The 10 Main Things That Are Valued, Even Prized in America Culture & Society

America is a country built upon individualism, freedom, and equality. The Pilgrims and Puritans came to America to escape religious persecution. They wanted the freedom to practice their particular religious beliefs. Other people came to America to similarly escape ethnic in addition to religious persecution such as the Irish and Jews. There were some who came to America because they wanted a better life for themselves and their children. No matter the reason, people came to American because it was a land of promise and opportunity.

Americans love to reinvent themselves. It does not matter where they came from, there is always one opportunity or another as to how to improve themselves whether it is changing or altering their persona, achieving socioeconomic success, and/or be what they were never in their particular places of origin whether it is a foreign country or their particular hometown. They are not people who believe in remaining the same as they were originally. They want to be greater and better people than they were previously. They want to ever grow and evolve whether it is physically, emotionally, mentally, psychologically, socioeconomically, and even spiritually. America is known as the land of growth and expansion.

In this hub, I shall discuss the 10 things that are valued, even prized in America today. Many will be positive; however, some will be not so positive and even negative. They will include:(1) a can do, positive attitude, (2) ability to reinvent oneself/going beyond one's origins, (3) helping and rooting for the underdog, (4) possessing individualism, (5) inordinate adulation of money and success, (6) worshipping celebrity,(7) an increase in trashiness and utter classlessness, (8) having a sense of entitlement, (9) embracing violence and/or other forms of brutishness, and (10) elevating those of influence and power.

There is nothing America prizes more than a can do attitude. Cannot is a dirty word in the American vocabulary. It is even considered to be a cowardly word. American children are routinely admonished never to use the word cannot for it smacks of negativity, even defeatism. America admires those who have get up and go. There is an unabashed respect for people who are doers and participators. They are the ones who make things happen and chart new arenas that no one has ever been before. They want to make a contribution to society. They are also the ones who are unstoppable in the light of obstacles. Obstacles are just merely detours to such people. Such people love to test and even go beyond the limits to prove that they can conquer, even surpass such limits. This is a legacy of America's pioneering spirit. Pioneers had that can do attitude, refuse to abide by the word cannot, and persevered no matter what.

America is the country of reinvention. One can be whatever he/she wants to be. Where one was born or whose lineage he/she comes matters in the least. It is up to the individual either to be the same as his/her particular origins or he/she can create the person he/she desires to be. America is a very accepting, mobile society which artificial barriers such as one's socioeconomic class, familial background, and/or neighborhood/town of origin preclude him/her from becoming the very best person he/she can be. This attitude of reinvention reminds one of the Horatio Alger story of going from rags to riches. One can by cultivating a positive image or persona diminishes, even dissolves negative pasts such as scandals, falls from grace, or other mishaps. The American creed is that because one can always reinvent himself/herself, overcoming whatever circumstances one is in or has fallen into. In essence, circumstances and situations never defines a person but it is ultimately what he/she makes of himself/herself.

America is known for helping those who are unable to help themselves. Americans are the ones who believe that everyone is powerful and should be granted the freedom to exercise their dignity. They further contend that everyone without exception are equal in accordance to the Constitution. They are the voice of reason regarding those who are not only oppressed at home but fight to end oppression for those all over the world. After all, American was once a British colony so they know firsthand what it was to experience, even endure oppression and tyranny. Since they were once oppressed and powerless themselves, they do not want others to be the same. They are oftentimes on the forefront, advocating for and demanding equal rights for those who are disadvantaged, disenfranchised, voiceless, powerless, and/or otherwise oppressed.

Individualism is considered the hallmark of the American character. The prototype of the American is one who is a rugged individualist. He/she is very independent, depending upon his/her own resources to undertake what needs to be done. He/she equality individuality to the ultimate freedom. When one is self-reliant and self-sufficient, he/she is his/her own master and/or arbiter so to speak. He/she is the one in control and owns his/her life. Being an individualist means being owning up to, being accountable, and responsible for one's own choice for good or bad. It means making one's own impact regardless of what origins and/or background one comes from. One should not solely depend upon one's particular and/or background in order to make his/her way in life, but based upon only his/her individual attributes and qualifications.

