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Read the text carefully and be prepared to answer the question:
American Values
Americans sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that American values are universal ones. We can't always see that our values are actually typical American values. Instead, we assume the things Americans value are obviously what everyone should believe in.
But we should remember the saying: when you "assume," you make an "ass" out of "u" and "me." We only need to look at what happens when Americans go as advisors to developing countries to see how wrong our assumptions can be. Some Americans go thinking they're sharing pearls of wisdom with the backward natives about how to get things done right. They assume that stimulating competition and giving financial incentives for individual achievement will naturally change people's behavior and lead to success. When their projects barely get off the ground, they can't understand what went wrong. They mistakenly think that people must just be lazy or that they don't really want a higher standard of living. So the advisors wind up getting discouraged and going home, grateful to be surrounded by hardworking Americans again.
In these situations, we should realize that American values may come from America's unique position as the land of opportunity. We are brought up with the American dream that everyone can work hard and get ahead. But we should realize that in countries with a different history and different opportunities, other values might be more important, like avoiding conflict or saving face. |