American Culture, Part 3

Do Americans have a "win-lose" mentality?

Of course, it depends on the person, but I think in many cases, yes. One example is the notion of the "American Dream". Is it possible for a poor person--perhaps uneducated, perhaps an immigrant--to achieve success in American society? Most people think that if a person tries hard enough, he or she will win. If not, the person will lose. People that are rich are the winners; people who are poor are the losers. I think this is how may of us deal with the reality of the huge separation between the rich and poor in the U.S.

Similarly, if another country disagrees with us, this country is against us because we are "the winners"--others are jealous of our power; they are the losers. Fortunately, not everyone thinks this way. The people who do feel a greater sense of patriotism for America and generally are more supportive of fighting the "losers" in order to protect our power as Americans.