American's do not play well with others

i have discovered a trend with Americans that goes beyond our political relationships with other countries to a much more individual level. Group projects, group papers, group presentations, group discussions, group group group. That is the weapon of choice here at least within the universities. in nearly every single one of my classes i have had to do at least one group paper, most of which determine at least half of my grade for the class.

now, this wouldn't be a problem,save for the fact that i hate group projects. And it's not just me, all of my fellow gringos feel the same. There's the organizational factor, who's going to do what, and when will we meet, who's emailing, printing, spellchecker, it's a disaster.


When a group gets a project, the gringos in the group usually try to figure out "ok whats the best way to divide up the work so its as individual as possible" Maybe this has to do with staunch individualism and self-reliance, but I'm beginning to see it more as a refusal to relay on other people and a desire for praise for doing something all alone and doing it well.

it goes beyond school work though. The level of grassroots organizing for a common goal is amazing. From students protesting education legislation or a community protesting housing, the ability of Chileans to organize and remain a coherent force is truly admirable. There have been a number of protests over the past 5 months, and almost every time, i think "this would never work in the US" mostly because people are very concerned about taking care of themselves and their family, we lack the ability to see ourselves as part of a greater social fabric.

is this outlook better or worse? i have no idea. i still dislike group papers, but at the very least, maybe i've learned a little about sharing, cooperation, taking one for the team, and speaking up to lead a group.