Preview

Brazil and the United States: so Different and so Alike.

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
610 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Brazil and the United States: so Different and so Alike.
Brazil and the United States: so different and so alike.

Brazil can be compared to the United States in several aspects. Both countries have a lot of things in common; however, we can point some differences too.

The first thing we’re going to discuss is the way people act in both countries. Brazil prefers collectivism, whereas the United States prefers individualism. This means that, in Brazil, they support group interaction and think it’s really important. The United States differs from this, because they are a lot more individualistic, and believe that people shouldn't worry about the group very much, but just themselves and family. By the way, we can notice that Brazilians are more casual, while Americans are more reserved.

One obvious difference is the language and the communication. Brazilians speak Portuguese, which contains a large number of indigenous terms, particularly Tupi-Guarani; on the other hand, Americans speak English which contains numerous loan words from European and Native American. In Brazil, the conversation style is very dynamic and often considered very noisy. In the United States; in contrast, people are usually offended by this behavior and consider it to be rude, but in Brazil, no one is offended. Besides, Brazilians tend to look at the person they’re talking to straight in the eyes. Americans; nevertheless, often feel uncomfortable with this attitude.

Another difference between Brazil and the United States involves educational issues. Education in the United States is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local; by comparison, in Brazil it’s regulated by the federal government, through the Ministry of Education, which defines the guiding principles for the organization of educational programs. Brazilian children must attend school with a minimum of 9 years; still, the school is usually inadequate. It happens because the federal

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Brazil what ways would I change an argument due to cultural differences in the country? According to Brazil.org Brazilians are one of the most varied and diverse types of people cause by the different types of nationalities that have inhabited the area over past centuries. This being noted Brazilians are very different from American culture for instance in America many people greet each other by shaking hands, but in Brazil people are more affectionate such as woman greet each other by kissing each other on the cheek as men still use the handshake method.…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    615 Case 2

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages

    2. While the Brazilian culture is typically late, I would advise an American to be early if not on time when it came to business negotiations. Brazilians take business very seriously and prefer one on one negotiation opposed to other forms of communication (phone meetings, email and even teleconferences). Do your due diligence. Spend a bit of time learning not only about the company you are thinking of doing business with, but also the men or women you are about to enter negotiations in. Find the common ground, a place where you can meet and common interests you can talk about to continue to build the relationship before you even discuss the business at hand. So much information is now available online to gather the knowledge about your foreign counterparts.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    - Everyone in the community is a different color, in America it's either your black, Asian, white, etc. In Brazil, everyone is a different color it seems, like a rainbow.…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Brazil is a melting pot, the most authentic melting pot in the entire World. Brazilian culture is a mix of cultures from other parts of the world, it's impossible to talk about Brazilian culture without the influences…

    • 260 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Although Ecuador and the United States are part of the American Continent they have many differences. Ecuador and the United States have some very significant cultural differences. One important difference is the people. Ecuador is a homogeneous society of one culture and a few minorities. As a result, all areas of government and society are controlled by the Ecuadorian majority. In contrast, although the United States is a country with European roots originally, its liberal immigration policy has resulted in its becoming a heterogeneous society of many cultures, such as Europeans, Africans, Asians, and Hispanics. They are represented in all facets of American society, including business, education, and politics.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Brazil is seen as a country that flourishes with life. The people appear to be friendly, life seems to be grandeur, and society does not seem to battling social issues. This is the image that Brazil portrays to the world. Behind this image there is a society is that it torn by identity and race. It is an internal struggle.…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Voting in Brazil differs from the way people in America vote. In Brazil, to vote you need to 18, both men and women, unemployed or employed can vote; however, it is mandatory for employed men and women to vote. In America it is not mandatory for anyone to vote, a person only needs to be at the age of 18 or older with no further requirements. Next, Brazil was given independence in 1822, but they did not become a federal republic until 1988 because they were previously run as a monarchy. America formed a federal republic in 1776, when it gained its independence. One of the last major differences is who the countries gained their independence from. Brazil gain its independence from Portugal and America gained its independence from Great Britain. This influences the languages that the people in these two countries speak. In Brazil people speak Portuguese and in America people speak English. These are three of the major political differences between Brazil and America.…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When greeting they expect a firm handshake with strong eye contact. When doing business in Brazil don't be taken aback if they stand very close to you when speaking. Moving away may be interpreted…

