Picture this: A fair sized home including running water and electricity with a somewhat recent model car in the driveway. At least a high school diploma under your belt, and if you really wanted to, you could open up your own business with the right idea and a loan from the bank; even if you were born into an impoverished family. Does this scenario sound familiar? It should, because it is the summarized and generalized version of the American lifestyle. We tend to take for granted everything we have, especially if we are born into certain societies where these things mentioned above are considered a given. However, not all countries share the same luxuries as Americans, for these possessions are indeed luxuries for those who were born and raised outside of the United States. These differences exist because of a government’s social, economic, political, and educational systems. What is the norm for us may not necessarily be the norm from someone in, say, South Africa. By acknowledging these differences we can more readily hold a better understanding of another country’s way of life.

“In the United States, people like to believe they can rise above cultural bias and change their status,” States the authors of Intercultural Business Communication, “yet at the same time, many find security in the social hierarchy and social interaction patterns into which they were born.” (Chaney and Martin 44). Perhaps because of this mindset Americans also tend to be abrupt and opinionated, willing to discuss almost any subject without propriety. U.S. citizens must remember when travelling overseas, however, this social norm does not radiate globally. In China for example, changing one’s social class is next to impossible. In some situations a person’s family name will get them the job before their educational or past work history. Socially the Chinese are more reserved and