What Different Cultures Can Learn From One Other
The United States is famously known as the melting-pot where cultures from all around the world merge into one country. While some argue that Americans lack culture, it is evident that there is a strong sense of unity through seeking the American dream. It is this dream that motivates people to immigrate to this country, and it also this dream that drives the European-American independence culture to flourish.
Equality, personal potentiality, and uniqueness, all at the same time is the emphasis of this culture. To show you what I mean, let’s look at one of the United States’ most prized possession: the captivating commercials aired during the Super Bowl–more specifically T-Mobile’s 2018 ‘#LittleOnes’ ad.
You can watch it here, but, in essence, the commercial begins by paneling over babies of different ethnicities. At the same time, a woman is heard telling the infants that they “have the instinct that [everyone is] equal” and “come with open minds”1, emphasizing America’s independent culture where people are born porous and self-directed thinkers2.
It then goes on to say in a convincing tone that the babies “will be heard, not dismissed… [and] be able to love whomever… [as well as] demand fair and equal pay” because they are born “unstoppable”1. This message manifests the individualistic characteristics that emphasize autonomy3.
The commercial concludes on the strong message of “change starts now”1. With that, the American virtue of success and the notion that anyone can influence the world is substantiated4.
Incorporating the Mind
It is amusing for companies to use impactful phrases in their commercials to emphasize the significance of growing up as independent, influential Americans and their use of babies to show that cultural/social learning begins at birth3. Commercials, especially those aired during a popular event, are powerful ways to reinforce ideas.
It might be subtle, but the unconscious mind feeds off subliminal messages and incorporates it into everyday life—more on Freudian beliefs. But, there have been psychological experiments on the effects of priming, which is when you are said something, and it affects how you respond to stimuli. For example, here is a picture of an old lady:
Now, look at this picture.
On the second image, you most likely first saw an old lady and not the young lady. It’s an optical illusion, and whether you see it or not may vary. However, the point was that if I primed you with a picture of the old lady, your brain would be more likely to retain that idea and have it influence your perception of ambiguous spurs.
This phenomenon emphasizes the power of commercials. The Super Bowl is a patriotic phenomenon where millions of Americans get together to celebrate the event. It is sensical that the ads featured to support the ideals of the country’s culture it represents. That event is the best way to advertise to massive amounts of people, so the companies need to attract the audience with what is familiar to them: you can do anything you set your mind to.
Advertising and Cultures
I’m sharing this because I had never realized the advertising was rooted in culture. It wasn’t until I took cultural psychology that I saw the difference in independent versus interdependent cultures. Growing up, I thought it was odd how individualistic and ambitious people are in the United States.
The idea of moving out at 18 seems absurd because my parents and family only mentioned moving out after getting married. Even then, you lived a short drive away from the family and not states away.
I understand both cultures and acknowledge they each have their pecks. It is interesting to be able to point out the differences and see that those differences lead to different viewpoints and attitudes. It makes sense why the Melting Pot often seems, ironically, never to mix.
When Cultures Disagree
The people who move to the USA from interdependent countries tend to have a more challenging time adjusting or never do. There are cases in which adjustment takes little to no effort, but those are more common the younger the individual is at the time of immigration. For these and other reasons, people cannot merely say, “I’m American.” There is typically an ethnic clarification, such as I am Mexican American or Native American, etc.
I could be wrong, but I don’t think there’s another country with this need for clarification. I am not even sure why the clarification is needed if the ancestry line is far removed.
For example, my great-great-grandparents were from Spain, but I do not identify as Spanish Mexican. That concept seems redundant, especially since I have never met my Spanish relatives. I do not know their national costumes, let alone their history. But I’ve gone off-topic.
Beyond the American Culture
Independent culture, as expressed in the USA, is an exciting concept to learn about. We often forget that culture is defined as the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or another social group. Americans do have a culture. Sure, it is influenced by many other cultures, but it fuses into a single one. If you don’t believe me, watch the T-Mobile commercial and then this one:
It’s a commercial for Movistar, a Hispanic telecommunications brand. Here, the twins try to understand their baby sister to write a letter to Santa with what she wants. While both commercials included babies, the interactions within each commercial were executed differently.
There is potential in the US to show that opposing ideologies are capable of living in harmony. I would like for bridges to be built between communities. We can show others that we are one in the same despite our differences. It feels like we share this massive land, but we are far from being a country.
At the end of the day, humans are made in the image of God. With that in mind, we should love and respect one another and become the church we are meant to be. Sometimes it takes moving to a new country to see how different cultures affect people’s everyday life. This could be the answer to world peace. Or at least one piece to the puzzle.
Challenge for Today: Find at least one thing you can admire from a different culture.
References:
1.National Football League. (2018, February 05). T-Mobile: ‘#LittleOnes’ Super Bowl LII commercial 2018. Retrieved from http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl-commercials/0ap3000000914046/T-Mobile-LittleOnes
2.Park, J. (2018, September 11). Within-Cultural Variation: Social Class. Lecture.
3.Heine, S. J. (2015). Cultural psychology (3rd Edition). New York: Norton.
4.Markus, H. R., & Conner, A. (2014). Clash! How to thrive in a multicultural world. New York: Hudson Street Press.