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2.4.1 The American Dream of a Classless Society
One of the chief factors which have formed American society is the belief in the equality of all human beings characteristic of the Age of Reason, the period when the USA was formed. This idea is the philosophical root of the American dream of a classless society where the common man is free to build his life in accordance with his natural abilities. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are pointed out by the Declaration of Independence as fundamental, inalienable rights, whose protection constitutes the only justification of governmental authority. These beliefs have encouraged a confidence in progress and perfectibility which applies to the civilization created by man as well as to man himself.
Although the classless society has so far been realized only to a very limited extent, it is an interesting fact that among the highly industrialized nations of the world, America is the only country which has no socialist party of any importance which represents the interest of the working class. Even trade unionism was not a significant factor until Great Depressions, which destroyed the traditional belief that in the USA any man can eventually earn enough money to become an independent businessman or even an employer himself.
The fact that, at the time when the USA was founded, fifty per cent of the population in the South was legally considered chattels did not disturb the American dream in an age in which slavery was an accepted social pattern. Growing awareness of the debt "the classless society" owed to its members was the main cause of a civil war which resulted in the abolition of slavery but did not solve the problem of racial discrimination.
2.4.2 The Influence of Religion
The influence of religion on American life has always been strong. A stimulus provided from the earliest days of colonization was the Puritan settlers belief that they were Gods chosen people, called to take possession of their promised land. The Calvinist doctrine of predestination became a basis of the American work ethic. The belief that success was a visible sign of Gods grace, which man cannot acquire by good work, inspired the wish to achieve success through hard work.
The evangelical Protestantism of the 19th century added the principle of charity, which makes it as obligatory to dispose of wealth as the belief in success makes it desirable to acquire it. In no country of the world has property ruthlessly acquired been so lavishly distributed in charities and public endowments as in the USA. This is particularly obvious in the world-wide support of scientific, educational and humanitarian activities by the Rockefeller, Carnegie and Ford foundations. The effectiveness of private charity may have been one of the factors preventing socialist thought from gaining influence in American society, all the more so as trade unions have very often proved as manipulative as big business. The conception of social welfare as an obligation of the government came later in the USA than in most other countries. The American attitude towards Communism has been determined by social factors and Christian rejection of atheist ideologies as much as by aversion to Communist oppression in other countries.
2.4.3 Youth Movements
The youth movement of the 60s was basically a revolt against the subjection of the individual to the impersonal forces of the establishment. It began as a students revolt on the campuses of the big universities, whose aims were voiced by the Students for a Democratic Society. The "New Left" sympathized with other anti-establishment groups like the Black Panthers and the Revolutionary Action Movement.
Most young people in America, however, were not politically engaged. True to the American myth of total individual independence, they questioned the whole principle of a society tied to material values. Shunning private property as detrimental to their freedom many gathered in communes did not care to take up steady jobs. Some travelled for years all over the world with nothing but a rucksack and a sleeping bag. The lack of responsibility or purpose may account for the liberal use of drugs by some of these groups.
The hippies received extensive news coverage in the Sixties, chiefly because of their sexual promiscuity. Although politically largely inactive, they joined the protest against the Vietnam War with their slogan "Make love, not war!",
Growing alarm at the anarchical tendencies of many of these groups caused rigorous action on the part of the authorities, which heralded the decline of militant student power and resulted in resignation among the young generation, The recession of the 70s added economic aspects to the general disillusionment. Students intent on passing exams in order to find employment were no longer interested in revolts.
Some remnants of the former militancy are found in the punks and the skinheads, The punks, who tend to attract attention with their eccentric hairdos, have shown sympathy with the Left, e.g. by demonstrating against the US Central American policy and in support of disarmament and "animal liberation". Skinheads who like to shave their heads and to decorate their bodies with tattoos, manifest neo-Nazi sentiments in their graffiti with slogans like "White Unity" or "No Jews". In contrast to these groups, the smart yuppies (young urban professionals) reflect the happy self-assurance of the Reagan era: career-orientated, they seek material success rather than social and political changes.
2.4.4 Pop culture
The spirit of rebellion created its own lifestyles and symbols. The dirty blue jeans, the long hair shunning the barber, the battered car- these were symbols accepted by many young people who wished to demonstrate at least some sort of progressiveness. The tendency, strongly supported by profit-seeking industries, to raise the most trivial objects to the level of cultural symbols and values, coupled with the predilection of the flower children for gay colours, helped to create what is known as pop culture. Starting as popular art, it reached all spheres if modern culture. Fashion, stage decoration, advertising, dancing, music, literature felt its influence. Its adherents were sociable and communicative, participants in rather than spectators of the scene. They delighted in happenings, provocative fashions, shocking colours and noise. People of this time were fascinated by the upcoming electronic age and were longing for communication.
2.4.5 Films
The film/movie industry has become a multi-billion-dollar business, not only in the USA. Whereas the early films at the beginning of the 20th century were silent movies shot in black and white, films today are mainly with sound and in colour and are presented in 70mm and Dolby Stereo on the screen. There are big-budget films produces by large movie companies (like MGM/United Artists, Columbia Pictures, AOL Time Warner) and low-budget, often independent films. Americas heart of film Production is beating in Hollywood. Nearly every big film Company has their studios there and produces hundreds of films per year. With the spreading of TV sets, cinemas and other visual technologies the companies grew enormous due to large budgets for commercials and other advertising campaigns.
Today America is the leading film exporting country in the world. Popular broadcasts and films are dubbed in nearly every language all over the world.
TV has always a big influence on the American civilization. This development had brought Home-Shopping Canals, Religion Canals and a mass of everyday news and weather broadcasts. Hollywood has created certain human types and patterns of behaviour which embody the ambitions and dreams of the American population. The American Western gave a sophisticated world a new romance in which adventure and violence blended with sentimentality and the moral satisfaction of seeing the villain punished and the virtuous hero rewarded.
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