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A Look at Collectivist China Through the Eyes of Individualistic America
China We — America I
Introduction
One of the cultural dimensions identified by the anthropologist Geert Hofstede describes the difference between collectivism and individualism. This article attempts to contrast the differences between China collectivist nature against the United States’ individualist culture. It looks at various behaviors from both countries and attempts to explain them to the reader in the most cogent way possible.
The article is divided into the following sections:
- Hollywood and Individualism
- Individualism vs. Collectivism
- Collectivists Behaviors
- Comparing Classroom Behavior
- Communal Dining
- Collectivism and Individualism in Business\
- Collectivism and Individualism in Government
Hollywood and Individualism
Art mimics life. Or is it the other way around? One thing is for sure; when it comes to American individualism, nothing describes it better than Hollywood. American films have a fondness for the hero. Film companies know that movies like Big Jake, starring John Wayne in the title role in which he single-handedly takes on a gang who kidnapped his grandson, will be box office successes.
Liam Neeson’s movies Taken and Taken 2, in which he plays an ex-CIA operative whose daughter is abducted by human traffickers and again single-handedly rescues her, similarly will deliver substantial revenues.
These are only a few examples of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of films depicting a lonesome gun-slinger or marshal arts expert. The fast thinking and determined hero that against all odds, always comes out victorious at the end.
Undoubtedly, movies are a reflection of our culture, and our culture is the most individualistic in the world. To Americans, groups and teams are good, but individuals are better, or at least more fun. It perhaps is no oversimplification to say that if you want to understand American sense of individualism, just watch Hollywood films.
