Quote:
Originally Posted by Platapus
I hope you enjoy your stay in our country. Like other countries the US has its problems. Some of the problems are common among other countries and some may be unique to the US. But overall, the US is still a pretty good place to live.
The US is big. Not just geographically big, but big culturally. These days there is really no such thing as "an American" meaning someone that personifies the culture of the nation. Depending on where you live we can have drastically different cultures and customs.
We have over 300,000,000 people here. In some places it is really crowded, but in other places the density of people is pretty low. and we have everything in the middle. Having so many people, we have large numbers of jerks, idiots, bigots, and pretty much any other non-desirable group you can imagine, and probably a few you can't imagine. However, those numbers only represent a small percentage of our people. Overall, you will find that Americans are pretty nice, tolerant, accepting and friendly.
Don't judge our country or its people by what you read in the news (they only publish bad news as good news does not sell) or what you read on the Internets Tubes. Our country is a pretty safe and happy society and life is pretty good.
Since you are wanting to work here, I presume you wish to integrate into our business culture as smoothly as possible. If so I would like to recommend two books for you that will help explain our business and to some extent social culture:
American Cultural Patterns: A cross-Cultural Perspective by Edward C. Steward and Milton J. Bennett
Americans at work: A guide to the Can-do People by Craig Storti
Good luck with it. I hope it works our well for you.
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Many thanks for the very helpful reading tips and your own view of what America is! I think that fits my perception of the country and its people quite well. It's also a big reason why I want to make a proper effort of trying life in the US. Sweden is so much smaller by comparison, not just in size, but also in many other ways. As I mentioned earlier, I am feeling less and less at home in the country in which I was born and raised, and few options can be found here in terms of finding a new place for myself here in Sweden, and the sheer breadth of the "American culture" appeals to us, not as much as an escape from what we currently have, but as a foundation upon which we can build a future more in line with what I want for myself and my family. And in a sense I suppose that is the "American way" (or dream). I want that. Warts and all.