American values at the crossroads the united states in the 21st century

Topic 12: American values at the crossroads: The United States in the 21st century
I. Introduction
II. Development
1. American values at the crossroads: The United States in the 21st century
1.1. Review about traditional American values
1.2. Factors that affect American history
1.3. 20th century challenges to American values
1.4. The war in Vietnam and the Watergate scandal
1.5. The need for new national values
1.5.1. The status of the US in the world today
1.5.2. The new values American should adopt
1.6. The United States: The first universal nation?

2. The comparison between American values and Vietnamese values.
2.1. Values of American and Vietnamese
2.2. Factors affect history
2.3. Challenges to values in 20th century
2.4. The current position on the world stage now
2.5. Challenges to values in 21st century
2.6. The need for new National values

III. Conclusion


I. INTRODUCTION
Traveling and working in the United States provides valuable opportunities for exchange
visitors to gain exposure to day-to-day life, but they can also learn about U.S. culture
through books, movies, television shows, music, sports and food. There are hundreds of
ways to experience American culture, and even the most basic entertainment like TV
shows allows visitors to see different perspectives on life in the U.S.
For more understanding about English, we learn American culture subject as American

English is a popular dialect all over the world.
In contrast to many other cultures around the world, the American culture puts great
emphasis on man's ability to control outside events, in large part through his mastery of
technology. Americans believe in setting strict deadlines and timetables, even for casual
social events. Productivity, self-reliance and "getting things done" are prized personal and
professional qualities. However, how traditional American values change during the long
history of the country on the background of world challenges. This is the main content we
present in the discussion themed “American values at the crossroads: The United States
in the 21st century”.


II. DEVELOPMENT
1. American values at the crossroads: The United States in the 21st century
1.1. Review about traditional American values
For many international students, they comprehend that American values can be difficult
and at times frustrated to understand. American customs and values might be very
different from those of your home country, and you might find them confusing. To make
traditional American values easier to understand, we need have a thorough looking on the
context of them: racial and ethnic, religious and cultural diversity.
Most early Americans recognized this diversity, or pluralism as a fact of life. The large
variety of ethnic, cultural and religious groups meant that accepting diversity was the
only practical choice, even if some people were not enthusiastic about it. However, in
time, many Americans came to see strength in their country’s diversity
The reason is that historically, the United States has been viewed as the land of
opportunity, attracting immigrants from all over the world. The opportunities they
believed they would find in America and the experiences they actually had when arrived
nurtured this set of values. Three represent traditional reasons why immigrants have been
draw to America: the chance for individual freedom, equality of opportunity and material
wealth. In order to achieve these benefits, however, there were prices to be paid: selfreliance, competition, and hard work. In times, these prices themselves became a part of
the traditional value system.

1.2. Factors that affect American history
First, the United States has always had a racially and ethnically diverse population.
Sometimes these people get along well together, and sometimes they do not. At times
there has been great suspicion and even hatred between people of different races and


national origins. But even in the darkest times, there have always been individuals who
held up the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That is to secure these rights. Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just
powers from the consent of the governed.
Second, although Americans have traditionally had a strong distrust of their
government, they have also had a strong faith in its design. Over a period of more than
200 years, they have amended the United States Constitution only 26 times. The first 10
amendments, the Bill of Rights, were added two years after the Constitution itself, and
the last amendment was in 1971, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. The framework
of the political system was designed to protect the freedom and the individual rights of
the citizens. Americans believe that this system has successfully carried the nation from
the 18th century through the 20th, and that it will still protect them in the 21st century.
Third, the right of free speech and the existence of a free press have meant that all
people have the right to express their opinions, and that everything from public policy to
private concerns such as abortion or sexual preference can be openly discussed and
debated. The result is that all the problems of the country are displayed for the rest of the
world to see. The bad news is that there are always a lot of problems. The good news is
that there are also large numbers of individuals who are sincerely concerned about
society's problems and are working hard to solve them. Because Americans believe so
strongly in the freedom and the worth of the individual, they have traditionally had an
optimistic faith in the ability of individuals eventually to invent creative solutions to all

the nation’s problems.
Fourth, in spite of the image of the United States and some of the actions that the
government has taken, there is a long tradition of isolationism. President George
Washington declared in 1796: "It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances


