American customs and culture

Visitors to the United States from countries that value class status may feel that the United States does not particularly respect dignitaries. Americans bow to others, and will not be particularly attentive because of the other party's different status, but will bow a few more times. Whether at home or by car, Americans usually do not require VIPs to sit in specific seats. There are very few cases of courtesy. The only courtesy you can see may be having the distinguished guest sit on the right side of the host or hostess when inviting a meal. In some countries, the back seat of a car is the seat. But in the United States, the seat next to the driver's seat in private cars is the seat, partly because the driver is often the owner himself, and partly because sitting in the seat in front allows you to clearly see the scene outside the car.

You know what? When two people talk, the distance between each other varies with culture. In some countries, people may stand close to each other when talking, and as the conversation goes on, the two faces often get closer and closer. According to research, Americans feel uncomfortable if they stand too close to others when talking; the most desirable distance is about 50 centimeters. People in other countries still like to stand a little further than fifty centimeters to talk.

Another social habit you will notice is that, like many other ethnic groups, they tend to make gestures when speaking. When they talk, they may pat each other on the shoulder to show friendship, or pat a child on the head to show love. According to certain ethnic customs in other countries, this expression may not be popular, especially if it is expressed with the left hand. Many Americans are used to using their left hands; there is no distinction between left and right hands in the United States, and there is no disrespect whether they use left or right. However, on small matters like this, if you are unhappy with the use of your hands in social situations, you only need to hesitate a little, and your American friends will often understand you.

Americans have no desire to live alone, which is often difficult for tourists to understand. Americans are not citizens with high walls and deep locked doors. Their courtyards are usually connected, and even fences are missing. They usually visit each other without invitation or first phone call; they work in the office and the door is always open.

Their lack of the idea of living alone may be the result of the historical development of their country. The United States is a vast country. The United States has never built a walled city, and Americans have no need to guard against invading neighbors. The United States had very few residents in the early days, so neighbors were very important and they could not be excluded. Neighbors will provide protection and help when they work hard, and they help each other.

This desire not to be alone but to be calm and relative, developed from early American history, can be observed from many small places: American families may have several doorless rooms or only glass walls. If you see someone walking out of your room and forgetting to close the door, don't think he is rude. Help them and let them know that you like to close the door, otherwise you will have to adapt to the new approach. In short, you must be patient with the differences between each other.

Everyone in America does not like silence. They will talk eloquently so as not to stop the conversation, and even if they pause for a moment, it will not be what they want. If you don't speak for a long time, Americans will try their best to get you to join the conversation. They may ask if you are not feeling well and if you need their help. However, if Americans disagree with what you say, they may remain silent. Their silence does not necessarily mean that they agree with your opinion, but that they think it is impolite to continue debating with you.

When tourists come to the United States, they all find that Americans don't talk "nonsense." That is to say, when Americans answer, they are often as simple as saying "yes","no","of course", or the very common word "yes". But a simple answer does not mean that Americans are negligent, rude or simple-minded. Americans are usually in a hurry, and greeting you with just a "hi". Really, during your stay in the United States, you will hear this greeting again and again, and almost everyone will say it, regardless of status, age, or occupation. However, people who are used to listening to long and beautiful words may take some time before they ignore the Americans '"confession".

When Americans feel embarrassed, they say the truth. When faced with particularly polite praise or thanks from others, Americans may be embarrassed and don't know what to say. They don't mean to be rude, they actually like being praised. Except for special holidays, such as Christmas, Americans usually do not give gifts. As a result, you will find Americans embarrassed when they receive gifts, especially if they have nothing to give back. They are generally a passionate and informal people.

One point that is very different between American social customs and other countries is the way they call names. Americans do not value "status", especially social status. Most Americans do not want to be particularly respected because of their age or social status, which makes them feel uncomfortable. Many Americans even find the terms "sir","madam" and "miss" too polite. Regardless of age, everyone likes to call him by his first name. "Don't call me Mrs. Smith, just call me Sally." Addressing by name often means friendliness and closeness. However, if you think it's not good to call him by his first name, you can use a more polite address. You can smile at the other person and say that you have become accustomed to it. When you first meet people, you are always cautious and will call people by their names after a while.

When introducing them, they often use their names: "Mary Smith, this is John Jones." In this situation, you can decide for yourself whether to call the lady "Mary" or "Miss Smith". Sometimes when you talk, you start by calling each other's last name, but it doesn't take long for either of you to call each other's first name. You can make your own choice. If you don't want to call others by their initials at once, but instead call them according to your own customs, no one will think you are rude.

You may notice that when Americans get together to chat, they almost never mention each other's titles. If you are used to listening to conversations that do not depart from titles, you will feel that Americans speak impolite and inhumane. If you please, call others by their names according to the customs of your country. When Americans hear you talk like this, they just find it interesting and special. But don't be upset if they don't call them titles when talking.

Differences in social classes are not valued in the United States, so Americans do not have family titles, although they will match them with their titles to outsiders who are used to using them. Instead, Americans sometimes use professional titles. This title is different from a family title in that it is "earned" by oneself rather than passed down by ancestors. The most common occupations with titles are judges, senior government1, military officers, doctors, professors, and religious leaders. Here are a few examples: Judge Haley, Senator Smith, General Clark, Dr. Brown, Dr. Green (professor), Father White, Mr. Cohen (honorific term for Jews), Bishop Gray, etc.

