Unit 96
American Attitude -- Defying Authority
In much of the world, authority is not challenged either out of respect or out of fear, sometimes, too, because a hierarch of rank has been fixed for so long that people have been trained for generations never to challenge it.
In such countries children are not expected to question their teachers in school, and brilliant young scholars or inventive industrial geniuses are hapmered in technical research because they hesitate to disagree with their "superios". Clever researchers may be considered too young to have "any right" to present findings that contradict knowledge and wisdom of their elders.
The American is trained from childhood to question, analyze, search. "Go look it up for yourself", a child will be told. School tasks are designed to demand the use of a wide range of materials. An assignment to "write a paper on the world's supply of sugar" will send even a young child in search of completely unfamiliar ideas. Even in the primary grades, children are taught to use libraries, and to search for new ideas. By the time they are 14, 15, and 16, many young scholars are making original and valuable contributions in all fields of science from astrophysics to oceanography. Industry is so aware of this resource that each year, through national competitions, it offers tremendous awards among teenagers in order to seek out (and later employ) the brilliant, inquiring minds which they find scattered across the country.
As seen by members of other nations, this emphasis on questioning and searching is bad for young people's "manners". Foreigners often feel great "lack of respect" in our youth. It is true that many do become rude and pressing. Foreign visitors are often surprised and frequently annoyed to find junior staff members "daring" to challenge older ones or argue points with them; they do not always like it when these young men make detailed but often revolutionary suggestions. One's own plans, reports of analyses may be looked through in detail -- perhaps even challenged -- by a young person. This is not to be considered a loss of face; nor is it a sign of "no confidence". Our whole approach to research is different. Your ideas are being looked at, not you yourself. To us the two are quite separate. This is the way our mind work. We are seeking facts; we are not challenging you as a person. So, too, even in social conversation you will find that people often argue, pick an idea apart, ask for your sources or challenge your conclusions. They do not mean to be rude; they are keenly interested and merely trying to explore the idea in greater depth. |