with any portion of the foreign world." The spirit of isolationism persists even today, as
Americans continue to debate what being a "world power" means. Most people are not in
favor of the United States becoming a "world policeman," for example. Americans are
very reluctant to see the United States become involved in international military actions
unless they are convinced that there is some national interest to be protected, or that there
is some great humanitarian need. Americans are also skeptical about international
economic alliances, wanting to be sure that self-interests are protected before
commitments are made to other countries. (This is why there has been so much debate
about NAFTA.) Most Americans are more interested in what is happening close to home
than what is happening in the rest of the world. They want to know how events, national
or international, will affect them personally.
Fifth, the United States, like all countries, goes through different political and
economic phases that have a strong effect on the mood of the people. When the economy
is in good shape, people are naturally more optimistic about the state of their country and
life in general. Pollsters are continually taking the emotional temperature of the American
citizens. "What do you think about the future?" they ask. "Are you better off now than
you were four years ago?" As the mood swings back and forth from optimistic to
pessimistic, or from liberal to conservative, the underlying traditional values have so far
remained intact. At times, Americans may talk about some values more than others, but
when times get tough, many are likely to say that it is because the American people (and
their government) have strayed too far from these traditional values. Interestingly
enough, pollsters find that there is really no statistically significant difference in the
attitudes and values of young people, the middle-aged, or the older generation.

1.3. 20th century challenges to American values
The 20th century was a time of enormous changes in American life. We can see five
factors at work in history challenges to American values. The beginning of the 21st


century seems a suitable time to look back over the past 100 years and see how the
United States has developed, for better and worse, during that period of its
In the early decades of the 20th century the American people benefited from industrial
growth. Cheap labor and assembly-line manufacturing made mass production possible.
Railroad networks carried the mass-produced goods, many of them the result of new
technologies, around the country more retailers expanded their operations and laid the
foundation for the consumer-driven society. The US's industry grew promptly after World
War I and The United State enjoyed the economic prosperity during the "Roaring
twenties". The stock market crash of 1929 ushered in the Great Depression of the
1930s.Until World War II that the economy turned around and created new factory jobs
due to need for weapons
In the first decades, America experienced a large wave of immigration to its shores in the
years following the American Civil War and Reconstruction. In the years between 1881
and 1920 more than 23 million new immigrants arrived in the United States. This wave of
immigrants came from all parts of the world, but more came from southern and eastern
European countries than any other regions. By the late nineteenth century, transoceanic
transportation had become significantly cheaper and less difficult, making it easier for
poor Europeans to immigrate to the United States. The first decade of this period saw
most of the immigrants coming from northern and western Europe; after 1890, the
majority came from Southern and Eastern Europe. Major push factors for immigrants of
this period were European population growth and subsequent overcrowding, scarcity of
land, unemployment and food shortages. The immigrants thought the US's industry was
growing and the country had many jobs and they had the opportunity to live in a free and
democratic society. But a third of them not find the better life when they were seeking
and even they left the United state and went back home

On the 1950s, it was considered as an age of economic prosperity and national stability.
When fathers were working, mothers were at home with their children. There was
another side to the 50s, the Cold War with Soviet Union was in full swing, leading to


fears of a nuclear holocaust and the communist takeover the world. Joseph McCarthy
create a climate that posed a serious threat to free speech in the United State
There were two problems in the 1950s that had to be dealt with in 1960s: poverty and
segregation. The onslaught of America’s war is occurring at the height of a global
economic depression marked by the downfall of State institutions, mounting
unemployment, the collapse in living standards in all major regions of the World,
including Western Europe and North America and the outbreak of famines over large
areas. This depression is far more serious than that of the 1930s.Financial markets have
plummeted, national economies have collapsed and had put millions of people into
abysmal poverty. In the 1960s, President Johnson pushed through a plan called "The
Great Society" to war on poverty and the next two decades the percentage of poor people
did drop. However, these programs began to create an expectation that the government,
not the individual, should solve social problems
The second problem was the continued legal segregation in the South. Black Americans
were regarded by many as second-class and the blacks were separated from whites by law
and by private action in transportation, public accommodations, recreational facilities,
prisons, armed forces, and schools in both Northern and Southern states. Although the
Supreme Court ruled in 1954, the segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. It
was not until the abolition of slavery in the United States, the nonviolent amendments
and civil rights acts of the 1960s that segregation ended. These Civil Rights led to the
eventual passage of laws to protect the rights and equality of opportunity of black
Americans. Quota systems were enacted to try to improve the education level and job
opportunities for African-Americans and gains were made. In 1940, only 11% of blacks
between 25 and 29 had completed high school, compared to 39% of whites. Today, the
percentage is about the same for both races.

