I ask these questions, becouse I want to compare your opinion with mine. Moreover, these problems are interesting for me, because they are important in my old country too.
1. What traits of American people do you like?
2. What can you tell me about most important problems of American society or life?
3. Is higher education prestigous in USA?
4. Can you name three most prestigous professions in USA?
1. I like how outgoing Americans are in general, particularly in places where we feel reasonably comfortable, like children's schools, religious organizations, neighborhood organizations.
ReplyDelete2. IMO: Economic inequality, discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation.
3. Yes, in general. A college degree is very important, although some people look down on "overly educated" people. In the words of Garrison Keeler, we like it when "all of the children are above average." But not too much so.
4. I would say Medical Doctor, especially in a specialty other than pediatrics, family, or ob/gyn, followed by judge, and business executive.
1) I like the fact that for the most part we do not have to live our lives in fear. I think this lends itself to our outgoing nature and willingness to be more adventurous.
ReplyDelete2)I feel that a problem in our society is that we do not think on the global level daily. We are often attracted to things that may occur around the world, but do not think that our daily actions impact the world as a whole.
3)I feel it is prestigious in the sense that it is often needed, but not so much that it is unobtainable
4)I would say medical field, technology field, government positions
1. What traits of American people do you like?
ReplyDeleteI like the bold, entrepreneurial spirit and the independence...although I don't think these exist universally, of course.
I also appreciate the incredible diversity.
2. What can you tell me about most important problems of American society or life?
I think that in a democracy, there are a few problems that always come up. Democracies are often slow to respond since everything must be debated and discussed. And we have to be careful to protect the rights of the minority against the majority interests. Humanity needs to be a part of governance and temper majority rule.
This also leads to a rather myopic view, where we focus on the details instead of the big picture and where we are constantly putting out fires instead of forming a real vision.
3. Is higher education prestigious in USA?
Absolutely. However, I think that prestige (and the value) have become diluted as college becomes the default choice. You have to explain why you are not going to college if you choose not to. I feel that some young high school graduates are rushed into heading off to college as a rite of passage when they might benefit first from some real world experience or might prefer a different educational path...and this includes bright students, too.
4. Can you name three most prestigious professions in USA?
My opinion? Teacher, Lawyer, Doctor. But "teacher" would probably not be considered prestigious by many Americans. They would probably replace that with business executive or investment banker.