The reflection of american values in one of the us all time favorite sitcoms friends

iv ABSTRACT Based on the theoretical background of cross-cultural communication, this study aims at investigating the American values reflected in one of the US all-time favorite sitcom

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

* * *

PHÓ QUỲNH ANH

THE REFLECTION OF AMERICAN VALUES

IN ONE OF THE US ALL-TIME FAVORITE

SITCOMS "FRIENDS”

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS (TEFL)

SUPERVISOR: PHAN THỊ VÂN QUYÊN, M.A

- Ha Noi, May 2011 -

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to send my deepest gratitude to

my supervisor – Ms Phan Thi Van Quyen for her careful guidance and valuable advice For all her sympathy and patience during the time I carry out this study, I am truly grateful

I would also take this opportunity to express my biggest thankfulness to all my classmates at E1K41, who have always been there for me, supporting me physically and mentally I want to say a special thank to Ms Pham Thi Thuy Linh who encouraged me to follow this subject and guided me with my first steps of doing the research; to

Ms Nguyen Thanh Thuy, Ms Nguyen Vu Xuan Lan, Ms Nguyen Hong Ngoc, Ms Truong Hai Ha and Ms Vi Dieu Thuan for their constant support as well as cooperation in my data collecting procedure

I would like to thank the informants, both Vietnamese and American, who were so generous and willing to help me with the questionnaire Had it not been for their generosity and concerns for the subject, the study could not be accomplished

Above all, I would like to express my greatest love and gratitude

to my parents and my two best friends Ms Nguyen Hoang Khanh Minh and Ms Dang Thi Nhu Y for their unconditional caring and thoughtfulness Without them, I would not have the strength and the will to go to the end of this long challenging road

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ACCEPTANCE

I hereby state that I: Phó Quỳnh Anh from group 071E1- Fast track program, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use

of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper

Signature

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ABSTRACT

Based on the theoretical background of cross-cultural communication, this study aims at investigating the American values reflected in one of the US all-time favorite sitcoms ―Friends‖, and the differences in the perception of those values between Vietnamese viewers and American viewers

The main instruments of data collection are observation and questionnaire To succeed in doing this research, the author of the study takes informants‘ social parameters such as age, living area, and knowledge of foreign language(s) into consideration Besides, their surveyed responses are carefully analyzed to build a general set of viewpoints of the audience on ―Friends‖

It is revealed in the study that ―Friends‖ expresses fully all American values listed in the foundation theory Furthermore, there are noticeable differences in the perception of those values between Vietnamese viewers and American viewers due to the gap of cultural knowledge

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iv

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES viii

CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION 1

I Statement of Topic 1

II Significance of the Study 3

III Aims of Study and Research Questions 3

IV Scope of the Study 4

V Overview of the Research Paper 5

CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW 6

I Culture and Cultural Values 6

1 Definition of Culture 6

2 Components of Culture 8

3 Cultural Value 9

II American Cultural Values 10

III The sitcom ―Friends‖ 19

CHAPTER III – METHODOLOGY 22

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I Participants 22

II Data collection instruments 23

1 Observation 23

2 Questionnaire 23

III Data collection procedure 24

IV Data analysis method 25

CHAPTER IV – RESULTS & ANALYSIS 27

I Realization of American values reflected in ―Friends‖ 27

1 Individual Freedom 27

2 Self-reliance 33

3 Equality of opportunity 36

4 Competition 40

5 Hard work 46

6 Material wealth 49

7 Directness, Openness and Honesty 51

8 Practicality and Efficiency 54

9 Change orientation 57

10 Informality 60

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11 Future orientation 62

12 Time and its control 64

II Vietnamese and American viewers‘ perception of the American values reflected in ―Friends‖ 65

Question 1: Do you find ―Friends‖: Extremely funny/Funny/Not funny? 66

Question 2: Do you have any difficulties while watching ―Friends‖? Language/Background knowledge/None? 67

Question 3: Among these listed American values, which one is reflected in ―Friends‖ according to your observation? 70

Question 4: Among the values you recognize, which one is the most obviously seen? Which one is the least obviously seen? 77

CHAPTER V – CONCLUSION 80

I Summary 80

II Implication 81

III Limitation of the study 82

IV Suggestion for further research 83

REFERENCE 84

APPENDICES 86

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LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure 1& 2: The level of hilarity of ―Friends‖ in the view of

Vietnamese and American audience

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Figure 3: Difficulties of Vietnamese and American viewers while

watching ―Friends‖

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Figure 4: American values reflected in ―Friends‖ according to

Vietnamese and American viewers

77 Figure 5: The most obviously seen American value according to

Vietnamese and American viewers

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Figure 6: The least obviously seen American value according to

Vietnamese and American viewers

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CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION

I Statement of Topic

[The gang is hanging out in the coffee shop]

Phoebe: I'm going to get a coffee Anybody want anything?

