American And Indian Culture Essays - Cleveland Indians,

American And Indian Culture There are a lot of differences between American and Indian culture and values. As we know today, the American culture is a mixture of different cultures. India, on the other hand, has its own culture and values. I would like to introduce the culture and value differences between these two countries. Americans believe that they can really control their future. They are more specific to plan things. Indian people, however, believe that everything goes by God's will. They make short term plans. However, Americans always like to plan things ahead. They think they can/should control and dominate nature and the world around them. Americans are more goal-oriented, where as Indian people are more people oriented. They make their goals around people of the family. They even change their goals sometimes if they do not suit the needs of their family or family members. On the other hand, Americans are always ready to do anything to get the job done or achieve their goal. One major difference between the two cultures is family values. American people tend to have a series of short-term relationships, and many do not commit with one person for a long time. Indians, however, believe in long term relationships. They are more family-oriented and respect human relationships. They care for their family and are always ready to do anything for them. Extended families are traditional in India, while nuclear families are prevalent in the U.S. Change is a good value and indicative of improvement and growth. Americans thinking about change is very positive. They like mobility, migration, movement and change in their life style. Indian culture, on the other hand, looks upon change as negative. They like stability. They work hard to maintain their status quo. Americans place great emphasis on time and its value. They believe "time is money," and try to make every day productive. They do not like to waste time. They always like to do their work on time. Unfortunately, Indians are careless about the value of time. Time does not mean much and carries little importance for them. Indians are more formal than American people. Americans believe to formal is to be stuffy and arrogant and affected. This casual egalitarian attitude is meant to make everybody (foreigners) feel at home and welcome. American people are more practical but Indians are more efficient. Americans believe in more action and fewer words. Every decision is to be based on practicality, not upon aesthetics, or on consensus so everybody is made to feel good. Indians are known for their hard work, vitality and dynamism. There is an old saying "Dab ke wah te Raj ke kha" (work hard and eat to your satisfaction) that is very appropriate for Indians. Due to their hard work, Indians are very successful in other countries; they work as teachers, doctors, engineers, drivers, shopkeepers and run restaurateurs. They are less rigid. They have learned to assimilate the new culture pattern. Where as, the core of western culture is individual. They may be less hard working than Indians, but they have more resources. As you can see, here are many differences between the American and Indian cultures. Americans are independent and relaxed, while Indians tend to be extremely family-oriented and hard working. Americans enjoy mobility and change, while Indians seek stability. Even though each culture has both negative and positive aspects, both would benefit greatly from learning about one another. Americans like privacy and are very independent. They believe the individual is paramount. Americans do not like to work in groups, but Indian people are collectivist people. They always enjoy working as members of a group. Americans tend to think about themselves and place their needs above all else. American teenagers, for example, do not always consider consequences before they act. They just care about having fun. Indian teens have to think of many things before they make any decision. They must consider the effect their action will have on their family, and how society will react. Family reputation is very important to them, and they must be careful not to do anything to put down the family name. Family values are much more important for them. Family comes first and individuals own identity is second. Americans take pride in their own accomplishment, not in name. They believe that a person should be self-reliant and not be dependent on others. On the other hand, Indians are very dependent on others. Children are not brought to be independent. They are taught form very young age that there are others