The 1960s are most often remember as a decade of violence and unrest many leaders
were assassinated such as President Kennedy in 1963, Malcolm X in 1965 Bobby
Kennedy in 1968.There were riots in a number of big cities. Some fear riots would bring
the country to the brink of a racial civil war but fortunately this did not happen


1.4. The war in Vietnam and the Watergate scandal
The other major event in the 1960s was the American involvement in Vietnam. After
Kennedy's death, President Johnson vastly increased the number of American troops on
Vietnam in order to prevent the Vietnamese communists from taking control of the
country. He believed that communism widely spread throughout Southeast Asia if it
succeeded in Vietnam. Eventually, it could threaten Japan, the Philippines, and even
Hawaii. This was called the "domino theory"; if one nation fell to communism, it would
cause others to fall, like a line of dominoes. Since the United States had had success in
stopping communism from spreading from North Korea to South Korea, a policy trying
to contain communism developed. The United States tried sending of advisors to South
Vietnam, followed by more and more troops. By 1966, the struggle in Vietnam became a
major American war.
Initially, most Americans agreed with the action. But even so, there was stronger
opposition to the Vietnam War than to any previous against American war in the 20 th
century. As the war dragged on and more Americans were wounded or killed, the
opposition to the war grew. Many of the opponents of the war attacked it as immoral. On
the other side, feelings were just as stronger. There were those who believed that the
United States had a moral obligation to fight against communism, defend freedom, and
make the world safe for democracy. Their message to anti-war protesters was "Americalove it or leave it!" However, the anti-war movement may have made many Americans
who originally supported the war more doubtful about their beliefs.
In 1975, North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam. Most Americans had been brought up
believing that the United States had never lost a war. Now it seemed that for the first
time, this had happened. Was the nation losing its strength? If it was, was this because it
was losing fight in its traditional values? These were the kinds of troubling questions that

Vietnam raised in the minds of many Americans.


In addition to the defeat in Vietnam, the 1970s brought the Watergate scandals and the
forced resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974. Men paid by President Nixon's
reelection committee were arrested for breaking into the national headquarters of the
opposition Democratic party (in the Watergate building)* in order to place illegal
listening devices on the telephones and to photograph Democratic Party documents.
President Nixon repeatedly denied any knowledge of the break-in and tried to cover up
the involvement of his staff. Eventually, a Senate investigation revealed the truth, and he
was forced to resign.
(*Because the break-in occurred in the Watergate building, the scandal became known as
"Watergate". Since then, problems that presidents have had have sometimes been named
"..........gate". For example, when some of President Bill Clinton's appointees revealed
that they had not paid proper taxes for nannies they had employed in their bones, the
press referred to the affair as “Nannygate”)
The failure of the Vietnam War effort and the resignation of President Nixon in disgrace
made many Americans pessimistic about their country. Furthermore, in the late 1970s,
there was an economic recession and an oil crisis. As Americans waited in line for gas for
their cars, they wondered what had happened to the abundant resources they had always
taken for granted. For the first time since the depression of the 1930s, average Americans
faced the possibility that their future standard of living might actually go down, instead of
up. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter gloomily observed, "the erosion of our confidence in
the future is threatening to destroy the social and political fabric of America... The
symptoms of this crisis of the American spirit are all around us.”
This was not the message that Americans wanted to hear, however, and in 1980 they
elected Ronald Reagan president. Time magazine chose President Reagan as its "man of
the year" and said of him: "intellectually, emotionally, Reagan lives in the past''. One of
President Reagan's basic beliefs was that the United States should return as much as
possible to its pre-1930 ways, when business institutions were strong and government

institutions were weak. Reagan had made his personal fortune in the years of America's
greatest economic expansion, 1945 to 1965. He believed that there was no reason why
Americans could not have the same opportunity in the 1980s to get rich; the United States
could be as wealthy and strong as it ever had been in the past. As taxes-the largest tax cut
in American history - $2.6 trillion dollars by the time he left office in January of 1989.
The debt had almost tripled in less than a decade.
On one hand, the 1980s was the decade when there was the longest economic growth
ever, inflation and interest rates dropped, and more than 19 million new jobs were
created. But it was also the decade when the rich got richer, the poor got poorer, and the
middle class got squeezed. And the United States went from the largest money lender to
the biggest borrower on earth.
The 1990s began as the decade when the bills had to be paid and the United States
needed to find long-term solutions to social problems such as poverty, the breakdown of
the family, violent crime, and the problems in the education system. In the mid-1990s, the
Republicans gained control of both Houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years, and
the mood of the country was definitely more conservative. Once again, there was talk of
balancing the budget. But what government programs should be cut? Welfare? School
lunches for poor children? Defense? Social security? Health benefits for the elderly and
the poor? In the 21st century, Americans will have to make tough choices, particularly as
the baby boomers grow older, start to retire, and draw Social security* benefits.
(*Social Security is a government retirement system. Almost all working Americans and
their employers contribute to the Social Security fund, which is administered by the
government and distributed to retired citizens.)

