Social Time:The Heartbeat of Culture - Article Example

Therefore, for the Americans, it is now an unspoken policy that appointments should be finished just on time just as it started on time. This is evident even among students. Whether the professor finished his lecture or not, once the last minute of the period comes, students will immediately leave their class. This is largely observed among Americans as the author mentions in the article based from his experience. For them, leaving the classroom without permission once the period has ended, is not a sign of disrespect but a sign of being busy.

The professor understands that the students have other classes they have to run to or other appointments they have to attend on time. Thus, such is a common scene in America. 12. Brazilians are most often late in their appointments and they are known for it. Perhaps, not one Brazilian would argue about this statement. Stories about their tardiness abound not only through written observations but also through stories which are verbally passed from visitors and natives alike. This attitude could indeed be traced back to their perception about how they consider time and their circumstances.

As the author mentioned, Brazilians less likely blamed themselves for their lateness. Rather, they readily are able to point out some disturbance along the way. For instance, a late student would point out that he left the house in time to take the ride that would bring him to the school just on time but they have gotten into some traffic jam. He would reason out that such incident is out of his control. The Brazilian would not blame himself for not taking an earlier ride, considering the possibility of a traffic jam, so that he would be able to arrive in school on time.

The good part about this though, is that, Brazilians do not often blame others for their incompetence. 13. It may be funny for some to hear that Brazilians consider lateness as a badge of honor. For them, a person who is always late pictures a successful person. Therefore, the one who enters a room the latest is assumed to be the most successful among the people present. Perhaps this concept is based from the thought that a person has a lot of things to do aside from studying or going to the office that is why he is always late.

For instance, attending a conference when it nearly ends, gives the impression that the person came from other equally important appointments. This is also perhaps the reason why Brazilians do not feel ashamed about their tardiness and it has become quite a part of their lifestyle and culture that has now defined them as a group of people. Points of disagreement: 4. The statements, “Brazilians: Their timepieces are consistently inaccurate. And nobody minds”, could not be fairly said about these people.

Based from the descriptions given by the author, he drew this conclusion from his experience in a day. The timepieces of the people he asked in the school about the time at that moment were different but three timepieces definitely do not speak for the Brazilians in general. The clocks he mentioned which showed extremely different times cannot speak for the Brazilians as a whole as well. Who knows, the clocks that he observed that day stopped working that very morning and remedies are still being undertaken.

Brazilian timepieces may vary in the time that they show perhaps in