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The United States is a large country with people from many different
backgrounds. There are many variations among the people of the USA due to regional, ethnic, religious, and economic differences. No matter what we tell you about the attitudes, beliefs,
and practices of people in the United States, you will find a part of our population which does not fit the description. Mark Twain, a famous American author, once said, “The only thing
Americans have in common is a fondness for ice water.”
There are some characteristics which are fairly common of
most United States citizens:
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Informality: Everyone is treated more or less alike regardless of differences in social status. |
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Tact: United States citizens can be indirect when trying to communicate information which may cause another
person to feel uncomfortable. |
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Directness: In some parts of the country, residents can seem overly blunt when answering questions or giving advice. |
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Materialism: People have a strong respect for personal property and expect to be asked before someone uses their belongings. |
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Touching: While it may be common for some friends to hug upon greeting, touching or hand-holding are often
seen as signs of sexual attraction. |
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Time: Time is considered a thing that can be saved, spent, or budgeted. Your training site supervisor will
value being “on time.” Being late can be seen as insulting. |
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Assertiveness: Those who take initiative are admired. Don’t wait to be introduced or for people to speak to
you first if you want to meet others. It is common in many parts of the USA to wait for a person you don’t know to show that he or she wants to know you. If you don’t make
the first move, the assumption may be you want to be left alone. |
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Roles: There are no separate jobs for men and women. Men do house cleaning; so do women. Woman construct
buildings; so do men. You should expect to do jobs you would not be asked to do at home. |
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Servants: Many United States citizens don’t understand why people would have a servant do what we can do for ourselves. Everyone is
expected to assist with chores so there will be more free time for activities. Not offering to help is insulting. |
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Lack of Information: Most United States citizens know a lot about issues which affect us on a daily basis, but
very little about what affects the rest of the world. So much effort is spent trying to understand this nation and culture that there is little energy given to learning about
any place else. |
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Friendliness: A high value is
placed on a warm, informal, open and positive attitude toward people. Highly dependent relationships are rarely established. Friends respect each other’s independence and
give the “personal space” to “be yourself.” People are friendly without getting highly involved in each others’ lives.
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