A director of the ACM program to Zimbabwe didn't realize this difference. When a colleague dropped in on him, he told the Zimbabwean he didn't have time to visit, was working on a project. The man was offended and thereafter sabotaged the program. I found this out by listening to my Zimbabwean secretary. Americans highly value egalitarianism.
All people have an equal opportunity to succeed in life.
We are squeamish about having domestic help and about using titles that convey rank or prestige. To African cultures rank, prestige and ceremony are very important. In Cameroon and Zimbabwe, students addressed me as doctor, stood up when I entered the room, carried my books, and walked to the taxi park to see that I was safely in a taxi to get home before dark. My American students in Zimbabwe repeatedly offended their host parents by calling them by their first names. Americans encourage independence, individualism and privacy rather than interdependence and community Americans honor individualism.