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American Values
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American Values
America is well-known to be a melting pot. She is made up of immigrants from all over the planet. She also has a beautiful Constitution which allows for freedom of religion. Although this aspect of America is one the things that make her great, it can pose as a problem in the criminal justice system because each religion and/or culture hold to different truths that prescribe or demand certain behaviors. This essay will examine the differences in values of Americans, Muslims, Communists, and Hindus, and will provide insight into the effects of these differences, including in the Criminal Justice System and the laws set out by the United States Constitution. The purpose is to gain insight into the effect of these differences further explain the problem the criminal justice system faces when one religion considers criminal a behavior that the American Constitution allows, and when a behavior is demanded or allowed by certain cultures that is illegal in America.
American values demand for freedom of expression, and equal rights for every race, color, gender, national origin. “All people are created equal.” (Jefferson, 1776) In Islam, women must stay covered and have no rights at all. If a woman disrespects her family by dating someone outside of what is permitted by her family, then in Islam the family may kill her in “an honor killing.” This is murder in America. Another difference is that many aspects of the American culture center on beauty, at least what is told to Americans via the entertainment industry. Everyone wants to be a movie star. In Islam, all must conform their behavior to the Koran, which does not recognize personal beauty. The most overt difference is that America
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support all faiths, and deems all people equal,. Conversely the Qur’an demands that unbelievers be slaughtered.
Asian culture also differs greatly from American culture. Americans are basically a reflection of the American Constitution. China is a communist state. This means everything done must be sanctioned by the government, including establishing churches and having children. Recently, hundreds of crosses were taken down from churches in China because the government decided that religion could cause people to band together against the government. In the American culture, freedom of expression as guaranteed by the first Amendment allows for institutions to raise up symbols. This freedom is paramount to America. A recent example of this is that the church of satan had an unveiling of a statue of Baphomet in Baltimore. (Jenkins, 2015) Although citizens protested, the government had no say in the matter. (Associated Press, 2015) The Chinese Communist party also instituted a one child policy. The result is that more boys are being born than girls because boys are valued more in the Chinese culture. (Scutti, 2015) If a woman finds out she is pregnant with a girl, she is more likely to abort, of give the girl up for adoption. In America, beauty is loved, and so females are beloved. Over fifty percent of all American adoptions request girls. Nowhere else in the world are girls loved and adored by the culture. (Ingender, 2015)
Power and Creativity is the result of freedom in America. This freedom is often misconstrued as rudeness. Buddhism differs in what is strives for. Buddhism is a way of life for millions in the East. The goal is to reach Nirvana, a state of being where one needs nothing to
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appreciate life. Peace and gentleness reigns in this culture. (Johansson, 1970) Not so in
America, or atleast in certain cities. For example, when I had the privilege to visit New York, many myths of the typical aggressive New Yorker were laid to rest by real experience. First I was told how mean New Yorkers can be. In reality the opposite is true. Every time I tried to take a picture of my companions, a local would grab my camera, and insist that I be in it, and take it for me. Aggressive assistance has been mistaken for rudeness. Those in New York are can-do-get-it-done people, not mean. America is only 240 years old, and yet other countries that have been around for thousands of years still do not have indoor plumming because the citizens are not independent or free.
Like any other culture, American values are a mixed bag. When comparing American values to other countries and cultures that have been around for thousands of years, the knee-jerk reaction is to lament how pretentious and how greedy and how shallow Americans are compared to other more insightful cultures in other countries. But upon deeper investigation, the American culture provides for the most freedoms, and all who come here must yield to the U.S. Constitution.
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References
Chinese Officials Crack Down on Crosses, Alienating Even State-Sanctioned Christian Groups, (2015), Associated Press, World. Fox News.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/08/05/chinese-officials-crack-down-on-crosses-alienating-even-state-sanctioned/
Gender Preferences in the United States, (2015), Ingender.
http://www.ingender.com/XYU/Gender-Preference/
Nash Jenkins, (2015), Hundreds Gather for Unveiling of Satanic Statue in Detroit, Time.
http://time.com/3972713/detroit-satanic-statue-baphomet/
R. Johansson, (2015), The Psychology of Nirvana, Garden City.
Susan Scutti, (2014), One-Child Policy Is One Big Problem for China, News Week.
http://www.newsweek.com/2014/01/24/one-child-policy-one-big-problem-china-245118.html
Thomas Jefferson, (1776), U.S. Declaration of Independence.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html