1.5. The need for new national values
1.5.1. The status of the US in the world today

The US is facing many challenges. The large amount of immigrants caused saturated
culture. The population grew rapidly, immigrant segregation has been rising and much
of American culture is not admired in many parts of the world. The economy also faced
some continuing long-term challenges. Although many Americans had achieved
economic security and some had accumulated great wealth, significant numbers especially unmarried mothers and their children - continued to live in poverty. Disparities
in wealth, while not as great as in some other countries, were larger than in many.
Environmental quality remained a major concern. Substantial numbers of Americans
lacked health insurance. The aging of the large post-World War II baby-boom generation
promised to tax the nation's pension and health-care systems early in the 21st century.
And global economic integration had brought some dislocation along with many
advantages. In particular, traditional manufacturing industries had suffered setbacks, and
the nation had a large and seemingly irreversible deficit in its trade with other countries.
Besides, Crime and environment pollution are also the big challenges that the US need to
overcome.
The United States entered the 21st century with an economy that was bigger, and by
many measures more successful, than ever. Not only had it endured two world wars and a
global depression in the first half of the 20th century, but it had surmounted challenges
ranging from a 40-year Cold War with the Soviet Union to extended bouts of sharp
inflation, high unemployment, and enormous government budget deficits in the second
half of the century. The nation finally enjoyed a period of economic calm in the 1990s:
prices were stable, unemployment dropped to its lowest level in almost 30 years, the
government posted a budget surplus, and the stock market experienced an unprecedented
boom. Besides, the first year of a president’s second term is supposed to be a time of
continuity, but 2013 gave politicians, pundits, and the public plenty of fresh - and often
chaotic - drama. By the end of the year, President Barack Obama, the Republican Party,
and the U.S. Congress as a whole have all managed to put themselves into all-time lows


in the national polls. 2013 wasn't a pretty year in politics. In addition, the American
culture has been expanding and it has a mixed of people from all over the world.

1.5.2. The need for new national values
Nowadays, a number of leaders in politics, education, and other professions believe that
the United States must adopt some new values to go along with the older traditional ones.
What new values should Americans adopt? This is a very difficult question to answer.
Certainly, a greater value should be placed on the conservation of natural resources;
Americans should learn to use less and waste less. But conservation has never been a
strong value to Americans, who believed that their country offered an endless, abundant
supply of natural resources. Recently, progress has been made - more and more
Americans are recycling their paper, cans, bottles, and other goods - but old wasteful
habits die hard.
Furthermore, the need to protect the environment conflict with the need for jobs in the
Northwest, where conservationists battle lumber companies that want to cut down ancient
redwood trees, A belief in the value of conservation is still weak compared with other
American values; it can become stronger only as Americans see the need for it more
clearly.
In addition, Americans may need to place a stronger value on cooperation on a national
scale achieve important national objectives. The Americans idea of the national good has
never been based on national cooperation but rather on the freedom of the individual,
maintaining those conditions that provide the greatest freedom and prosperity for the
individual. It is far more difficult Americans to accept shared sacrifice for the common
good and well-being of the entire country. For example, although the majority of believe
that it is extremely important to balance the national target and reduce the deficit, they do
not want to see cuts in government programs that benefit them personally.
The American value of competition also hinders the a spirit national cooperation.
Competition sometimes encourages feelings of suspicion rather than the mutual trust that


is successful national cooperation. Although Americans often cooperate successfully on
the local level – in neighborhood groups and churches, for example - they become
suspicious when the national government becomes involved. For example, they may see

themselves as part of an interest group that is competing with other groups for
government funds. A request by the national government for shared sacrifice may be seen
as coercive and destructive rather than voluntary and constructive. However, the demands
of the 21st century may compel Americans to place a greater value on national
cooperation to solve problems that affect them all, directly or indirectly.

