Cultural determinism

Ana Gabriela Bon
Peace and Justice
January 2010.

Cultural Determinism

The United States is actually the most powerful country in the world, and it's culture affects not just americans but also many people in other countries. American culture, as every other, has good and bad aspects. America unlike many others is anation were freedom and individualism are highly embraced. Although many people in the U.S. think that everybody has the right to believe, speak, and act the way they want and that nobody has the right to tell you that you are wrong, there exists many racism and discrimination against different types of people. Americans also promote the American Dream Idea, this is that whoever comes to the UnitedStates has the opportunity to rise and become someone important. But the truth is that most of the immigrants that come here are discriminated and hired only for jobs that do not let them overcome their actual situation. And even though the United States has a lot of positive aspects, the one that catches my attention the most, is the fact that as time goes by, moral values seem to be moredistant each day. The newer generations seam to have less morals than the one before. Every generation tends to have sexual relationships earlier, misusing drugs at an younger age, experiencing with more addictions, carrying more diseases, having less self-respect and less respect towards others and towards life.

I am Mexican girl and I have lived my entire life in Mexico,but I was born in the United States and since I was a little girl I have always come to spend my summers here. When I am here, I usually go to summer camps or visit my cousins and go out with their friends. That has helped me to see the difference between fully Mexican girls, fully American girls, and myself.

Even though Mexico and the United States are next to each other,Mexican culture is very different from the one in the US. In Mexico, almost everybody is very welcoming to foreigners, we love to meet new people and we usually tend to be very open with others. Also, Mexicans believe that if you find someone in trouble you should find a way to help them, we do not think that other people´s problems are not ours, and that we should not get involved. Mexicanpeople are mostly kind, and sincere, and try to be positive in every situation. Of course, it also has bad aspects. There are still some places in Mexico were people still think like the old times and do not accept the fact that the world is changing and that we need to change with it. Many men in Mexico as in other parts of the world, think that women should not work and that women should only beraised to be good wives and mothers. Also a very bad aspect of Mexico is the drug culture, several of the most important drug lords in the world come from Mexico, and now that the government is actually trying to do something about it, it seems almost impossible because of all the time people have chosen to look away instead of facing the real problem. In addition to that a lot of the Mexicanpopulation live in poverty and has a few or no education at all. But despite all these bad aspects, there is one thing that Mexicans value and respect like no other culture, and that is, family.

Many countries now a days say that family is the most important structure of the social environment, but only few countries like Mexico live according to that principle. As a Mexican,since you are little you are taught that family is the most important thing, that is does not matter what age you are you will always have your family's support, that even though you sometimes make mistakes your family is always going to forgive you, and that you must respect your family and thank them for what they have given you.

As a well educated girl, raised in a...