American and British Overview

Author: Lai Dian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-02-01
Features: This book introduces various aspects of the UK and the US in English and was originally a textbook for the General Course of the Foreign Languages Department of Henan University. In October 1984, representatives from 20 universities and colleges, including Fudan University, Nanjing University, Wuhan University, Central China Normal University, Southwest Normal University, and Luoyang Military Foreign Languages College, reviewed the manuscript. After the meeting, the author made continuous and serious revisions, and this revised edition is now published to meet the needs.
Excerpt: It was this, in part, that made some people say that English society was filled with suffocating hypocrisy. Foreign diplomats said that he lived in London for 15 consecutive years but failed to learn how to behave like an Englishman. This is an example of cultural difference, not just the way of doing things. But the young generation, who demands more openness, is less bound by traditional values. They tend to show their feelings more freely. English people are careful with their manners. Well-bred people must be appropriately dressed for dinner and interviews. They are supposed to keep quiet and take good care of the tableware. Political table-talk is necessary, but loud voices and wild laughter are considered ill-breeding. According to English rules, people should put their forks and spoons in place before leaving the table. They don't shake hands often, but they say "Thank you very much" instead of "Many thanks."
Problems Confronting Traditional Values
The ruling position of traditional values met with challenge after the Second World War. Influenced by American rock'n'roll, the English Beatles began to give their performances in public places in the early 1960s. Less reserved than their parents, the Beatles found a vent for their feelings in noisy music and pop songs. Boys copied girls by wearing long hair and bright-coloured clothes. Some of the boys, known as punks, went so far as to wear brassiere. Girls, in return, copied boys by wearing plain clothes and close-fitting jeans. Mini-dresses became the fashion because young people wanted to be scantily clad. They asked for a "permissive society" in which everyone was allowed to seek his happiness so long as they refrained from actions harmful to the public. Their rebellion against traditional values caused a general decline in parental authority and resulted in the so-called "generation gap." The new values advocated by young people also found their reflection in family life. The average income for personal expenditure increased, but the average age for first marriage witnessed a slow increase. Though it is lawful for anyone over the age of 16 to get married, yet few men below the age of 25 and few women below 23 want to marry. After cohabitation became rampant, the government legalized artificial abortion to ease the pressure of illegitimate births. Another thorny problem was caused by domestic violence and the high divorce rate. Traditionally, Englishmen were brought up to be competitive, powerful, and aggressive. But manhood, if abused, easily led to domestic violence. A study by London police in 1992 found that almost two women in three believed they would be violent to their wife or partner in certain situations. It was reported that in London 100,000 women a year received treatment for violent injuries suffered at home. London women have launched Zero Tolerance—a campaign to protect women against domestic violence by shouting the slogan "Enough is enough." Domestic violence is one of the contributing factors for the high divorce rate. According to official estimates, more than one in three marriages ended in divorce in Britain in