Ameiican Cultuie

Competition anu Fiee Enteipiise

Instiuctoi: }oe Nilan
Nateiial mouifieu fiom: "The values Ameiicans Live by" By Robeit Kohls
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1.) Bo you believe that Koiea is moie competitive oi coopeiative society.
Whywhy not.
a. What examples fiom youi own life can you think of.

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Ameiicans believe that competition biings out the best in any inuiviuual.
They asseit that it challenges oi foices each peison to piouuce the veiy best that
is humanly possible. As a iesult, the foieign visitoi will see competition being
taught in the Ameiican home anu in the Ameiican classioom, even on the
youngest age levels. veiy young chiluien, foi instance, aie encouiageu to answei
questions foi which theii classmates uo not know the answeis.
You may finu the competitive value uisagieeable, especially if you come
fiom a society which piomotes coopeiation iathei than competition. But many
0.S. Peace Coips volunteeis teaching in Thiiu Woilu countiies founu the lack of
competitiveness in a classioom situation equally uistiessing. They soon leaineu
that what they hau thought to be one of the univeisal human chaiacteiistics
iepiesenteu only a peculiaily Ameiican (oi Westein) value.
Ameiicans, valuing competition, have cieateu an economic system to go
with it -- fiee enteipiise. Ameiicans feel veiy stiongly that a highly competitive
economy will biing out the best in its people anu ultimately, that the society
which encouiages competition will piogiess most iapiuly. If you look foi it, you
will see examples in all aieas -- even in fielus as uiveise as meuicine, the aits,
euucation, anu spoits -- that fiee enteipiise is the appioach most often piefeiieu
in Ameiica.

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2.) Which uo you think piouuces bettei stuuents, competition oi
coopeiation. Whywhy not.

S.) Think back to youi own expeiience as an elementaiy school stuuent. If
you knew an answei to question, but the othei stuuents in the class uiun't
know it, weie you encouiageu to answei the question.
a. 0veiall, in what ways was competition encouiageu in school.
b. Bow about coopeiation.

4.) Recently, the 0niteu States anu much of the woilu suffeieu an economic
iecession. At one point the 0S goveinment hau to help funu many veiy
laige companies. Nany Ameiicans weie angiy. Why uo you think they
weie angiy.
a. Is Koiea similai oi uiffeient. Whywhy not.
b. What uo you think shoulu be goveinment's iole in businesses.

S.) Bo you believe that competition oi coopeiation biings out the best in
people. Whywhy not. (Think of ielationshipswoikpoliticsetc.)