I want to share a letter with you I found tacked to someone's bulletin board
some time ago. As the content suggests, it must have been written around
the time of the Olympics. It's phrased as a "Letter to the Editor," but I
have no idea what newspaper it may have appeared in or who John Q. Oldham
is. Nonetheless, the letter struck a deep chord in me, especially when I
ponder what caused the cultural shift as Needham eloquently displays. I
have my theory what the cause may be, but I would truly enjoy hearing your
thoughts. I would especially value the opinions of those of you who observe
the USA from afar. If a list service was available to Mr Oldham when he
first wrote this, I'm sure he would have used it. There should be something
here for just about everyone.
[Begin Quote]
Editor:
An international event like the Olympics offers an opportunity to
contrast our culture with others. If one weeds out the
international jet setters, who are a cultural anomaly,
established values become apparent. These values were most
clearly demonstrated by first time athletes with their supporters
and the host country population. They exhibited nearly the same
values carried to the USA by their immigrant forefathers. But
something has happened to those values over succeeding American
generations that has transformed them into our present national
character. We still talk the same old values but we don't walk
the talk. Here is a sample of some of the differences between
the model and the reality:
USA NATIONAL CULTURE USA SUBCULTURES
National interest became Special interest
Integrity became Situational ethics
Take responsibility became Demand rights
Waste not became Want not
Value of relationships became Value of stuff
Wisdom became Street smarts
Labor for future became Instant gratification
Fact-based decisions became Image-based decisions
Pride in workmanship became Deification of profit
Respect the performance became Winning is everything
Considerate became Aggressive
Disciplined became Unrestrained
Respect for education became Antipathy for education
Critique became Pointing fingers
Orientation on group became Orientation on self
Seek a better life became Greed
If these observations have merit then they may tend to explain
not only our economic achievements but also our cultural demise.
It would be interesting to hear from others who have given
thought to our cultural dilemma and can offer plausible reasons
for it.
John Q. Oldham
[End quote]
[...Name of letter-writer disguised by your host. Original name
was not known to Ginger or to me...]
I look forward to the dialogue...
-- Ginger Shafer The Leadership Dimension "Bringing Leadership to Life" vshafer@azstarnet.com