Americans actually deifies those with money and success. The mantra is that money talks.....and talks a lot. One can say the money speaks......not it shouts volume. People's worth is no longer intrinsic but is determined by outer measures. The more money a person has, the more valuable he/she is deemed to be. Rich people are inordinately glorified in our society. They are viewed by some Americans as more superior than those who are not rich. It is reasoned that rich people are better because they had the inner qualities to enable them to become wealthy. People with money are shown deference to. They are treated more preferentially in terms of services rendered. They are also have more influence and respect in our society as they have the monies to influence politicians and other law makers to do their bidding.

If there is one true religion that Americans have, it is celebrity. One can say that it is the cult of celebrity. Celebrities are idolized in our culture and society. They live the lives that many can only dream and/or fantasize about. They seem to be beyond mere blood and flesh mortals. To many Americans, celebrities are gods and goddesses incarnate. It is the desire of many Americans to be celebrities. Being a celebrity is such a sought after goal that many want to on reality and/or talent shows with the hope of becoming a celebrity themselves. Everyone or almost everyone seems to want their 15 minute of celebrity, either for good or ill. Some even surmise that even if there is infamous celebrity, being negatively famous is better than having no fame at all.

There are Americans who love crudeness and tastelessness. Almost every form of media succumbs to the lowest common denominator. It seems that many aspects of decorum and what is know as class has all but disappeared from the American scene. It is not unusual for people to nowadays publicly dress in ways that was suited for private moments decades ago. It is also quite normal for people who routinely use expletive words in normal conversation. People routinely and proudly engage in risqué acts, even in public. They no longer have shame nor recriminations regarding indulging in such base acts, they view it as hip, cool, and even a badge of honor. Those who have more decent values and decorum are oftentimes denigrated, even mocked for being a so-called prude. It seems that the more debauched one is, the more respect he/she receives.

Yes, Americans do have a sense of entitlement. They maintain that they are entitled to basic freedoms such as freedom of speech, religion, and the right to assembly. Some assert that they have the right to a free, quality education. Well some entitlements are good, others are viewed in a more negative light. There are those who vehemently argue that society owes them a comfortable style of living through welfare and other social programs and they should not have to work for a minimal living. Some go even further to contend that there should be a welfare state where all the basic needs are provided for without any worry on their part. They insist that housing, health care, and the basic rudiments of life should be free to all. They remark that it is egregiously outrageous to make people pay for things that are basic human needs.

There are pundits who compare American culture with ancient Rome in terms of violent, even brutish behavior. Sadly, violence was a part of the American culture. It was founded upon violence. As Europeans conquered America, Native American populations were routinely brutalized, sometimes to the point of annihilation. Also European colonists imported and enslaved Africans to work the plantations. Other ethnic and racial groups were also subjected to violence, even brutishness when they entered America. Americans pride themselves upon violence, they see it as part of being assertive. They even consider such as having a take no nonsense, kick ass attitude. They maintain that if they do not push, others will consider them weak and push twice as hard. They even view violence as a way of establishing dominance and showing others who is boss. American sports especially are quite violent, even brutish encounters. The athlete is often adulated for his/her prowess even if it obtained through violent means.

There are Americans who believe that those who have influence and power are better than the Average Joe and/or Josephina. They even put those of influence and power on a pedestal. They contend that such people are smarter and more authoritative than they are. How many people vote for a candidate or buy something because of an endorsement of an influential and/or powerful person instead of doing extensive reading and/or research for themselves to really determine the validity of a said candidate or product. They even argue the veracity of what an influential and/or powerful person says, they even disavow that such a person would lie or misrepresent themselves. They contend that because the influential and/or powerful person knows what he/she is saying or doing, they freely give their power away to such a person who in turn oftentimes exploit them for their naivete, if not gullibility.

American culture and society prize many things. Some things are positive such as speaking for and defending those who are disenfranchised and otherwise oppressed, having the ability to reinvent oneself regardless of circumstances, and possessing the qualities of individualism. Others can be deemed negative such as an inordinate love of money, obsession with celebrity, having a sense of entitlement, and a love of violence. American culture and society are an adequate reflection of the human condition as no one is perfect and all of us have some type of imperfection of one type or another.