Does Lifestyle and Culture Affect Behavior?

How much does culture and lifestyle affect behavior? I believe the real question is what else affects behavior besides culture and lifestyle. We see the differences in behaviors between different cultures everyday. Whether it's a middle-eastern woman that has her body completely covered up or an American college female who wears clothing with scandalous statements, but hates the male attention she's receiving.

Our culture affects how we behave everyday. For example, I am an African American. African Americans culturally place a strong emphasis on family because during slavery the family was all that they had. Thus when I am around family, I feel like I am able to be myself whereas in a crowd full of people I do not know very well I am guarded and reserved. African Americans believe in the collective good of the African American race, this is not always the case as we kill each other everyday, but that will be explained in the lifestyle portion. This is why you hear comedians always say "When one black person runs, we all run". This is also why whenever something occurs, be it positive or negative, in the African American community, you see African Americans banning together. Now being an American also affects my behavior each and everyday. Culturally, America has always been viewed as "better than the rest". This is why most Americans walk around with a skewed opinion about how much better we are than the rest of the world. We look down upon all other nationalities. For example, turn on any American made television program and look at how they make fun of Canadians, French, Mexicans, Middle-Easterns, Russians, etc. Also, historically Americans are greedy. Americans will take anything and everything that they can get their hands on and they do not care who they have to push out of the way to get what they want. America invaded Iraq and Americans were outraged. Not because we're attacking a country for the wrong reason, but because gas prices are still going up. I bet if we had invaded Iraq and 3 weeks later the gas was $1.50 a gallon, Americans wouldn't have really been as outraged as they have been.

Lifestyle definitely affects behavior. For instance, because America is one of the most richest nations in the world and had the most resources, if I look in a cabinet full of food and don't see anything that I want to eat, I may just go to McDonalds and buy some food. We do this despite the fact that in other countries people don't even have cabinets much less food to put in those cabinets. However, the lack of resources isn't foreign to Americans either. Everyday you turn on the news and see someone robbing a bank or murdering someone at an ATM because they or their families may not have enough food to eat. It seems like everyone knows that lifestyle affects behavior because that's why the police hang around the poorest neighborhoods looking for crime. This is why the poorest neighborhoods always have the most crime. It's all based on lifestyle. When people have to they will kill, steal, and cheat their way into a better life. You can also see the transition that occurs when people change lifestyles. For example when someone who was once poor and then becomes a famous actor, their behavior changes. That's why people always say "Money changes people". People get rich and forget their humility and they believe that they're the best thing since sliced bread. This is why when women marry rich and powerful men, they sue for half the man's money even though they didn't really help him acquire any of that money because they've gotten accustomed to a certain lifestyle and do not want to go back to where they were. You never hear about women suing their electrician husband for half his money, they just get divorced and move on.

Still the question remains, what affects behavior besides culture and lifestyle?

Finally MTV Gets It Right

For once MTV puts on a teleivision program with some kind of merit. I won't win a daytime Emmy or anything, but it's something useful. No more my Super Sweet 16 that shows these bratty ass kids punishing mommy and daddy with their ridiculous birthday wishes. No more parental control where parents pick boys and girls for their sons and daughters to date so they'll get rid of their current boyfriend or girlfriend. The problem I had with that show is that the current boyfriend or girlfriend was always a jerk to the parents. They just let the kid sit there and badmouth them in their home, I would've thrown that kid out Uncle Phil style if that was my house. However, I'm getting off topic. The new program on MTV is called Sex With Mom And Dad it gives teenagers the opportunity to talk about their sexual behavior with their parents. This is the direction to go MTV. Parents have been waiting for a show like this and to put it on MTV, that practically seals the deal. Maybe kids will begin talking to their parents more about sex and parents will become more comfortable listening to their kids talk about sex.

Teenagers finally get to step up and say how they feel about sex as young adults and the parents get to stop all their preaching and finally tell the kids what's real about sex. This could open up better communication between parents and teens and maybe stop some of that overdramatic behavior that teens are notorious for. "You won't let me have any fun! You're ruining my life!"

Congrats MTV, you finally got it right.