Monica: I'll have a latte

Ross: I'll have a blueberry muffin, with a decaf

Chandler: I'll have a bagel with a little [Interrupted by Phoebe] Phoebe: You know, I was just being polite

I am not giving you just a random funny story; it is one of the daily conversations among friends in the all-time favorite sitcom series

―Friends‖ If you watch the scene, it will be more vivid and hilarious In the series, there are tons of situations where you can laugh at, have some fun and enjoy your time; many people agree with that But there are more than jokes and laughter in the series Viewers can see friendship being honored; learn lessons about dealing with situations in life, etc And in the eyes of a young researcher, there are American values reflected in the series As for the example above, we can see not only politeness (the reason for Phoebe asking if anyone needs anything), but also directness (Phoebe directly says that she was just being polite to her friends) and the self-help spirit (Phoebe expects that her friends should get their own drinks and cake)

Many people I know watch ―Friends‖ and conclude: ―Yes, it‘s funny Then what?‖ or ―The series is just about six people in New York,

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what‘s the big deal?‖ It seems to me that the sitcom has been seriously misunderstood as some cheap normal sitcom, in which there are some silly situations and jokes There must be a reason why ―Friends‖ is a huge success of American sitcom industry, is warmly welcomed and eagerly expected for ten years of its broadcast, from 1994-2004, besides

the jokes and funny situations The Los Angeles Times called it "flat-out

the best comedy series of the new season", even a British website

http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/friends.htm assured that ―Friends‖ is

―one of the last great television phenomenon‘s of the last century‖ and

―has become the "Must" in "Must-See TV" for the NBC network in the USA‖ ―Friends‖ is a sitcom series about six friends in their twenties, with their own troubles, living in New York, where the daily situations

in life bring about the lessons and gradually transform them into ups Each character carries in themselves the characters of New Yorkers and lives up to their principles which are the manifestations of the American values In the period of 10 years, the sitcom reflects closely the New York society and its changes over time: jobs are being more important, single life is popular, sexuality is openly discussed, etc To some extent, ―Friends‖ is one of the valuable sources to study New Yorkers‘ behavior, hence the values they live by

grown-Therefore, ―Friends‖ is the target of my research not for its being funny, but because of its richness in American values that viewers can find in each conversation or action of every episode

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II Significance of the Study

Someone may think that the study is not worth doing since it is about funny stories and practical jokes I see it differently and take the sitcom seriously First and foremost, the research will give readers an insightful view of the sitcom, which is the hidden value beyond words and jokes Readers will know about New Yorkers‘ life, their beliefs and values reflected in their words and actions, their favorite topics, their lifestyles, etc As a result, it would be of great help for American language and culture teachers and learners The sitcom will enable learners to withdraw lessons from a less academic and head-aching source, yet authentic and useful The casual and friendly atmosphere of watching this sitcom will make learners feel relaxed and more willing to study American culture Besides, there have been not many researches

on this particular subject; hence mine would be a contribution to the category, and also a reference for those who want to carry out a research

in the same field, on the same subject

III Aims of Study and Research Questions

This study aims at finding out the values of Americans in general reflected in the sitcom ―Friends‖, and investigating the perceptions of Vietnamese viewers of the American values reflected in the sitcom The answers to these questions will help the researcher see the cultural gap between American and Vietnamese From that, the researcher can suggest the implications for Vietnamese viewers to watch the sitcom effectively and meaningfully, as well as for the use of ―Friends‖ in

 What are the American values reflected in the sitcom “Friends”?

 What are Vietnamese and American viewers’ perceptions of the American values reflected in the sitcom “Friends”?