1.6. The United States: The First Universal Nation?
One of the other challenges that the United States faces is the absorption of a new wave
of immigrants that began in the mid-1970s. As a result of the Vietnam War and events
that followed, large number of refugees from Southeast Asia cane to the United States in
the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1980s and 1990s, there were large numbers of immigrants
from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean, some seeking political
freedom, other looking for jobs and economic well-being. The hope of finding “American
Dream” still attracts them. As a result of geographic location of the United States and
immigration policies favoring family reunification, these populations have been growing
more rapidly than those coming from other part of the world.
We have already discussed some of ramifications of the arrival of more than one million
new immigrants into the Unites States per year. Sometimes nations reach a “saturation
point” where they cannot take in more people from other countries and still function well.
From time to time, the United States has chosen to limit the number of new immigrants it
permits, just as many other countries have done. Some Americans believe that as the 21 st
century begins, the US may have again reached one of those saturation points when it can
no longer comfortably absorb millions of new immigrants. Some politicians have played
on the fears and have spoken out against immigration. In 1996 presidential primaries,


while seeking Republican nomination, Pat Buchanan actually suggested building a wall
along the US-Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants.
On the other hand, many recognize that new immigrants bring new life and energy into
the US. As the baby boomer gets older, these immigrants may be an important source of

youth a vitality for the nation. Perhaps most importantly, the diversity of ideals and
cultures in the US may be one of its greatest sources of strength as it moves into the 21 st
century. Ben Wattenberg, an expert in American culture, believes that the US has an
advantage because it is becoming a microcosm of the world- it may be the first
“universal” nation, where people from every race, religion, culture and ethnic background
live together in freedom, under one government. Because Americans come from so many
different countries, people all over the world can identify with the US and its values. The
popularity and influence of American culture can be one indication that this is happening.
Wattenberg says “People all over the word listen to our music, read our books, watch our
tapes. American culture- for all its ills and all its glory- has become the only broad-based
global culture there is.”
Much of American culture, however, is not admired in many parts of the world. American
movies, television, and videotapes are often thought to have so much sex, violence, and
loud music. Foreign observers also note the high divorce rates, the level of violent crime,
and other negative facets of American life. Many conclude that Americans carry their
favorite value of individual freedom too far, to the edge of social chaos. Wattenberg
agrees that the US still has serious problems that it must solve, but he does not believe
that the country is really declining. Wattenberg believes that a nation made up of people
from around the world, whose culture has worldwide appeal, is not a nation in decline.
However, the American people and their values have reached another historic crossroads.
Americans can be certain of only one thing- that the rapid pace of change will continue.
How Americans respond to these changes is a question that can be answered only as
events of the 21st century unfold.



2. The comparison between American values and Vietnamese values.
ITEMS

AMERICAN

VIETNAMESE

_ Individual freedom
_ Self-reliance
_ Equality of opportunity
_ Equality of competition
_ Material wealth
_ Hard - working

_ Allegiance to the family
_ Respect for other people
_ Community spirit
_ Sacrifice
_ Patriot

Root of differences in values

1. 2.1. VALUES

America was born by Vietnam is a tropical
people who wanted
country,
so
its
freedom and equality
cultures come from a
came from many
physical
living

countries
on
the
environment,
world; as a result,
agriculture culture or
they supported equal
rice water culture
opportunity
for
which required each
everyone
without
individual must be in
personal background
group to survive.
or family liners.
Being under the control of
so many different
entities for centuries
has certainly affected
the nation as a whole.

_ The US goes through _ Vietnam was colonize by
different political and
many different forces
economic phrases that
throughout its history, it
have a strong effect on
influences strongly on

the mood of the people
the national politics and
economy
_ The US has always had _ The population of Vietnam
racial and ethnical
has
considerable
diverse
population.
diversity with 54 ethical
Sometime these people
nationalities such as
get along well together,
Kinh, Khmer, Hmong....
and sometime they do


2.2. FACTORS
AFFECT
HISTORY

not.
_
Americans
have _ Vietnamese have a strong
traditionally
had
a
trust
of

their
strong distrust of their
government with a
government but they
single - party. The
have also had a strong
political system was
faith in its design.
establish
to
serve
people’s benefits
_ Thé right of free speech and _ The Vietnamese constitution
the existence of a free
stated that citizens have
press are allowed, even
right to freedom of
related to abortion or
speech and public at ion
sexual preference.
in accordance with law
_ There is a long tradition of _ Vietnamese uphold the
isolationism. They are
spirit of solidarity,
skeptical
about
mutual assistance.
international economic
_ Vietnamese values are
alliances,

more
based on collectivism
interesting in what is
or allegiance to the
happening close to
family that believe
home than what is
responsibilities rights
happening in the rest of
and commitments of a
the world.

