This is a fascinating book. The author provided some of the most original (and oftentimes amusing) and accurate observations. However, sometimes he also made broad and sweeping generalizations bordering on stereotypes, and when trying to make certain connections, he was stretching a little. Furthermore, within each dominate “mainstream national culture” there is a multitude of subcultures. With the plethora of choices in the market today, sometimes targeting a subculture is the only way a business can survive and thrive. Plus, this niche market can become mainstream at any moment when it reaches the tipping point. Also, with globalization and the equalizing power of the Internet, subcultures often span multiple countries, continents, and cultures, and marketing to it as a unique entity is more effective than marketing to a geographically-bound country. Despite my mixed feelings about his assessments, I really enjoyed reading it, esp. the abundant examples that illustrated the Codes. I have to admit, though, that from mid-book I started to skip the “case studies” (discovery session confessions) as they became tedious.
An interesting interview with the author.
Looking at our culture through this set of glasses explains why we are so successful around the world selling the trappings of adolescence: Coca-cola, Nike shoes, fast food, blue jeans, and loud, violent movies. America has never produced a world-class classical composer, but has successfully exported rock, hip-hop, and R&B — the music if adolescence — to every corner of the globe. American basketball players who can hardly read make exponentially more money than American scientists do. We are endlessly fascinated with celebrities and all the adolescent mistakes they make.
** – My comments – Why Nike shoes? Adadis, Ascis, Puma… there are far better and more enduring brands out there. Does Nike have a “adolescent” brand image? “Music of adolescence” – Ouch (some of the greatest rock influences came from Britain, the country of “detachment”)! Obsession with celebrities – it’s not just about being “young at heart” (aka, “immature” as the author implied). Americans are obsessed, ESPECIALLY, with celebrities involved in scandals. The more scandals, the better. Why? Because seeing the rise and fall of the (in)famous enables them to sit back and enjoy the wild ride vicariously, while snickering and sighing inwardly “even though my life is dead boring, at least I am not as crazy as these people!” The same mentality applies to people’s obsession with reality TV.
Love – FALSE EXPECTATIONS
A woman searches for Mr. Right because she believes the stories she reads in books or watches at the movies; she finds someone she believes she can “change” into her ideal man, and she disappointedly sees her efforts fail. A man searches for Ms. Perfect for many of the same reasons; he finds a woman who excites him, he believes it will stay this way forever, and he is disappointed when motherhood takes her interests elsewhere.
Our cultural unconscious compels us to have unrealistically high standards for love.
Seduction – MANIPULATION
When Americans think of seduction, they think of being forced to do things they don’t want to do or that they believe they shouldn’t do.
Americans invented the concept of the “battle between sexes.” American books and talk shows endlessly exhort their audiences to rail against the way men and women manipulate each other during the act of seduction.
Sex – VIOLENCE
Repeatedly, the respondents spoke of winning and losing, of taking things and of having things taken from them, even of dominance and being dominated.
It’s also clear that as a culture we are far more comfortable with violence than with sex… The FCC fines television stations for showing women breast-feeding (as though that were in any way sexual), but on any given night, those same stations can broadcast simulations of murder and mutilation without penalty.
Americans have unconsciously “replaced” sex with violence… Americans are fascinated with violence… Consider this snapshot: for the week ending October 9, 2005, the number 1 television show in the country was CSI, a drama filled with grisly crime images… In fact, each of the top five shows that week had strong viokence themes… Americans may abhor real violence, but we find simulated violence enthralling. This is another offshoot of our cultural adolescence: as adolescents, we feel immortal, indestructible, and we are drawn to violence to test our invincibility.
** Despite the abundant anecdotal observations that seem very plausible, I am still not completely convinced by the sex/violence connection. However, I think the comment that Americans are “enthralled” by “simulated violence” is dead on. Or in other words, Americans love simulated crime (think the staggering popularity of CSI, Law & Order, and similar legal/crime shows, as well as mysteries/crime novels). I think the American culture code for sex is actually CONTRADICTION (e.g., the media is chock full of titilating images that seduce and exaggerate, but people are squirmish and uneasy about the open discussion of this topic). Actually, this dicotomy exists in many other cultures too (e.g., the prim and proper Japan is a top player – or at least, manufacturer/exporter – in the pleasure/desire industry, the seemingly repressed Chinese have the largest population in the world – although that also has something to do with its unhealthy insistence on having male progeny.)
Beauty – MAN’S SALVATION
If a woman can impress her beauty upon a man permanently, if she can stay beautiful in his eyes, she can make him a better human being. She is doing more than keeping herself visually appealing to him: she is elevating him from a rutting animal to something more exalted.
