American Culture

Throughout this whole unit on culture, there were many things I discovered about the American culture that I never seemed to have opened my eyes wide enough to realize so.  For example, us as Americans, we value time to the extreme.  I always thought that it was just me that always cared about time, but it seems that the rest of this country is the same way.  Time is everything, time is money.  I think Americans feel like being on time is so necessary because it shows our professional side, and how much we do value what we need to do and get done.  Some big symbolic examples would be McDonald's or Starbucks.  Those two places are so much a part of our culture, that we don't even find the need to put the words McDonald's or Starbucks on the food or the cups. They both relate to the time value in the sense that McDonald's= something quick to eat so we can be on our way asap, and Starbucks= stress relief or wake up call because we've been running around so much lately to be on time.  A material example of the American culture that I never realized how important it was until now is technology. In order for us as Americans to survive through education and career, it's most absolutely important that we have our technology to get easy answers, fast access, and to accomplish tasks. I especially took the time to realize the norms we live by.  For example, it's a folkway to burp loudly at someone else house during dinner or it's a mores to go to the mosque, church, or temple naked, showing the utmost disrespect, or it's a taboos in the American culture to kill someone.  Taboos usually interact with the law, and I never realized so until we began out culture unit and my eyes were open to the sociological imagination.