Locating American Values

Locate American Values

We're moving towards defining ideology. I'd like us to take the time to think about, consider, and, of course, discuss, "American values." After all, the course shows that technologies fit social values (and practices), so we ought to be able to point to some of those values. That being the case, however, we all need to recognize that we're considering prevailing cultural values and not absolute, universal beliefs.

Keeping with the idea of postmodernism, we'll have to address the plurality of values based on the fact that there are multiple groups with multiple conditions, myths, and (common) experiences.

And what of the individual's values...

With a partner, I want you to come up with an American value and discuss it.

• Identify an American value--define it.

• Is it hegemonic--a value of the dominant group?
  Note: A value of the dominant group may "trickle down" to be a value held by the masses.

• Think of an image to associate with the value (you may find any image--polite, satirical, obvious, opaque, etc.)
  For instance, this Diego Rivera mural doesn't demonstrate American individualism or individual autonomy, but a viewer might think it does...

• Defend why the value is American (it could also be a value of another culture).

More American Values Images

Below are some American values with images for our disucssion.

Manifest Destiny (Game)

John Gast’s American Progress (1872)

American Engineering Progress (Golden Gate Bridge)

Instant Gratification
Satire I
Satire II
Mobile Phones (I recognize this is an "old" technology or incarnation of a technology)