** I completely disagree with this assessment. It should be the other way around. Beauty, as evidenced by the disclosure/reveries of the subjects he cited in the book, means THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING RESCUED BY MEN FROM THE DRUDGERY OF LIFE! If a woman doesn’t have the “look”, she has to depend on her “brain” to survive in the cruel cruel world. If she is beautiful, she doesn’t need to have ANYTHING ELSE and will surely be snatched up by Knight in Shining Armor and live with the Prince happily ever after. If she has neither (the brain or the look), well, she needs to be “a good person.” If you have both, God loves you, really really loves you.
Fat – CHECKING OUT
As Americans, we are masters at putting undue pressure upon ourselves… that’s an awful lot to handle. In fact, for many of us, it’s much too much. Therefore, we unconsciously check out. Better to blame the fat than to acknowledge our desire to eschew expectations… Being fat allows us to know who we are (fat), why this has happened (the overabundance of food “forced” on us), who is responsible (McDonald’s or some other fast food restaurant that “makes us” eat their food), and what our identity is (a victim).
** He really hit the nail on the head on this one.
Health – MOVEMENT / Youth – MASK
For Americans, health and wellness means being able to complete your mission… their greatest fear about being sick is the inability to do things… movement makes us feel healthy, confirms that we are alive.
In the American culture… we not only want to survive, we want to remain at the peak of our powers… we want the illusion of invincibility that every teenager has… Americans are fascinated with youth and the fanciful notion of staying young forever.
Youth in America is as much a state of mind as it is an age… youth isn’t a stage of life, but something you can hide behind, something you can wear instead of your actual age.
** Actually, America is rather tolerant of “old(er) age.” Americans should feel lucky that at least employers are mostly PC (although it’s required by law) and old(er) stars (Meryl Streep) still get attention, considering the rampant age discrimination in the current Chinese job market and the adoration of extreme youth in Japan (e.g., school-girl fixation, obsession with young and pretty actors/actresses).
Home – prefix Re- (return, reunite, reconnect, reconfirm, renew…) / Dinner – ESSENTIAL CIRCLE
Work – WHO YOU ARE
“[Upon meeting] Where do you come from?” is the first question, followed by “What do you do?” The answer enables us to size someone up, as well as providing an evening’s worth of small talk.
Instead of “Bonjour Paresse” (“Hello Laziness”), our best-sellers include “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and “Good to Great.”
Americans very strongly believe that they are what they do in their jobs… we believe that if we work hard and improve our professional standing, we become better people… but the sense that they’re moving toward something more glamorous is very much on Code.
Deep down, we believe that you never have to be stuck in what you do. Self-reinvention is definitely on Code. Americans champion entrepreneurs because they are our most aggressive identity-seekers. They don’t wait for someone to tell them what to be, but rather take significant risks to become what they believe they should be.
** You can’t put it any better. I complete agree with the author here.
Money – PROOF
[Money] shows us how we’re doing, tells us how far we’ve come from improvished roots. Money reminds you that your “business is a good one,” that you’ve worked hard to get something, that you can carry your burdens, that you are appreciated, and that you are moving up to the next level.
Money is our barometer of success… Money is a scorecard.
** Another reason for Americans’ love for money is the collective “bigger/more is better” mentality: big houses, big cars, big pools, big meals, and of course, big money.
Quality – IT WORK / Perfection – DEATH
We want to discover things and learn how to do things our way… Trying, failing, learning from our mistakes, and coming back stronger than ever is an essential part of the American archetype… The path of American progress is filled with high peaks and low valleys, but the peaks always get higher.
Americans, on the other hand, find perfection boring. If something is perfect, you’re stuck with it for life, and that doesn’t sit well with most Americans… Planned obsolescence is on Code with the American culture. We want things to become obsolete, because when they do we have the excuse we need to buy something new.
None of our products needs to perform brilliantly… but they absolutely need to perform… We insist on something simpler: make sure the thing operates the way it was supposed to… Americans put a premium on functionality. We are not a bells-and-whistles culture.
The bottom line is that great service is more important to Americans than quality.
** That explains why American cellphones are at least three generations (in terms of aesthetics and functionalities) behind those in Japan and Korea. Americans really just don’t care too much about the “cuteness” factor. However, why are people attracted to Apple products? They are fancy, chic, and in terms of their iPods, lacking in extensive and practical features that competitors offer (e.g., no radio, no recording). And yet, their mp3 players still occupy at least 70%, if not more, of the market share. Is the tide changing? Do Americans start to be attracted to aesthetics and product-user identity (“you are what you use”)? As a Mac/iPod user, I am drawn to Apple products by the stability of their laptops and the streamlined management of music (the killer combo iTunes + iPods). But I also know that many people buy them for the “cool” factor. So it seems that Apple satisfies a wide gamut of consumers by being both reliable and cool. However, they have a very ostensible planned obsolescence – the battery dies in two years and replacement is time-consuming and expensive, new OSs make your computer incompatible with new apps, etc.
Food – FUEL
Americans strongly connect food with love. Obviously, this comes from our earliest memories of being fed by our mothers… In America, food is “safe sex.” Whereas we unconsciously have negative feelings about sex, we find it universally acceptable to take food into our bodies for pleasure. Perhaps that it’s why so many of us eat so often and to such extremes.
