Culture: The Big External Influence 43
and determined that the copied behavior would get it for him. It
could have been a style of socializing or the choice of person he
took to bed.
This pattern continued to evolve throughout the ages until reach-
ing our modern era. Looking for the super-typical, people often
found them in clergy, politicians, and the wealthy. This happened
for obvious reasons: The average man had no voice outside his
immediate sub-group, and no means to amplify his voice. In fact, he
didn’t even know the words to amplify, which is why the literate
clergy represented a ruling class of its own. The wealthy achieved
that status through connections, and belonged to an established
structure with implied power.
As media has proliferated and communication has become ubiq-
uitous, these relationships have taken a dramatic turn. Briefly, I
want to explore American culture with you as a way of under-
standing how cultures evolve—and preparing you to make the
intimate link between the resultant culture and body language.
Even within a culture generally described as “American,” there
are divisions you need to consider, to ask yourself how typical,
super-typical, or sub-typical you are within those. In the United
States, for example, a big part of our culture is a sense of entitlement.
From its inception, the American culture espoused a belief that
all men are created equal. Although often not as valid in practice as
in theory, it was an American ideal. At that time, few people had
the means or savvy to use media in presenting such ideas across