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Life in the USA is a complete guide to American life for immigrants and Americans. All materials on this siteCopyright © Elliot Essman 2007. All rights reserved. Home Back Next
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Life in the USA Doing Business Getting Started
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American Attitudes Toward Business
The Media. Americans live as well as they do because people take risks and start businesses, and for no other reason. All America's wealth began at some point from entrepreneurial ventures. Yet, now that the United States is not as young a country as it used to be, many people not in business have lost touch with America's entrepreneurial roots. In popular culture, and especially in movies and television, greedy businesspeople are made into villains. A perfect example was the popular American film Wall Street, which portrays unscrupulous, money-hungry financiers. Another is the classic American family film It's a Wonderful Life, where the villain, Mr. Potter, is a heartless banker who only cares about money. Other movies and television shows show conflicts between sympathetic everyday Americans and greedy businessmen or property developers who want to take away their homes or farms.
Real Life. Of course, in real life, each business is different. Many businesses operate
in harmony with their communities (and even with the government). While Hollywood may
continue to churn out unrealistic portraits of businesspeople, America has entered an age in
which the individual entrepreneur is highly regarded. As large companies sink, small, flexible
businesses survive and prosper. In many cases, immigrants are involved. Even in times of
economic difficulty and recession, determined entrepreneurs succeed in America.
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