IV Scope of the Study

In this study, generally, the researcher aims at the values of the American even though the setting of the sitcom is in New York and the main characters are New Yorkers Therefore, only the American values mentioned in the literature review are taken into account

Participants are both American and Vietnamese people who have watched fully 10 seasons of the sitcom ―Friends‖ Moreover, because

―Friends‖ was broadcast from 1994 to 2004, about the lives of six New Yorkers from their mid twenties to thirties; therefore, the age of the audience is also in the same range Consequently, the questionnaires would be delivered to those from the age of 20 to 40 in order to match the age range of the targeted audience of the sitcom

As for Vietnamese viewers, since the language barrier somehow limits their understanding of the sitcom as well as the values in it, the researcher does not have high expectation of them absorbing fully what

is hidden underneath the words The paper will record Vietnamese viewers‘ thoughts of American values as far as they are perceived

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V Overview of the Research Paper

The Research Paper consists of chapters:

Chapter I: Introduction – an overview of the research paper which contains the research‘s rationale, the aim, the significance and the scope of the study

Chapter II: Literature review – the theoretical foundation for the research

Chapter III: Methodology – detailed methods that have been used and the procedures that have been followed by the researcher

Chapter IV: Findings – the answers to the research questions Chapter V: Summary – the conclusion for the research and suggestions for the use of ―Friends‖ in studying American studies and Cross-cultural communication

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CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW

I Culture and Cultural Values

1 Definition of Culture

Many definitions of the term ―culture‖ have been proposed since people started to realize the existence of culture in daily life In their

book Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions, Alfred

Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of the word ―culture‖, and grouped them into three basic senses:

 Excellence of taste in the fine art and humanities, also known

as ―high culture‖

 An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning

 The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group

In this research, we do not mention ―culture‖ as ―high culture‖, but in the other two senses of meaning In these senses, there have been many ways of understanding the term ―culture‖ also

Ronald Wardhaugh (1993) shortly and simply defines culture in his book as ―the ‗know-how‘ that a person must possess to get through the task of daily living.‖ This definition is simple but hasn‘t shown the

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source of culture; it is just the function or the role of culture in a person‘s life

Meanwhile, Kluckhohn (1951) thinks that:

Culture is the patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting, required and transmitted mainly by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments of artifacts, the essential core of culture consists

of traditional (i.e historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values.

He adds the mutual influence between culture and the people It

is true that culture is formed by the people, but it also constitutes the achievements of human groups, decides their actions, thoughts and feelings

Hofstede (1991) extends Kluckhohn‘s definition by purporting that culture is learned from one's social environment and is not genetic

Therefore, Nguyen Quang (1998) introduces that culture is non-natural

It has been created through ―the history of human development‖; hence

it ―is not static and is always changing‖ The beliefs and values people have and practice right now is different from the one our ancestors had and did

Overall, the researcher finds the definition by Levin and Adelman (1993) the most informative and precise about the subject: ―Culture is a shared background (for example, national, ethnic, religious) resulting

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from a common language and communication style, customs, beliefs,

attitudes and values.‖

From this definition, we can conclude that different nations or religions in the world have different cultures; and the people‘s behaviors, attitudes and feelings are decided by the culture they are living in

of their existence

 Values: these are vague beliefs about what is right and correct

in the world, meaning there are certain appropriate forms of action which ought to be taken For example killing is wrong since every life is precious

 Norms: these are socially expected patterns of behavior For example when a Japanese bows as a gesture of greeting, the opposite person is supposed to bow back; or an American gestures a handshake, the opposite person is expected to gives out his/her hand to make a handshake too

 Roles: social roles are patterns of behavior expected of a certain person according to his/her occupation or position

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he/she holds in the society For instance the role of a chef is to cook well, to know food, to be creative and sensitive with food; therefore, if a chef does not cook well or not have sensitivity with food, other people would be surprised and do not regard him a chef

 Role conflict: A person living in this world holds many different roles in a society Mr A can be in the role of a father

to his daughter, a managing director in his company, a friend

to his friend, etc These roles are quite separate and complementary but sometimes, they may conflict For instance a friend of his also works in his department but as a managing director, Mr A has to fire the friend for low performance at work If Mr A fires his friend, he violates the role of a friend which is being supportive and helpful But if

he does not, he violates the role of a managing director which

is keeping the good performance of the company

 Status: This refers to the position of a person or social role in the society according to the amount of prestige received from others In different societies or cultures, the status varies In Vietnam, they used to love girls with black teeth and honored them more than those with white teeth In Japan, Samurai warriors received the greatest prestige, only after the Emperor

3 Cultural Value

As stated above, value is one of the components of culture Here, the word ―value‖ is not understood as the price, money or worth of something, but as in the word ―cultural value‖

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In Cambridge Advanced Leaner‘s Dictionary, value is defined as