    • 410 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Chapter 5 Outline

    • 5552 Words
    • 20 Pages

    6. How does the concept of race differ between Brazil and the U.S.? 
A. In the U.S. a person with any amount of Black ancestry has historically been designated as Black; this has not been the case in Brazil.
B. In Brazil a person with any amount of Black ancestry has historically been designated as Black; this has not been the case in the U.S.
C. In the U.S. and in Brazil one’s racial categorization is strongly…

    • 5552 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Brazil Culture

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Brazil’s cultural influences are as important as the United States. Brazil has many influences. Brazil’s culture is influenced by festivals, Brazil’s culture is also influenced by dating and marriage traditions because people have started to be more attached to this particular tradition of different dating and marriage traditions. Another one of Brazil's culture influences is education. Education there in Brazil is not as functional as the United States education. Brazil has a big attachment to traditions, maybe because it keeps the citizens in one piece. Brazil’s culture is influenced by dating, marriage traditions, and education.…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Brazil Research Paper

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages

    There is a lot to know about Brazil, but first you should know about its location. Brazil borders ten countries. These countries include Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Paraguay, Perú, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Basically all the countries in South America except Chile and Ecuador. The country capital of Brazil is Brasilia. Brazil is also the fifth largest nation in the world. The other four largest…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Brazil Culture

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Brazil is a land of diverse culture and people, due to being part of the former colonial empire belonging to Portugal. It is the only country in South America to have Portuguese as its national language instead of Spanish. Along with this colonization, Brazil would see a huge surge of culture from many immigrant populations that would appear over the centuries. A big part of this culture, however, would be cuisine. Brazil being a land of immigrants and colonist would become the largest country in South America stretching through many different regions of the continent, further diversifying their food culture. With so much food and culture that began to shape from the culture of immigrants of different origins, much Brazilian…

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Brazilians are tactile this transfers over into their presentation of arguments. They also like to maintain eye contact for long periods of time when conducting business or presenting their arguments. As an American it is wise to remember to adapt to the other culture ways and partake in eye contact or you might not be taking seriously. Brazilians believe if you are reserved that you are unfriendly which could cause harm to both business communication and social interactions. Americans use humor to reduce the seriousness in a room but in Brazil humor using humor in business communication could possibly be interpreted as a not taking the situation serious. Here in America we think punctuality while Brazilians are more relaxed. Brazilians tend to move to a slower pace that carries over into business which has often delayed or cancelled meetings with no prior warnings. Here is America you are expected to give a warning if you are running late or will be cancelling a meeting if not you are considered rude for not considering the other persons time. In America if you are scheduled for a business meeting you can expect the meeting to last 1 hour unless noted that it may take longer. However in Brazil it is common for meeting to last hours…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Htt 200 Final

    • 1815 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Brazil is located in eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil borders Argentina, Bolivia, Columbia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. That is every South American country with the exception of Chile and Ecuador. The climate is mostly tropical throughout Brazil, but more temperate in the southern parts (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010).…

    • 1815 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Even though the current Brazilian president is a woman, it is still heavily dominated male society. Brazilian men often take a macho stance and are the primary breadwinners as well the domineering force within a household, but this is just one type of family that makes up a culturally/ socially diverse country. Per Dessen & Torres (2002), “...Brazilian contemporary family includes a hierarchical structure, with husband/father exerting authority and power over the wife and children, a work division separating 'masculine' from 'feminine' tasks, and attribution and the bigger proximity between the mother and the children (Dessen & Torres, “Family and socialization factors in Brazil: An overview...”).” Meanwhile in the US, as we read in the Stephanie Coontz (1999) article: “What's new is not that women make half their families' living, but that for the first time they have substantial control over their own income, along with the social freedom to remain single or to leave an unsatisfactory marriage (Coontz, “The American Family”).” In Brazil women are now catching up to that type of lifestyle in the sense of more equality between men and women in the…

    • 1498 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics