I have continuously felt that there is much more support in many spheres of American life. I am not just talking about extensive financial subsidies that one enjoys – or used to enjoy – in the United States in the form of loans, credits and various financial instruments that few people fully understand. The perception of support is much broader: if you do something and fail, in most cases there is always some kind of backup plan or relief that prevents you from bearing the full consequences.
The realization that there is a backup plan stimulates a tendency to act less carefully. For example, everybody in the United States must have car insurance. That requirement only recently came into force in Ukraine. CD player stolen? You’re covered. Does such assurance consequently make you less careful about locking your car or taking care of your belongings? Perhaps.
Similarly, even if you happen to get a parking ticket in the United States, you have the right to appeal the assessment and come up with a plausible reason for your misconduct. I know for a fact that this backup plan is always on my mind as a potential excuse.
Many U.S. advanced-degree programs do not have a fixed schedule. You could potentially take as long as you’d like to complete your masters in business administration. So, knowing that you do not have to necessarily pass a certain class this semester (or need to drop out) is not exactly a great motivation to graduate.
Finally take Triple A (AAA), a U.S. emergency car service, as an example. For just $60 a year, you can call the 1-800 number, regardless of where you are, 24/7, and get you car towed if something happens to it. You can also call and have it filled with gas, if you did not notice your tank was empty. Subconsciously, I know that I have a backup plan, so I often take the risk of driving on low fuel.
Since this perception of societal backups and support often encourages Americans to take excessive risks, they tend to be more aggressive and less restrained with their ideas and actions.
Ukrainians, by contrast, are much more cautious. They know that if luck turns against them, there will be no miraculous helping hand.
Even though we are witnessing the downside of this perception now, with excessive financial risk-taking that has blossomed into a global financial crisis, I believe there is another side to the coin.
America is the home of world’s greatest innovations. It is amazing that every other person here is a freelancer, has a “business idea” and a personal website. The number of people pursuing MBAs shows that an overwhelmingly large percentage of the nation inspires to be “the head” of the organization or, ideally, to start something new. According to a 2007 survey, the U.S. ranked third after China (259) and Australia (228) in number of new initial public offerings. In one year, 172 companies in the United States took the risk and went public. They raised $34.2 billion, only surpassed by the $63 billion raised by China in the same year.
So, even though the United States is going through a downturn right now that is blamed on negligence and excessive risk-taking, there is a very good Russian proverb that comes to mind: “He who doesn't take risks, doesn't drink champagne.”
Lena Redko, a Kyiv native, lives in San Francisco and is studying for a master’s in business administration at the University of San Francisco. She can be reached at bonjourlena@yahoo.com
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