_
There
was
mass
immigration from southern
and
eastern
European
countries, at times as many
as million people per year –
1% of total population
2.3. CHALLENGES TO _
Great
depression
VALUES
IN
20th seriously affected economy
CENTURY

and even population with
the “baby boom”
_ The Cold War with the
Soviet Union
_ In 1950s & 1950s, US
had to deal with are poverty
and segregation
_ The 1960s are the most
often as a decade of

group or a family is
more important than
their own individual
desires.
_ In Northern Vietnam, a
drought coupled with pests
caused the winter – spring
harvest of 1944 to decrease
by 20%. After that there
was a flood during the
harvest season, causing the
crisis to occur
_ The Vietnamese Famine
of 1945: Nearly 2 million
people had starved to death
during this time and the
illiteracy was 95%
_ From 1965 to 1972
thousands of US troops
arrived

equipped with
heavy weapons and tanks


violence and unrest

2.4.
POSITION

_ The US is the biggest
CURRENT economy in the world.
Moreover, the US military
is powerful. Its affects the
world’s
economy
and
policy
_ US is the outstanding
member of well-known
organization over the world
such as NATO, G7, WTO…

Economy
_Disparities in wealth, while not
as great as in some other
countries, were larger than
2.5.
in many.
CHALLEN
GES

TO _The aging of the large postWorld War n baby-boom
VALUES
ST
generation promised to tax
IN
21
the nation's pension and
CENTURY
health-care systems early in
the 21st century.
_Public debt
Social
_The absorption of new wave of
immigrants
makes
the
population to grow more
rapidly.
_Racism: Although the racism in
the US has been eliminated,
the reality is not so.
_The increasing income gap
between the poor and the
wealth.
_Much of American culture is not
admired in many parts of
the world. Movies, TV

and backed by the most
powerful bombers of the

time- B52s
_ Vietnam is more and
more developing nowadays.
Vietnam plays an important
role in encouraging the
national
liberation
movement and contributing
the world peace
_
Vietnam
increasing
affirms its position in the
area and international arena
_ Vietnam is the member of
ASEAN, WTO.APEC…

_Vietnam's economic lacks the
sustainable development
_The speed of development is
outpacing
regulatory
measures and procedures,
opening the way for
widespread corruption and
fraud

_Aging population poses major
challenges
for

the
economy
and
social
security.
_The unemployment rate is
more and more increasing
nowadays because of the
low-skilled labor market.
_Living standard: The people's
life is becoming better but
still poor in many factors:
education,
environment
health, services....


programs and video tapes _Vietnam is regularly ranked
are often thought to have
among the most corrupt
too much sex, violence and
countries in the Asia.
loud music.
_Some
elements
generally
_There is a high divorce rate, the
consider
to
be

level of violent crime.
characteristic of Vietnam
culture to study have been
faded.
Environment
_ Ever since the beginning of the _ Economy development had led to
the increase in irrational use
Industrial Revolution in the
of natural resources and fuel
United States, America has
as well as environmental
had much trouble with
pollution
environmental issues, air
_ Natural resources are becoming
pollution in particular.

exhausted increasingly due
to over-exploited

2.6.
THE NEED
FOR
NEW
NATION
AL
VALUES

_Americans should learn to
_Need more proactive,

useless and waste less.
confident sharing one’s
own idea and dare to act
_The need to protect the
environment
_Learning and applying
knowledge about
_Americans may need to place
sustainable development
a stronger value on
to environmental
cooperation on a national
protection
scale to achieve important
national objectives.


III. CONCLUSION
Cultural awareness is hugely important in our increasingly international and global
communities. Businesses, both small and large, are increasingly working within a global
market and with multicultural teams. The ability to communicate openly with other
cultures is vastly important to create a successful business with an open and welcoming
culture and attitude.
If you have intention of travelling or doing business on an international scale you’ll have
experienced cultural differences. They can lead to some general amusement over
misunderstandings however, they can cause some issues in business or your career.
We’ve put together this blog to explain cultural awareness and some top tips for avoiding
any conflict borne out of cultural differences in the workplace, and allowing you to leave
a good impression. So that the cultural subjects are very important to students at
university before they can do business. So is American culture as the United States is one

of the most powerful economies in the world.
In the discussion about the topic “American values at the crossroads: The United States
in the 21st century”, we have present some main point about the changes of American
values at the crossroads and the relevant ones. Hopefully, the discussion can provide you
the useful and interesting information under American culture subject.


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