―the beliefs people have about what is right and wrong and what is most important in life, which control their behavior.‖ As Wikipedia puts it, simply values ―identify those objects, conditions or characteristics that members of the society consider important; that is, valuable.‖ This definition is quite easy to understand, especially when they use the adjective ―valuable‖ to define ―value‖ But I am not quite contented with this circle-definition Milton Rokeach and socialist Robin William,

on the other hand, agree on a more complicated way of understanding the term To them, ―values are core conceptions of the desirable within every individual and society.‖ They are the ―standards or criteria‖ that orient and determine human‘s behavior such as action, judgment, choice, attitude, and rationalization The cultural values are something like ―pre-codings‖ which control the individual‘s behaviors in that society The researcher finds herself in agreement with these authors Values are shared beliefs among people in one society of the world outside, what is right and wrong They form the straits of people and guide them to react to each situation in life

II American Cultural Values

Now we know what values are, we would come to the question: What are the American values? This simple-five-word-question is never easy to answer for the fact that American itself is a ―nation of nations‖ From birth, American was known as a multi-cultural country, with a little bit of this and that all over the world Immigrants came there because of the belief called ―American Dream‖ It was the hope to rise from poverty or modest wealth to great wealth, to live in freedom and

 The second immigration was between 1820 and 1860 Peasants displaced from agriculture in Europe and artisans made redundant by the industrial revolution were eager to move to the new land

 The third wave began in 1880 and ended in 1914 People moved to the States to find opportunity and stay away from World War I Several hundred thousand Chinese, Japanese and other Asian also came here to settle down

 The fourth wave arrived in the United State after 1965 A change in the preference system encourages people originated from Latin, Asia come to America

Each race of immigrants coming to the land of liberty brought along its own values As they lived together, tried to blend in in the new land, their values partly dissolved and formed the so-called common values in the society they were living in and created a ―melting pot‖ America ―America is God‘s crucible, the great melting-pot where all races of Europe are melting and reforming! Germans and French, Irishmen and Englishmen, Jew and Russian - into Crucible with you all!

God is making the America”( Gerstle G, 2001) On the other hand,

America is also considered a ―salad bowl‖ in which all the ingredients

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still keep their own tastes and values but together, they make a whole united dish Therefore, there are no clear-cut American values in the States Each region will give you a different answer on this topic And

L Robert Kohls (1984) has a very humorous yet logical way of explaining this ―lukewarm‖ situation is that ―The reason for this decision is itself one very American value—their belief that every individual is so unique that the same list of values could never be applied to all, or even most, of their fellow citizens.‖

Should I have to give a general portrait of a typical American, the six traditional core values would be appropriate to draw that picture They are:

1 Individual Freedom

It originated from the foundation of the country The earliest settlers came to the North American continent in 1607 to establish colonies that were free from the controls that existed in European societies By the 1770s, the first 13 colonies were established and they developed their own political and legal systems A war broke out between the new states and the British government in 1775 With much effort and sacrifice, the British colonial settlers won and declare their independence from England in 1776, and established a new nation – the United States of America And so, in the Constitution written in 1789, the founders limited the power of the government, emphasized on the individual The United States came to be associated in their minds with the concept of individual freedom

Scholars and outside observers often call this value individualism, but many Americans use the word freedom instead

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Freedom here means the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference from the government, a ruling noble class, the church, etc People can do anything according to their own wills, as long as their actions do not violate the law or others‘ freedom The manifestation of freedom in daily life can be recognized by the way people choose to dress, their decision of which school to go, where to settle down, what job to takes, what to say…And their privacy – the ―ultimate result of individualism‖ (Kohls, 1984) is one precious property Privacy invasion could be taken

as a crime in some cases

2 Self-reliance

Self-reliance is the price that Americans have to pay for individual freedom You ask for freedom, you have it and no other people will interfere in your life including help or assistance You have

to do everything on your own

―In the United States, a person can take credit only for what he or she has accomplished by himself or herself‖ (Kohls, 1984) They even take pride on being successful despite the poor background They try to

do things on their own, try to ―stand on their own feet and one is never supposed to be dependent on a group‖ (Hofstede, 1991)

The American also embraces this value When a youngster reaches a certain age, he/she is expected to move out and starts his/her own life: find a job, afford a house, solves crisis and conflicts on their own…Even if some Americans are not truly self-reliant, they believe that they must at least appear to be so in order not to lose respect from their peers Although receiving financial support from family, charity,

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or the government is allowed but is never admired People think that

those help should be short-lived Their language also shows this value

when there is the prefix ―self‖ for words which already have a complete meaning, for example self-help, self-control, self-criticism, and self-reliance And the Americans often say ―I got it‖, ―I can handle it‖, ―I can take it‖, ―I‘m ok‖, etc to show their independence

