Berkley Center

Contemporary Americans possess an obsession with social privilege, power, and a fear of centralized authority. Our voice and participation in public affairs illustrates a symbolism that reflects our cultural values and biases. Nonetheless, our value of conspicuous consumption and desire for social status represents a modern shift towards cultural individualism—a perceived necessity demanded in order to integrate into American society.

In turn, Americans emphasize importance on searching for legitimate sources that provide us with social, political, economic, and cultural authority. However, such behavior develops social inequities regardless of our struggles to see each other as equals and partners under Constitutional law. The result is that Americans today face conflicts with regard to sharing authority and power, and thus being able to work together to achieve shared goals. Instead, members of the citizenry persistently attack one another and seek to discharge the legitimacy of those who demonstrate different values and beliefs. As a result, we fail to unite on a shared set of values. Our behavior de-legitimizes the political process that permits us to govern ourselves—social democratic participation.

In the past, our social foundations have shaped our culture and the gridlock and failure to work toward common goals and actual compromise. Yet, reform is necessary. To improve, we must shift towards modernity and become conscious of our overt value for social status and materialism as requirements for recognition in American society. Awareness of our social expectations and the acceptance of values of equity and inclusion in America are important to us to us because they will provide the context to change our behavior, values, and reasoning in American society.