Modern American Culture and Individualism Essay - 1019 Words

The 20th century is considered to be a money culture. Materialism, a devotion to making money and to having a good time are all products of a money making culture. All of technology is controlled by an interest in private profit (Dewey, p15). Sigmund Freud and John Dewy both see this day in age as a time devoted to the â€Å"scientific revolution† and profit from this drastic advance in mankind. Civilization, as we know it today, is largely to blame for the misery of the common people. The American people no longer have a sense of individualism. Luxuries have become a necessity instead of a vice and materialism has become a way of life. The characteristics of the modern world surround the importance of the attainment of material possessions†¦show more content†¦People are notably marked as suffering from their insecurities causing them great unrest, impatience and irritation. People expand in their feverish love of anything as long as it is a change which is distracti ng, (Dewey, p28) and so long as this is happening the results (impatience, unsettlement, nervous discontentment and this desire for excitement) are not native elements of human nature. These feelings stem from the rapid industrialization that took people unaware causing those feelings of being mentally and morally unprepared (Dewey, p8). Therefore, instead of the development of individuals in this evolution, there is a preservation of the whole ideal of individualism to conform to the practices this culture (Dewey, p9). Conformity is what is to blame for the lack of individualism in America Aims and standards become confused beyond recognition. The tragedy of this sort of individual is due to the fact that while individuals are now caught up into a vast complex of associations, there is no harmonious and coherent reflection of the import of these contradictions into the imaginative and emotional outlook on life (Dewey, p41). However, the American mind is still new and develop ing. America is also one of the most influential cultures in the world sweeping across nations shaping a newShow MoreRelatedWhite Fragility Is An Essay By Robin Diangelo1503 Words   |  7 Pagespopulation poorly converse and interacts with the racial social construct that resides in modern American culture. Not privileged with the opportunity to ignore racial tensions, blacks are ready to discuss the disadvantages they face daily in America’s white privileged culture. 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