** Another OUCH! First of all, mother, feeding, food, sex? Freudian association here? Secondly, it reminds me of this amusing line from the sitcom Friends: “It’s just food, not love.” Therefore, I think it’s more accurate to say that food should be associated with “FULFILLED LOVE”, as opposed to “disappointment and disillusion” and the ensuing loneliness and frustration, all due to “FALSE EXPECTATIONS.” Most emotional eaters binge not because of the lack of sex, but the lack of love (in the broadest sense, as in “attention, relationship, connection, communication, understanding, etc.”)
American has a subculture of food aficionados, “foodies”… The foodie subculture, vibrant though it might be, is not representative of the way most Americans feel about food.
Americans regard their bodies as machines. Our machines have functions to perform and we need to keep them working. Some of us choose to keep our machines in top shape by attaching them to other machines – the workout equipment at our local health club.
Interestingly, we seem far less concerned with the quality of the fuel than one might expect.
Alcohol – GUN
Forbidden to drink alcohol as children, and learning little about it other than that is “bad” for you, Americans end up imprinting alcohol at a rebellious age. When they gain access to alcohol (usually underage, which enhances the sense that they are doing something taboo), they know nothing of its pleasures, subtleties, or role as an enhancer of food, but they quickly discover its intoxicating qualities. Taste is unimportant. What matters is that this substance can do a job for you: it can get your drunk.
** The more you forbid people from doing/trying/knowing something, the more curious they are, and once they get their hands on it, they are out of control. It’s human nature. Even though I am inclined to agree with the author here regarding the attitude differences between the Americans and the French, I have say, Americans are not alone in seeking out drunkenness – there are peoples that have stronger attachment to drinks and inebriation: Russians and the Irish. But alcohol = gun? That’s just preposterous. Alcohol should be associated with ESCAPE. It’s the fastest and most acceptable way to get out of your shell and either be your true self or go crazy and be somebody else. The best thing is, you won’t remember a thing the next day and can go back to your “normal” life/persona. Many things can be said and done without a guilty conscience when you claim that you are drunk (it’s like the lighter version of “temporary insanity”). Alcohol relaxes you, emboldens you, exonerates you, and in extreme cases (if you become an alcoholic or drive while intoxicated and get in an accident), ruins you.
Shopping – RECONNECTING WITH LIFE / Luxury – MILITARY STRIPES
Most of our favorite luxury items are functional… The Italian culture defines luxury via an item’s artistic value… Luxury in France represents the freedom to do nothing and to own useless things – things that provide beauty and harmony, but have no practical function… The British use luxury to underscore their sense of detachment. They’ll join exclusive clubs where they can show one another how unimpressed they are with their own status.
** Amusing observations/connections. So far so good…
There are levels of luxury, just as there are levels in the military… Service is an important component of luxury… Luxury comes not only in different ranks, but also in different “branches,” and the branch we choose says a good deal about how we want to perceive us.
** Hmmm… most of the luxury brands he mentioned are EUROPEAN brands, and I am sure the “ranks” come with them from their place of origin. There is, after all, a difference between a big house in some less glamorous town in France and a tiny villa in the Reviera. As for “we are what we buy”, I think this is essentially universal across cultures
France/America: IDEA/SPACE TRAVELER – ideas vs. actions
Germany/America: ORDER/JOHN WAYNE - liberators and benevolent cowboys
Britain/America: CLASS/UNASHAMEDLY ABUNDANT - extreme and try to win at any cost
These people found “home” by moving elsewhere. Their homeland was an accident of birth; they found a permanent place to live when they life it to come to America… Americans can also find their “true home” culture elsewhere.
** These archetypes exist, but aren’t they also “stereotypes” too? Of course, there is a fine line between the two types. Plus, culture evolves. Some countries may stay relatively the same for centuries, while others are perceived very differently (for better or worse) today than they were, say, merely 50 years ago.
American President – MOSES
We don’t want our president to think too much. We want them to respond from the gut, to have a very strong survival instinct… We want someone with a highly developed vision who makes us pay attention when he speaks. We want someone with a strong reptilian side who can take care of our country… We don’t want a father figure. We want a biblical figure.
There is a sense in which the president is the “entertainer-in-chief.” His primary role is to inspire us, to keep our spirits up and to keep us moving in a productive fashion.
We debate major issues… for a very long time before we make any movement at all. In fact, it is likely that the debate on any of these issues will extend beyond the term of whichever president we happen to be electing at the time… the basic components of the country really do not change very much during one presidential administration. What does change is the spirit of the country, the sense of optimism or lack thereof.
** Well, who is more “reptilian” this time?
America – DREAM
We see ourselves as “new”… as “occupants of vast amounts of space.”
Within the vast spaces one can find both tremendous diversity and unity.
Limitless opportunities… optimism.
