Cultural Values In The United States

1. Ethnocentrism is defined as the feeling or belief that one’s ethnic group is better than, or superior to, all other ethnic groups due to the teachings of their religion, heritage, and culture. Individuals, who are coined as “ethnocentric”, typically judge other cultures and groups with focus on a superior belief of their behavior, language, or religion. To apply this concept to the EuroDisney case, Disney’s lack of cultural analysis led it to believe that the products and characters which were large sellers in the United States would hold the same amount of success in Europe. The park in Paris was very much like the American parks and symbolized the American culture which was vastly different than Paris’ “historical and refined” culture.
Three cultural values in the United States would include Independence, Equality, & Directness. Americans believe in the concept of individualism and we consider ourselves as separate individuals who control our own lives and destiny, this would describe Independence. The next value is Equality, backed by the Declaration of Independence, which includes the argument that all persons are created equal. For example, Americans are uncomfortable with displays of respect such as bowing to superiors, etc., with exception to our military standards. A third American value would include the idea that we value openness and being “up-front” when communicating. Conflicts can best be resolved by forthright conversations and that persons should directly confront someone to come up with a solution. American culture also holds dearly many rituals, both acceptable and odd ones. For example, the Thanksgiving holiday holds rituals such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Thanksgiving Dinner. Another ritual would include parades which are public forms of celebration, such as on the 4th of July or after a team wins the NFL’s SuperBowl. Lastly, when a couple becomes “engaged”, or commit to becoming married, bachelor and bachelorette parties occur which typically involve partying and extravagant parties assembled by the bride or groom’s closest friend or family
There are four different types of economic integration and the first one I will describe is Free Trade Areas. Free Trade Areas involve abolishing all trade restrictions of a particular group, although each country included in this group is free to keep their own regulations with other “non-member” countries. Current Free Trade Area groups include the Latin American Free Trade Association (LAFTA) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Another form of economic integration is an Economic Union, where the group implies complete integration of a group of countries’ economic activities. This results in harmonized and coordinated fiscal and monetary policies, and economic activities of member nations. A Customs Union is an external tariff against “non-member” countries. For example, when Labatt Blue products are sold in America, they are hit with Customs tariffs and taxes, increasing the price of Labatt’s trade agreements with American companies. Lastly, Sectoral Integration is when a common market is established within a given group of products. Members of the “Inner Six” created this type of integration in the coal and steel market within their respective European