3 Equality of opportunity

This value is also the reason why so many immigrants are drawn

to this country They believe that everyone has a chance to succeed here since they have their freedom, hence are not bound in the strict rules of controllers from their hometowns There is no class system in the United States so people living in America may come from different places with different backgrounds, but they are all equal However, it is important to understand that equality of opportunity is different from egalitarianism Americans believe that each individual should have an equal chance to be successful, to enter the race to success, compete against each other and win

The American tends to give equal opportunity to everyone regardless of their backgrounds To get into a university, you have to take test or an exam whoever you are; to get a job, you have to take an interview like everybody else, etc

4 Competition

Competition and Equality of opportunity make a pair It is true that Americans have the equality but only in opportunity Whether they succeed or not is another matter It‘s competition To Americans, living

is like competing in a race to success From the same starting point,

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people have to compete with each other to get what they want, in a fair

and square way “The pressures of competition in the life of an

American begin in the childhood and continue until retirement from

work.”(Vu, 2009) The people who are competitive and are successful

are called winners; those who are not competitive and are less successful are called losers Old people in the US do not have as much honor and respect as they have in other less competitive societies because they can no longer compete, hence become unfit in the mainstream of American life

This value also explains why Americans are competitive in many aspects of their lives Companies compete with one another to get the most customers and benefits In office, staffs compete with one another

to get promotion In school, students compete with one another in sports

to be popular They find any opportunity to show that they are the best

in something Moreover, America is one of the countries with the most competitions They have dancing competitions; singing competitions, spelling competitions, cooking competitions, intellectual competitions, beauty competitions, etc It is simply because the Americans want to compete and show off their talents They want to show that they can be someone, do something significant

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other way than working by their own hands and pouring their hearts into their work

The Americans focus on their work more as time goes by There

is a new word invented to describe those who are addicted to work: workaholic They put their work in front of anything, always on the move to solve something In language, people start to ask ―Where do

you work?‖ or ―What do you do‖ more when meeting new people

6 Material wealth

Another reason why immigrants come to the USA is ―to have a better life – that is to raise their standard of living.‖ In their old countries, people are judged by their social status As a result, they come to America, set up new criteria for social acknowledgement and respect – that is property or material wealth Moreover, the material wealth is also the reflection of being hard work – the fifth value They consider that there richer you are, or the more properties you own, the harder you work, hence the more respectable you become

Those are six basic traditional American values which are formed based on the foundation of the country and some manifestations of them

in daily life of the American Besides the six traditional ones, in his study ―The Values Americans live by‖ (1984), L Robert Kohls, Executive Director of The Washington International Center adds six values more which are:

 Directness, openness and honesty

 Practicality and efficiency

 Change orientation

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 Informality

 Future orientation

 Time and its control

7 Directness, openness and honesty

In the book ―American ways: a guide for foreigners in the United States‖ (2003, p.27) the authors Gary Althen, Amanda R Doran and Susan J Szmania emphasize that ―Americans generally consider themselves as to be frank, open and direct in their dealings with other people‖ They prefer to ―explicitly state what they think and what they want from other people.‖ So a straight-forward comment, a blunt refusal, a daring requirement are not something the American do to

make the other lose face, but it is just the way they are

8 Practicality and efficiency

Practicality is one of the distinctive values of the American They need something that can yield good result, that is productive, that is beneficial to their lives Companies want to hire someone who is practical and efficient so that they can ―save time‖ and be productive People want to be with those who are down-to-earth and not dreamy Sometimes, this value is not so appreciated in other countries because it

appears to lack emotion

9 Change orientation

―In the American mind, change is seen as an indisputably good condition‖, said Kohls Change means improvement, progress, growth The Americans believe in changes Isn‘t that the reason why Barack Obama, the president of the United States came up with his famous

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slogan: ―The change we need‖? Moreover, it is also related to the fact that American people are immigrants, they are mobile So the change in living places, lifestyle, etc is essential to people with mobility

10 Informality

Informality does not mean rude or disrespect to the American They just want to create a friendly atmosphere to people around them They can call their boss by his/her first name The once popular greeting ―How are you‖ is replaced by just ―Hi‖ – short and to the point which is merely greeting Kohls also reveals ―the American would consider such informality as a compliment.‖ You only use informal forms of communication with people close to you or those you feel comfortable with Therefore, informality is considered a compliment from the speaker to the hearer with the meaning that you are close to

me, or I am comfortable when talking to you

11 Future orientation

They tend to look forward and do not take much consideration about the past The saying ―Let bygones be bygones‖ clearly illustrates their viewpoint on the past They often think that the past is something you cannot change, but you can change the future And as change is one

of their values, future-the thing they can change is also valuable

This value can be seen in their language They often ask people about their plan or their intention likes ―What are you going to do when

you graduate/turn 30/get married…?‖

12 Time and its control

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The American prefers to be on time, lateness is something unacceptable Time is precious, like gold or money, which needs to be

―kept‖, ―saved‖, ―used wisely‖, ―spent‖ and it would be terrible if you

―lose‖, ―waste‖ time

III The sitcom “Friends”

The sitcom is set in New York and the stories are about the lives

of six New Yorkers, 3 ladies and 3 gentlemen, in their mid-twenties, with different characteristics as well as beliefs and values Each character portrays a side of an average American and the six of them

together draw a picture of typical Americans

 Rachel Greene: is a spoilt rich girl who left her rich fiancé to come to New York for a carefree life She is very practical and witty

 Monica Geller: is a chef Since her brother was favored over her when they were small, Monica grew up to be very competitive and controlling

 Phoebe Buffay: is a freelancer She is free-spirited and also spiritual She always does weird things and appears to be very laid-off

 Ross Geller: is Monica‘s older brother He is a paleontologist Ross is the nerd in the group and always plays safe He can be competitive sometimes He is also a little girly compared to the other two guys

 Joey Tribbiani: is an Italian-American He is an actor in searching for a role He is goofy but is popular with the ladies Joey‘s life is really simple: food, the Knicks and sex

Scholarly works on ―Friends‖ are scant but analysis and response are quite abundant Daniella Antelo, journalist from http://www.helium.com said ―the dialogue is inventive and smart and honest The show stays true to how people/friends live and interact with

one another in everyday life.” An article on Chicago Tribune by

Johnson in 2004 said ―Friends‖ was the ―voice of a generation‖, a spoke

of lifestyle on an emotional and comedic level Sharing the same opinion, the Baltimore Sun also paid a tribute to the close of the sitcom

by acclaiming ―Friends‖ as the ―popular show that captured a

generation and changed the message of prime time” The ―Friends‖

generation is called ―generation X‖ when a lot of changes in lifestyle took place: women and men are becoming equal in social role, being

―Outstanding Comedy Series‖; Emmy Award 1998 – ―Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series‖ goes to Lisa Kudrow, etc

With all the awards and critics, ―Friends‖ proves itself to be not only one of the US all-time favorite sitcoms but also a worth-studying culture-mirror for its capture of the American values, which will be revealed more clearly in chapter IV

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CHAPTER III – METHODOLOGY

With the aim of finding out the American values reflected in the sitcom ―Friends‖ and the actual values perceived by Vietnamese viewers, the researcher uses observation and questionnaire as the tools

to collect data for this study

As for Vietnamese viewers, since the language barrier somehow limits their understanding of the content of the sitcom as well as the values expressed in it, the researcher does not have high expectation of them absorbing fully what is hidden underneath the words However, only the answer from participants whose language proficiency is advanced is taken The people, whose language level is intermediate but they express intriguing ideas, are also taken into consideration The paper records Vietnamese viewers‘ thoughts of American values as far

as they are perceived

in the checklist

2 Questionnaire

To answer the second question of the research, the researcher uses questionnaire The strong point of questionnaire is its ability to collect data from a wide range of participants (Mackey & Gass, 2005) and to the ability to generalize the common ideas The questionnaire for this research consists of two types of questions: close-ended questions and open-ended questions

The first part – About informant – is to not only get some specific information about the informants, but also to categorize them, whether they are the right target for the study or not

The second part – Questions – consists of closed-ended and ended questions related to the sitcom The close-ended questions help the researcher probe the perception of viewers about the sitcom: if it

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collides with the intention of the moviemakers or not; if it matches the researcher‘s hypothesis of the reflected American values or not; if the Vietnamese viewers‘ opinion is different from the Americans‘ Additionally, by using open-ended questions, the researchers can have specific examples and personal viewpoints of the watchers

After retrieving the questionnaire, the researcher sort out the participants who stand out with interesting or ambiguous viewpoints, and carry out in-depth interviews with them to get more and clearer information for the study By talking face to face, the researcher believes that participants will have a chance to fully express their own opinions about the sitcom, which gives a more realistic and specific view of how movie-watchers perceive it

III Data collection procedure

The data collection procedure consists of four main steps, each of which is taken according to a designed timeline The four steps are listed as followed:

Step 1: Preparation

Basing on the literature review and the content of the sitcom, the researcher designs questionnaire and interview questions which can help research get the needed information

Step 2: Questionnaire distribution

The questionnaire is distributed to selected subjects There are

100 questionnaires given out and 100% of them are retrieved Only 80% of them are qualified

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Step 3: Interviewee invitation

After analyzing the retrieved questionnaires, researcher narrows down the 2 potential interviewees – 1 Vietnamese, 1 American who have great interest in this research and suitable features to the researcher‘s concerns Researcher contacts them to make appointments for interviewing schedule

Step 4: Interview

The researcher implements separate interviews with the selected subjects using the same set of designed questions Interviewees have a chance to choose Vietnamese or English for the sake of expressing their opinions naturally and comfortably Note-taking is also exploited to note down every changes in the interviewees‘ gestures, facial expressions or intonation so that a thorough and precise interpretation

of the participants‘ feeling would be examined carefully during the procedure of analysis

IV Data analysis method

In this research, both qualitative and quantitative methods are applied to process the collected date Observation notes, questionnaires, and interview recordings are the primary sources of data They go through an analysis process as followed:

Step 1: Categorize collected data

Provided information is grouped in different categories based on different issues namely (i) what are the American values reflected in the sitcom ―Friends‖, (ii) what are the Vietnamese and American viewers‘ perceptions of the American values reflected in ―Friends‖

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Step 2: Present categorized data

Firstly, the questionnaires are processed by statistical method Specifically, the researcher counts, synthesizes and then puts the statistics into charts and tables so that these tools would serve effectively in illustrating and explaining the data

Secondly, qualitative method is of great help for the researcher to analyze data from the interviews The information provided by the interviewees is analyzed carefully to contribute more intensive and detailed examples as well as explanation

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CHAPTER IV – RESULTS & ANALYSIS

I Realization of American values reflected in “Friends”

With the foundation theory about American values and their manifestations in real life written in chapter I, the researcher watched the whole ten seasons of ―Friends‖ and took note of all the situations, the reactions of characters which reflect the values After 3 months of observation, the research found out that there are 12 out of 12 values listed in the literature review that appear in the sitcom The 12 values all exist in the characteristics and reactions of six main characters In each character, some values are more noticeable than the others Thus, the six

of them together paint a quite detailed, specific and typical picture of Americans in general

The character who represents this value of most is Phoebe Buffay She is unconventional, awkward and often comes up with weird ideas She has a rough childhood when her adoptive mother committed suicide and she had to live on the street, mugging teenagers to live by

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Growing up, she moves to New York and meets the other five characters She works as a musician at their favorite coffee house Central Perk Later, she enjoys working as a masseur even though at that time, the idea of working by ―touching people‖ is not quite appreciated For what she has been through, people expect her to be sad and autistic but she is the opposite of that She is ―upbeat‖, carefree and

a vegetarian She has a unique running style which can be found in season 6 episode 7, where her hands flap like bird wings while running Rachel is her running buddy but she tries to sneak out and run alone due

to embarrassment caused by the eyes of all the passer-bys While Rachel cares about that, Phoebe does not:

Phoebe: Why do you care?

Rachel: Because they're people

Phoebe: But people that you don't know and will never see again!

After the confrontation, Rachel realizes she does not have to act like the mainstream just to please some strangers in the park The two friends then have a lot of fun running together in their crazy styles: flapping hands and loud panting In season 4 episode 11, Phoebe chooses to give birth to a triplet for her half-blood brother since his wife cannot carry a baby due to old age This decision is the most shocking out of many crazy things she has ever done People keep giving her faces when they hear about this Strangers think she commits incest with her brother Her friends, knowing the reason, still show disapproval of her growing her brother‘s baby in her uterus They actually care about her a lot to disagree with such decision They warn her of morning sicknesses, painful labor, and the worst scenario is that she cannot keep the baby

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who stays in her for nine months and may creates a bond Despite all that, she still decides to be the surrogate to carry the baby for her brother out of brother-sisterhood In the end, she is in total bliss with her choice because everybody clearly sees what a huge happiness she brings to her brother‘s family by giving birth to three cute little babies Many things happen in her life, intentionally or accidentally; but all decisions are made by her Phoebe does not care about what other people say or think, as long as she stays happy and be true to herself She is truly an outstanding individual who frees herself from all the boundaries built up by the society