As for people in other professions, they call him "Mr.","Miss", and "Mrs."(Immissis).“Ms.”(Inmiss) It can be applied to both married and unmarried women and has become popular in the United States in recent years. If you meet an American for the first time and don't know his title but want to show respect for him, you can address him as "sir" or "madam." The person you call him that may think that you don't know what to call him and will tell you the correct name. However, formal titles are not commonly used unless a person is engaged in a special occupation. Americans value friendly, informal relationships rather than status titles. Americans believe that they can still show respect to a person even if they call him by his name.

In addition to titles, there are other things in American life. Tourists who are accustomed to being served by maids, drivers, and chefs may find their situation very different from his own country. Some tourists may think that they are people of status, but they are treated like ordinary people in the United States, so they feel that they have been neglected. However, the United States is a "do-it-yourself" country. The average American, whether he is a doctor, professor, businessman, or lawyer, cooks his own meals, washes his clothes, goes to the market to buy things, or does other work. In the United States, services require money; anyone can "buy" services as long as they can afford the money. Status is irrelevant. No matter what profession a person holds, if he does his own housework, he will never be considered wrong. In fact, many Americans can afford to hire chefs and drivers, but they don't do that. They would rather enjoy the tranquility of the family. If there was a hired helper at home, the sense of tranquility might be lost to some extent. Others would rather spend money on travel or other things than pay high American wages to hire people to help with the housework.

A new tourist to the United States was recently asked what was the most troublesome thing on his first day in the United States. He answered without hesitation: "Find the washing room."

Some countries have public rinses that are clearly visible on the street or clearly marked in small buildings, but not in the United States. In the United States, public washing rooms are located at gas stations (all are clean and free, but keys may have to be obtained from the station attendant). Airports, bus stations, train stations, restaurants, libraries, large shops, theaters, and all places where the public is welcome have washing rooms. You can also walk into any hotel and borrow a "women's washing room" or a "men's washing room", even if you are not a guest of the hotel.

Don't be confused by the name on the rinse room door. Sometimes it says "male" or "female" and "lady" or "madam" on it, or simply "washing room". Some may draw a picture or other sign on the door to show the difference between men and women, especially in restaurants. The female rinsing room is sometimes called the "dressing room". The "convenience place" or "W.C" used by Europeans is rarely used in the United States, but most people understand what it means.

You may meet some Americans who know little about your country. If this happens, please tolerate them. Unfortunately, American schools rarely teach the cultural customs of other countries. The east and west sides of the United States are oceans, far away from other countries. As a result, Americans are less familiar with the cultures and different ways of working in other countries; this is common in other countries as well. If Americans help you in ways you are not familiar with, if they mistake your country for another country thousands of miles away, please forgive me. Compared with other countries, the United States has developed into a modern country in a very short time, only 300 years. Americans have been busy growing up locally, building roads, building cities, creating free education systems for millions of children, inventing, discovering, and developing for the global good. For most of these 300 years, national attention was focused on the United States itself, not the world. It was not until World War II (1939-1945) that Americans began to become interested in other parts of the world.

Americans have ancestors from all over the world, so there are much more "recognized" social customs in the United States than in some countries. Therefore, people traveling to the United States do not need to feel embarrassed or wrong if they want to follow the customs and habits of their own country. Although Americans are informal, if you are willing to dress formally for social occasions, do it your own way. People around you will definitely accept it.

However, it will be helpful for you to have a detailed understanding of general American customs. Of course, the scope of this topic is too broad to be discussed in detail here. The following are just some common situations you may encounter when visiting the United States.

Some personal issues can be raised and discussed in country A, but should not be discussed in country B. For example, Americans might ask you,"Where do you work?" "How many children do you have?" "How big is your house?" "Do you have a vacation?" In the eyes of Americans, these issues are not purely personal issues. They often ask these questions simply to understand what you and him have in common or to start a conversation. Please understand that the intention of asking these words is to be friendly. The person asking is to show concern for you, not to be rude to you.

This is how Americans themselves met. Since Americans move frequently in the United States, these types of questions are a common way for them to meet many new friends every year.

In some countries, people have hardly left a town in their lives, so social customs are quite different. When a tourist arrives in these countries, it may take a long time before someone asks him about personal issues such as family, career, and residence. But in the United States, everything happens quickly, and Americans have no time to pay attention to etiquette. They must meet you today, because soon they may be moving to another town far away.

In some countries, the social relationships of residents need to be cultivated slowly over a long period of time. Once tourists accustomed to this situation arrive in the United States, they may find the American methods terrible, too attentive to personal issues and rude. However, some matters that Americans regard as purely personal issues are also avoided in the United States, otherwise it would be too rude. These questions include a person's age, how much money he has, how much his clothes and property are worth together, his religious beliefs, and his private life.

If someone asks you a question and you think it is purely a personal matter, you can never answer it. You can say "I don't know" or "In my country, this is a weird question." Otherwise, you can change the topic and talk about something that is not personal. If you do this, Americans will not find you rude. In fact, they will probably understand that you do not want to answer or continue to talk about these personal questions.