Why is individualism so strong in the US and Canada?

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Why is collectivism so strong in China?

Not collectivism, family values. Same with the Jews, the Italians, some other continental Europeans, other East and South East Asians, South and Central Americans, probably Mexicans, and probably Arabs as well.

[Kramerman]

its a whole slew of answers, that varies on the person. For a lot of Americans tho, I agree that once they move out to go to college, they aint goin back home to live.

For those who dont go to college, they wanna move out for the attracting the opposite sex reasons mentioned already.

And the possible religious resons that have already been mentioned are also a possibility.

There is also the cultural element as well. Hollywood and music and stuff probably perpetuate the individuality and independence of the culture. There are probably numerous other reasons, adn for many people, any combonation of these reasons could explain their indipendence.

[Skanky Burns]

Even if attracting the opposite sex isn't a problem, you have much more opportunity to put that attraction to good use if you don't live with your parents.

And in other news, I am moving out from my parents house this Saturday!!

[Dis]

I guess it's a cultural thing.

I did not like the guy my mom was living with. And I lived in a ****ty apartment downtown anyways.

In any case I had to do something with my life. I guess I could have lived at home and went to our local university. It's not a great university, but it is a division I school.

But I had the urge to go out and see the world. What can I say.

In any case I am buying my own house, and I still can't get laid

[Dinner]

It is entirely cultural. They don't have worse family values then east Asians or Latin Americans but they certainly do have different ideas about how one should act. Also I think affuence has something to do with it. If you live in a poorer area where everyone can't afford to have there own home then it is natural to stick with family. Anglo-Saxon countries are wealthy so this teams up with the culture to get kids out of the house by their very early 20s at the latest.

[Shi Huangdi]

Alot if it has to do with the nature of parent-child relations in the United State. I think most parents in the US either explicity or implicitly belive that "If you live under my roof, you live under my rules"- meaning the child doesn't have any rights short of not being the subject of violence and has to obey their parents. But our culture has no specifically marked transition date where one ceases to be a child and becomes an adult. Legally you become an adult at age 18, but that doesn't mean your parents are going to start treating you like an adult at age 18; especially if you are still living under their roof.

People naturally want to be free to live their life the way they see fit. Continuing to live with your parents after you have graduated high school often means your parents will try to maintain some authority to one degree or another. Hence, it is natural for people to move out of the house when they graduate high school.

Also another factor involved is differing lifestyles between your average high school graduate and the average parent thereof. When people are at the age that they have just graduated high school, they are often into stuff such as very loud music, coming home drunk, and staying up into the early morning hours. This can lead to difficulties if you are living with parents.

[LoneWolf]

Is it strong in Canada?