Ross Geller is a guy who is into dinosaurs, puzzles and science, which bores the other friends in the group and is often made fun of Each time he talks about his lectures on paleontology, the others pretend to fall asleep and snore But that does not stop him from pursuing his dream From a staff at the natural history museum, Ross works his way up to a lecturer at New York University, teaching paleontology That is an example of individual freedom in choosing your own career path Ross is also the one who gets married the most among the six – three marriages in his life His first marriage fails because his wife Susan, after years of living together, finds out she is gay Susan, then, gets married to her girlfriend Carol despite the disapproval of her parents No matter how painful he is, Ross respects Susan‘s choice and agrees to give her away at the wedding instead of her father We can clearly see that individual freedom is something to

be respected in the American society

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In season 1 episode 3, the gang is hanging out as usual at Central Perk the coffee shop, and Chandler is smoking People try to convince him to quit because it is a bad habit, but Chandler backfires by saying:

So I have a flaw! Big deal! Like Joey's constant knuckle-cracking isn't annoying? And Ross, with his over-pronouncing every single word? And Monica, with that snort when she laughs? I mean, what the hell is that thing? I accept all those flaws, why can't you accept me for this?

Then the gang starts to quarrel over each other‘s flaws In the end, they learn to accept each other for who they are and friends‘ comments are only constructive suggestions The choice to change or remain the same

is still in the hands of each individual

Individual freedom is not only depicted in the characteristics of the people in the sitcom but also in the situations

Ross and Phoebe argue over evolution in season 2 episode 3 Being a scientist, Ross strongly believes in evolution and scientific evidences like fossils On the contrary, Phoebe is a spiritual woman; hence she is inclined to believe in God and the Creator Ross feels offended when Phoebe looks down on the theory and all the famous scientists, so he brings all the fossils – the ―living dead evidences‖ to show Phoebe the trace of evolution Phoebe also makes her point when stating the fact that there have been many things people believed to be true like the Earth was flat but years later, they realize it is not So there

is a possibility that people might be wrong about evolution also In this case, each character has such a high value on their individualism that no one wants to cave in However, in the end, Ross agrees to admit that

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there‘s a ―teeny tiny possibility‖ that he is wrong and Phoebe wins the argument Again, individual freedom is reflected in the way of thinking Each person is free to choose a religion, a belief, etc; and even though their belief may be contrast with others‘, they still keep their opinion instead of leaning toward the majority

Another guy is Joey Tribbiani In Season 5 episode 13, Rachel hooks him up with some new clothes for his audition One of which is a unisex bag, which looks more like a ―women‘s purse‖ At first he does not like it, but when he wears it on, the look starts to grow on him He figures not only does it look good but it is also very practical ―It's got compartments for all your stuff! Your wallet! Your keys! Your address book!‖ he says ―And your make-up!‖ mocks Ross immediately Chandler adds ―And a date with a man!‖ His friends, except Rachel who works in fashion, all think that the bag is too girly for a man and suggest him get rid of it Ignoring his friends‘ mocking, Joey still loves the bag and carries it all around, even to his audition

Make fun all you want Now, just because you don't understand something, doesn't make it wrong All right? So from now on you guys are gonna have to get used to the fact that Joey comes with a bag! Joey stands up for his own opinion on clothes and sex, and carries on with his life the way he wants it However, the auditioning committee is not a fan of unisex accessories while Joey insists on wearing the bag, acting; so he does not get the part Normally, viewers may predict that Joey would get mad of the bag for failing him in the audition Surprisingly, he does not Instead he says ―It was a stupid play anyway‖

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and still is happy with the ―man‘s bag‖ It is his life and what he does to

it and how he thinks of it is what counts

Privacy – ―the ultimate result of individualism‖ is also mentioned

in ―Friends‖ In each household, there is always a closet where people

―hide‖ their private belongings: a handcuff, a porn book, millions of unused furniture, etc When someone in the group finds out about these secret belongs, the owners often get angry and embarrassed because their privacy is invaded and their secret is out Privacy is often seen in conversation when people use the phrases: ―Can I talk to you in private‖, ―Would you mind giving us some privacy?‖ To these friends

in particular and Americans in general, privacy is valuable and needs to

be strictly respected

Besides its reflection in the traits of the main characters, individual freedom is dense in the air of the whole sitcom The characters have the right to love, date and get married to whomever they want with or without their parent‘s permission Rachel and Ross have a baby together but they do not get married just because they have to They are free to choose their career paths: an actor, a chef, a fashionista,

a masseur and there is even a male nanny – a ―many‖ They choose the person they want to become: Chandler‘s father is a transsexual singer at

a bar in Las Vegas while his mother is a famous porn-writer

People in the sitcom are not bounded by what society expects of them They live their lives and express their true selves After all, that is why they all come to American for: individual freedom