The Young, the Rich, and the Famous: Individualism and American Culture Value

In this article, Natadecha Sponsel, a Thailand philosopher and sociologist, who lived in the United States for thirty years wrote about differences between Thailand culture and American culture, Sponsel’s thesis highlighted America’s strong individualism. I agree with the writer statement that each person lives in their own box, i.e., “this is my life, my problem, my future”. The writer mentioned that Americans teach their children to be independent and only care about their nuclear family as extended family is only good for more presents at Christmas. On the other hand, I believe that the United States’ strong economy is the result of that individualistic spirit.  Specifically, American children learn at early age that no one is going to share their wealth with them.  If a person wishes to achieve life success, the person needs to work hard. My Latin American culture shares traits from both American culture and Thailand culture. For example, I love how Thailand culture takes care of the entire family including grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc. Similarly, I admire American culture’s focus on encouraging its youth to work hard for future independence.