Individualism and Materialism in American Culture.

Individualism and Materialism in American Culture

We have all heard their stories . Paul Bunyan , Jesse James and , for this day and age , Captain Jack Sparrow are heroes that America has come to know and love despite their character flaws . What makes these people so attractive to the imagination ? What makes their stories so enthralling The romanticism and drama certainly account for some of that . However , I believe that the most appealing aspect of these characters is that we can relate to the things they strive for , the ideals and their values The

reason that people generally like these characters is that they do not seek fame , glory and honor . They are not King Arthur 's knights who search for some obscure holy cup . They are embroiled in their adventures not because of lofty ideals but because it involves something that they desire and the have a devil-may-care attitude towards what other people think . This allows people to relate to them because it is the American way to go after something that you want . These characters , though they may be fictional , embody the individualism and materialism that has made America what it is today

Individualism , in my understanding , is a person 's conviction to place his own beliefs and principles above those of society . This does not mean that the person does the opposite of whatever society dictates , nor does it mean beliefs are put to question against those of the majority he will stand firmly by his principle . A concrete example of this would be Malcolm X People told him to simmer down and back of the talk about the white devil , his own people told him to take it easy with what he said . Did he let that affect him ? No , he just kept speaking his mind and venting his anger until he felt that certain changes were made . While it is true that his actions got him assassinated , he has become a symbol of crusading justice for African-Americans in their struggle for true equality . He did not lie down and cower like some were apt to do Although he knew he was making a lot of people uncomfortable with his words , he kept on talking because that 's what he believed was the right thing for him to do . Whether you agree with his views or not , it is beyond argument that Malcolm X was a true individualist because of his disregard for social norms and the status quo in favor of his personal beliefs . American history is filled with men like Malcolm X . Of course they didn 't hold the same views as he did but when it came down to choosing between personal belief and social approval , they did not hesitate to standby what the believed in , whether it was the free states , the abolition of slavery or good old fashioned democracy . In fact , America was founded on the very idea of individualism . Before there was a United States of America , most countries were governed by...