American Core Values
“Idealistic people”; word that
describes Americans. They establish principles for
themselves, they firmly hold them because they believe they are the true, they
are important, and desirable. Those ideals sometimes are not respected,
however, Americans stick to them as basic beliefs which American Government
founded and continues operating nowadays. In this paper, I will talk about some
American core values such as: Liberty, Self-Government, Equality, and
Individualism. More than studying or understanding the meaning of it, I would
like to describe the main concept of the values and show how they are apply in
real life scenarios in the American Society.
A journalist reveals corruption in one
political party. Important leaders have been robbing money that donors
contributed to the party campaign, the leaders used it to purchase things for
themselves such as cars and yachts. The journalist publishes an article about
the scandal and speaks about it on TV. The leaders lost their jobs and paid
huge fines because an investigation was done and it shows that the leaders did
exactly what the journalist said. The first core value is Liberty. Liberty is
the value that declares that people is free to think, speak, listen, act,
reflect, deliberate, declare, etc… The value respects the freedom and rights of
others.
The second value is Equality. Equality is one
of the most important principles. Equality represents that all people must be
treated fairly and with dignity and be able to embrace opportunities for
education, economic success, political involvement and have an enjoyable life. An
example of Equality in action is: After a fight in the school playground between Asians
and White scholars, an independent school limits the time that Asians involved
in the fight can spend in the playground during lunch hour but does not impose
a similar restriction on the White students. If ethnicity is one of the causes
of the disadvantageous treatment of this group of pupils, this is likely to be
direct racial discrimination and inequality.
Self-Government is another value.
Self-Government is the core value that announces that citizens have an opinion
and a right in how their government is working. The population is the primary
source of the government’s authority, they have an active participation in
political processes. The government exists because it has to promote citizens
well-being. A young girl who has just turned 18 was excited to be able to vote
on her first time in the upcoming elections. Extremely carefully, she studies
the background and positions of each candidate, listens closely to debates,
compares ideas, issues and other aspects. Sometime after the elections, she
decided to remain informed about the plans of the government, sending them
emails to express her opinion, ideas, and comments. This is Self-Government in
action.
The next value is Individualism. Faithful to
independence, self-sufficiency, private initiative and personal economic growth
are some words that describe individualism. This value have to be in control in
everyone’s lives and be able to make decision without unnecessary influence
from the government or society. In a business that wants to promote individualism, managers allow
employees to look after their own work to a high degree. They also give workers
freedom to explore new ways of completing basic procedures or projects. Unless
a worker presents a threat or otherwise is not performing up to the company's
standards, she or he enjoys a high privacy level. Everyone gets a chance to
voice individual opinions, and management does not necessarily discourage open
debate. This is individualism in
action.
The relationship among these values, the
rights, principles and responsibilities creates the American Society. All of
this create the American life, the belief that if people take responsibility
for their lives and work hard, they will have the individual freedom to pursue
their personal goals and a good opportunity to compete for success. These
values are cultural not moral principles. They are the foundation or Americans
democratic live and nation. These cultural values are what distinguish the
country from all other. They are what make them “Americans.”
