Unit 8 Individualism in American culture

1. What are the benefits and liabilities of the emphasis on individualism in American culture?

American culture places a strong value on individualism, a complex of values that encourage self-reliance, self-responsibility, self-interest, and the freedom of individual choice. Most Americans measure the success of their lives in terms of individual accomplishments. Much of the history of this country reflects Americans' efforts to expand domains of individual choice and to reduce or eliminate external constraints on those choices. Religious commitments, job satisfaction, and family obligations are assessed increasingly by calculations of self-interest: " What's in it for me?» It is no paradox that this emphasis on individualism has accelerated along with the growth of large-scale social organization (think of the huge size of modern corporations, of the federal bureaucracy, or of contemporary cities). Individuals act as individuals within these large-scale social units and seek their personal goals within the constraints and opportunities afforded by huge corporations or densely populated cities.

This cultural emphasis on individualism has its costs. A number of sociologists argue that our individualistic culture does not allow for the development of community and dependence, two basic human needs. People as individuals often find themselves leading lives of lonely isolation, with no one else to turn to for aid and comfort.

2. How do new cultural patterns become part of social life?

The production of culture perspective suggests that the elements of culture are not born all at once; rather, new patterns of ideas and beliefs take hold gradually as old ones gradually disappear. These changes in cultural elements are shaped by social structures in which new ideas and beliefs are created and nurtured. Cultural innovators-those who try to introduce new ideas or beliefs into a society which are embedded in social contexts that either facilitate or retard the creation and the subse­quent adoption of their innovations.

Several social conditions have been identified as important in shaping the production of culture. First, cultural innovation is constrained by technological capabilities: Picasso could not have become famous for his paintings had paintbrushes not yet been invented. Second, the widespread adoption of a cultural innovation may be constrained by the inability of other members of society to appreciate or use the new ideas or beliefs. In the world of art, many works that are recognized later as masterpieces are scorned at their debut because audiences do not have the aesthetic sensibilities to appreciate their merits. Third, existing conventions and traditions can prevent the adoption of cultural innovations: new ideas that depart radically from existing beliefs or values will generally find less acceptance than new ideas that are more consistent with accepted or traditional cultural patterns. Fourth, cultural innovations can live or die at the hands of cultural gatekeepers, the people who regulate the flow of new cultural elements into society. Editors at publishing houses serve as cultural gatekeepers when they decide which manuscripts will be published and which will not. Finally, public taste is important for the acceptance or rejection of new elements of culture, though the importance of " consumer demand" is often exaggerated. Cultural gatekeepers can manipulate taste by flooding society with certain cultural products while keeping others out of sight.

3. How have the modern electronic media changed the content and communication of culture?

It is difficult to understand the profound changes in American culture without appreciating the role played by electronic inventions that enable people to collect, process, and exchange information: radio, the telephone, the tape recorder, television, the motion picture, the computer, and the VCR. The development of these technologies depended, of course, on the prior invention of language itself, and built on earlier advances in communication such as writing and printing.

The telephone and the computer, as well as modern electronic media such as radio and televi­sion, have greatly accelerated the speed with which information can spread to large numbers of people located far apart. These media have made people more aware of their worldwide mutuality and interdependence. Also, radio and television especially have altered our definitions of public and private spheres of life. Formerly private subjects are now made public in broadcasts to millions, while individuals tune out into the isolated privacy of their Walkman radios.

The impact of television on cultural change has been perhaps the most profound. Both the content and the form of a message are shaped by the medium of communication (for example, television). Because television is a visual as well as an auditory medium, material selected for broadcast on the nightly news must be visually exciting, sensational, and action-filled. TV news stories typically last only 45 seconds: time does not allow the patient development of the well-reasoned, well-documented story that one often can find in some newspapers or magazines.

What are the effects of the growing dominance of television in communicating information? Some people suggest that TV leads people to blur the distinction between serious news items and entertainment. Perhaps people grow bored with presidential elections because they do not find them nearly as entertaining as " The Cosby Show." Important public issues or personal tragedies are often handled by TV in the manner of soap operas. Public officials are expected to be able to " perform" as well as the best actors and actresses on TV. Others suggest that TV has blurred the distinction between face-to-face interaction and indirect communication at a distance. To some people, Dan Rather feels like a member of the family, a close personal friend who joins them at the dinner table every evening. Television also has created new social situations: people realize that when the camera points at them, their behaviour is being watched instantaneously by millions. We need only recall the bizarre behaviour displayed by fans at sporting events when the TV cameras are turned in their direction. Finally, TV also can reinforce certain cultural stereotypes. The presentation of racial or ethnic groups is often idealised, leading to misleading or incomplete portrayal of their lives.