Individualism As Seen by a Saudi

While in Saudi Arabia, I had the opportunity to speak with students similar in age to myself who were attending Saudi Universities. We talked a lot about stereotypes and misperceptions on both sides of the Ocean. The Americans like myself had thought that society would be much more repressed, that Facebook would be blocked by the government, or that women would be confined to the home and not out in society working and studying and doing all of the things that we associate with a “free” Democratic society. The Saudis whole-heartedly laughed at our misperceptions of their lives, thinking many of our notions ridiculous. And then the Saudi girls told us what they thought of Americans, and it didn’t seem anymore like we were at all dissimilar. But what I did discover about the export of American society is that things that seem mundane but fantastical can be seen by other cultures like a part of our daily lives. For example, national dialogue in the United States on the influence that violent movies, television, and video games has on children has taken subject matter that has become commonplace and elevates it in the common ideological landscape. One Saudi girl very seriously looked at me and asked, “Is it true that your society is very individualistic and that you don’t talk to your family like in the movies?” To a Saudi, who live at home throughout higher education until they marry and move out, dormitories are a thing of movie stars. Family is the core of Saudi society, and family is how culture is mobilized. The ruling family is just that; family. Political influence is a family discussion first.

Putnam’s Bowling Alone highlights a perceived decline in social capital formed through secondary associations to which individuals belong which aggregate social capital for the collective benefit. After discussions with Saudis whose only introduction to the American way of life is through our films and television, it is clear from the outsider’s perspective why this has happened. The decline in family values and a rise in individualism as distinct from most other societies, for better or for worse, has declined individual membership and affiliations. It is easier for the new generation to belong virtually to many groups while not investing a full social premium in the face-to-face friendships that arise from sustained group contact. The movies reflect our reality. So while most of us laughed at this proposition of the individuality of Americans, saying we were strongly connected to our families, our perceptions are relative.