Their hypothesis and conclusion was that language shapes how people think, especially when categorizing and naming.  For example, in the color samples above, Americans typically group the chips by blue and green, but Tarahumara people do not have a word for blue and green, instead they have words that mean the color of water and the color of night.  Because each group of people have different words with different meanings, it shapes how they think.

Another example of language's effects on our thinking is a lesson from Carol Mukhopadhyay on classifying in other cultures.  For each of the following sets, choose the item that does not belong:

Set 1. Auto, turtle, basket, bird

Students generally select auto or basket using the culturally familiar categorizing device of machines vs. non-machines or and movement vs. non-movement. At least some non-western cultural groups, however, would see birds as most different because their culture emphasizes shape and birds are relatively angular rather than rounded in shape. Our culture tends to emphasize use or functionality. Thus correctness would be culture-dependent.

Set 2. Laundry, beer, clothing

Students generally, with great assurance, select beer as most different. Functionality places clothing and washing machines together. Yet, at least one culture views clothing as different because laundry and beer are both “foamy”. Visual appearance is most salient. US slang for beer (“suds”) also recognizes the attribute of foaminess.

Set 3. A chair, a spear, a couch 

Students again select the “wrong” answer—at least from the perspective of traditional West African cultures. US Americans tend to emphasize use, thus placing couch and chair together as types of sitting devices (i.e. “furniture”). Ashanti apparently would see the “couch” as the most different because both a chair and a spear can symbolize authority.

Evidence of different languages with genderized nouns shaping how people think about those things:

Lera Boroditsky, professor of cognitive science and cultural psychology has published research that concludes language affects how we think.  Her evidence is in the genderization of nouns in different cultures.  Here she is explaining her research at Ted.  Here is an explanation from NPR about Boroditsky's research and how language shapes our description of bridges.  This Psychology Today article explains more about the importance of genderizing nouns in language.  This NPR story highlights how language affects our thinking, especially for bilingual speakers.  

University of Illinois Chicago's Language Lab provides some words that students most enjoy.  Here are three from Italian:

Here is a list of untranslatable ideas about love from around the world.

  

• In Other Words is a book that highlights untranslatable words from around the world.

More evidence for the effect of language on thinking:

• The NY Times ran a story about how the idea of language affecting our thoughts. See that article here. 
  
• The ASA's Society Pages shares research by sociologist Matt Wray highlighted on NPR's Code Switch.  Why would using the term "white trash" support white supremacy?
• This New Yorker article explains the research of professor Adam Alter on the hidden power of words and naming.
• Also, here is a study explaining that without language, numbers do not make sense.
• This episode of On Being from NPR is about Rabbi Heschel who insightfully explained "words create worlds."  Here is a link to a medium article about Heschel and words.  And this link to a passage about the importance of words from Heschel to William Blake. 
• David Treuer is an Ojibway translator who explains the power and importance of language on this episode of On Being.
• The episode Lost in Translation from NPR's Hidden Brain is a social science podcast from NPR and this episode explores how language shapes our thoughts.
• Also, see this post about politics and how the use of English frames every debate especially the debate over gun violence.

Cultural Diversity and Language in the US today

 

Where cultures in the US come from:

There are different types of people who are seeking to come to the U.S.

Migrant Workers - the US permits hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers to work temporarily (less than a year) in the country.

Asylum Seekers - people who are seeking asylum from oppression in another country. 

Immigrants - people who want to live in the U.S. so they file paperwork and wait for approval and then travel here. 

Refugees - people who are forced to flea due to violence or a threat of their basic needs. 

This post has a detailed and critical analysis of  immigration to the US.

6. What are the different ways that a person from another culture might come to the USA?


General Immigration to the US:

As detailed by the Pew (2015), the number of foreign-born people living in the US reached its peak at 14.8% in 1890.  Then, it slowly declined to a historic low of 4.7% before the 1965 Immigration Act.  It wasn’t until the 1965 Act took effect that immigration began to increase until this year, 2023 when, for the first time in the history of the US, there are more than 15% of the population who are foreign-born. 

The PEW (2020) provides a snapshot of what immigration looks like in the US.  Mexico, China and India make up the vast majority of new immigrants to the US.  And, the Kaiser Family Foundation published a 2023 study about immigrants here.

 

Research the cultures/ethnicities in a locale.  

If you are from outside of Chicago:

The relative number of foreign-born people

Statista shows the US states with the highest percentage of foreign-born people living there:

What languages do we speak in the US from the Census:

From the Census, A Geographic Analysis of the Languages Spoken at Home in the US:

https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2022/demo/Poster%20PAA%202022%20Language%20Geographic%20Distribution_20220323.pdf

The Migration Policy Institute provides details about who and how many immigrants are settling in different locales of the United States:

The Visual Capitalist which examines the most spoken languages besides English and Spanish in each state in the United States:

If You are From Chicago:

This graphic from Storymaps shows the most prominent languages in Chicago:

WBEZ reports on the languages in Chicago here:

Chicago Health Atlas shows the levels of  neighborhoods in Chicago that report not speaking English "very well".

7.  What are the largest immigrant groups/non-English speakers either where you are from - either in the US or in your neighborhood of Chicago?