Cross cultural understanding: a handbook to understand others’ cultures

F.
 
Informality 
Although equality is ignored in some parts of life, it is 
followed closely in others. For example, people treat one 
another very informally, even in the presence of great 
differences in age or social status. This is not a "lack of 
respect," this is the custom in the United States.
Informality is right understood as idealism in practice, or 
democracy in action, the right of the individual balanced by 
his responsibilities, in the basic unit is the family. 
The American visiting Indonesia on the other hand might 
be surprised to see that in Indonesia, the parent-children 
relationship is rather formal, where children have to respect 
their parents, parents still have the authority, and there is no 
‗equality‘ at home.