Individualism in America

Individualism in America
By Jon Knudtson

Imagine leaving the place you live to move your family, all of your possessions, and your whole life and moving to a different country. Though you may never experience this, millions of people around the world are forced to immigrate every year. This is the experience of every immigrant. Immigration is a life changing move. It affects some people differently than others, and can be a very hard transition to make.

Nico Prandi, 20, a sophomore secondary education and Spanish major came to America with his parents from Argentina when he was 11 years old. Even though he has been living in the country for most of his life, he has not quite adjusted to all the differences between American and Argentinean culture.

Prandi says the biggest difference between American and Argentinean culture is that America has a greater sense of individualism. He believes that Argentina’s sense of a larger community is one of the things that makes the place feel more friendly than America. “The U.S. culture seems to be more individualistic and impersonal in the way people interact with each other,” Prandi says. “People are far less touchy than in Argentina .”

There is not really any way that somebody could know that Prandi is an immigrant. He looks like any other sport loving, 20 something, college student. He sounds like an American college student. He says that it has not always been easy though. “The hardest thing to adjust to was probably the new style of English that we had to understand.” The only thing that may differentiate him from another college student is his friendliness.

Before coming to Massachusetts to attend Gordon College, Prandi lived in New York with his parents. Both climates are a far cry from warmer temperatures in Argentina. That does not seem to bring down Prandi’s cheerful attitude though. He can always be found with a smile on his face and a pleasant disposition.

Prandi seems to be trying to get rid of the sense of individualism that he feels in America by using his smile and friendly conversation. Derick Jenkins, 23, a senior at Gordon agrees with Prandi. “People in Spanish speaking countries are just friendlier than Americans,” said Jenkins. He would know, he has been on several international trips to Spanish speaking countries and speaks fluent Spanish.

Jenkins explained that many people in other countries have a better sense of community than people in the United States do. In the United States people have a sense of ownership and individualism, however in many other countries people have less possessions and it is easier for them to share.

Tyler Hernandez, 21, a senior psychology major at Gordon, said, “The reason that most people in Spanish speaking countries are friendlier is because they generally have less than Americans do. Because they have less, they are more willing to share and be friendly.”

While most people in the United States aren’t as friendly as people in Spanish speaking countries, we can try our best to learn from immigrants as they continue to learn from us.