TWENTY-FOUR hours a day, seven days a week. Two weeks of vacation per year. Consumption-obsessed workaholics. Do any of these taunts sound familiar to you? If you've paid any attention to outsiders' opinions of Americans, they might. But is this deserved? The American ideal of convenience should not necessarily fall prey to such attacks, and might instead be better appreciated as a norm specific to our culture.
It's true that the United States isn't perfect, and by no means are Americans -- or our mindsets -- flawless. Nonetheless, we receive some harsh criticism that often fails to acknowledge the benefits of our orientation towards productivity.
What of the cities that never sleep? Well, let me assure you of one thing: They used to. But, in nearly all metropolitan and suburban locations, this more laid-back approach to life just doesn't exist anymore. Gone are the days of the blue laws that kept stores and businesses closed on Sundays. Welcome Wal-Mart, Costco and 7-Eleven. We expect to buy in bulk, at relatively low prices, and we want to do it whenever we please.
Indeed, it can be difficult to survive in our society. The pressure to be constantly on the move is noticeable. Downtime might be considered unacceptable, while overtime work garners praise. Sometimes it is difficult to remember that we weren't always like this.
The current trend began in the late 1970s, and as most Americans in our generation and beyond would agree, our lives today are dramatically different that our parents' were. What is the mantra of modern American life? Work now, play later. Ease of use, easy access, and speed are our primary concerns, because the more efficient we are, the more leisure time we might be able to squeeze in down the road.
This mentality is perhaps what bothers our critics most: They view us as greedy workaholics, while we might alternatively see them as lazy or jealous. But it shouldn't be a question of greed or jealousy. Could we not acknowledge that our value systems and priorities simply differ?
Clearly there is an exhaustive list of lessons that Americans could learn from our foreign counterparts. Others' lifestyles may be more relaxed, which might help to keep stress levels low. Even so, the United States offers something which the vast majority of other localities, no matter how metropolitan, simply cannot: sheer convenience.
With this convenience often come sacrifices of efficiency and resources. However, there are times when convenience trumps conservation or efficiency. And while these differences, such as those of daily routine or schedule, boil down to little more than differences in cultural norms, American travelers abroad regularly experience difficulties adjusting to them. For instance, even in many major European cities, restaurants, grocery stores, museums, shops and banks are all closed from Saturday afternoon to Monday morning. Convenience stores are virtually non-existent.
So while we might find the business practices of large entities which are able to run twenty-four hour operations, such as Wal-Mart, unethical or even deplorable, there can also be something said for sheer convenience. One-stop shopping isn't just a fad in America, it's a way of life -- and it's not going away anytime soon.
Todd Rosenbaum is a Cavalier Daily columnist. He can be reached at trosenbaum@cavalierdaily.com.
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