EQUALITY

    The passage The Values Americans Live By lists thirteen most common values in American society. I have some personal experience with the fourth value: EQUALITY/EGALITARIANISM. The author points out that it’s the ignorance of rank, position, intelligence, physical condition and economic status that distinguish American from some foreign people who only show respect to the renowned. I decided to compare the difference in equality of occupation and living places in America and China.


    Equality can be seen in various American situations. In the popular animated movie Zootopia, some young animals claim that they want to be firemen when growing up. The rabbit Judy in a small town also realizes her dream with effort and successfully becomes a member of the city. However, her parents think it is better for Judy to earn a living in the countryside and inherit their field. Totally these phenomena are unbelievable in China.


    To begin with, people’s attitudes towards occupation are obviously different. In China parents always encourage their children to study with endeavor then work in high-class field such as economy or law. It’s not common to see Chinese parents allow their children to speak out that they want to be a fireman or a driver. No matter whether children’s ambitions will come true in the future, their parents regard it as a representation to enter the central part of the society.


    The phenomenon reflects the reality that hidden discrimination of occupation still exists in China. However, just as the author says in the passage, Americans have an aversion to treating people of high position in a deferential manner, and, conversely often treat lower class people as if they were very important. Attitude towards jobs is one of the different points in China and America.


    What’s more, the life states in people’s minds in the countryside and cities in America always interest me. No matter people lives in town or city, they look satisfied with the lifestyle at the moment. Some of the young will not feel shamed when they go back to countryside without attaining great prospect after graduating from universities because they know what kind of life they want in the bottom of their heart. It reminds me of the experience that when we were in Chicago, our guide told us that he enjoyed metro regions because it provides convenient facilities while David said he preferred life in the countryside for the reason that it’s quiet and peaceful for him to do research. I once thought this attitude came from the equality of life quality in both areas but in the process of searching for information I found a passage online saying that the Gini coefficient in America is 0.450, which shows that U.S. still have inequality life levels. That is to say, the facilities in these two areas are not exclusively equal. To sum up, it’s not their life quality influence their choices towards the city and the countryside but their own belief of which region will provide them with a more suitable platform or habitat to lead a living.

    In conclusion, people with various culture from all over the world make America an equal, free, open and pluralistic country. There is no doubt that it’s a virtuous cycle. It is the equal atmosphere here that contributes to their more acceptable opinion to various culture in the society.