I’ve held off posting this content for the last week because I’ve realized that is really isn’t all that ground-breaking. It’s a pretty clear disillusionment cycle kind of thing. On the other hand, it goes a long way to describing why I don’t really agree with people processing through stages 1-3, which amounts to about 95% of people out there.
The process constitutes the following phases:
American is Best
This is the flag-waving, unquestioning acceptance that America is the most splendiferous country in the world. This tends to be the default self-perception of most Americans.
What do you mean we’re not the best?
For whatever reason, a closer examination of the facts puts some blots on the snazzy picture. Maybe a lot of blots. For me, this phase happened when I lived in France and spent many an enchanting hour debating/defending the relative merits of America. To an unfortunately large extent, I drank the Kool-aid.
America sucks
For some reason, an enormous number of phase 2 Americans get stuck in this phase. To some degree I think it becomes fashionable to show off how much you think America sucks, because the more critical you are, the more enlightened you are. A friend of mine referred to this in hindsight as his ‘Euro-snob phase’. For me, this culminated in doing extensive research on giving up my American citizenship. Highly stupid.
Hey wait, America is kind of good.
Hmmm, maybe America is the best, but then again, maybe not. A lot depends on how you measure it. I don’t often agree with Paul Krugman, but he has made a good point about comparisons between American and European systems. If you want a lavish social safety net and an inert foreign policy you aren’t likely to be happy with America.
Personally, this whole process has ended up with what I believe to be a much more balanced view of America. There are so many good things about America and American culture that I didn’t appreciate until I was better able to contrast them with other systems.
Whether you ultimately like or dislike America, one thing is true. No other country in the world has a greater ability to transform this planet or a greater potential for good.
17 comments:
That looks like a healthy perspective to me.
For me The United States is the greatest nation in the world. There are problems though. Borders, language and culture.
No argument about the potential/ability. I think what ires a great part of the planet (leaving out those who hate the US just because they are told it's their religious duty) is that we have yet to see the positive exploitation of this capacity match the devastating consequences of the abuse of it. Unfortunately I think that's largely out of control and the snowball consequences of very small things started long ago. But the gov't's indoctrinating attitude certainly doesn't help the population to make educated decisions for interior or foreign policy.
when in doubt start your own country:
http://www.edwardmooney.com/imaginations/
Can any of us really know if we're drinking Kool-aid? In a few years, you'll be blogging about the 5th phase, and how you "drank the Kool-aid" in the 4th.
Joumana, do you really mean to assert that the US has caused more harm in the world than good?
How do you support that claim?
i agree with dave that you seem to have adopted a healthy attitude toward the states. obviously, there are problems, but there is great potential.
i would like to rebut a few of joumana's points, though.
"we have yet to see the positive exploitation of this capacity match the devastating consequences of the abuse of it."
what you must remember is that the US is quite the self-serving, sovereign state. we would love to bring peace to the world, and eliminate poverty. but, unfortunately, we can't realistically do that by ourselves. but, i don't think it's fair to say that there no positive example of US intervention. ask the french.
2ndly,
"...the gov't's indoctrinating attitude certainly doesn't help the population to make educated decisions..."
perhaps in an indirect way, the gov't has somehow brainwashed it's citizens into flag waving zombies. but, it's a little more complicated than that. first, we have freedom of the press and speech (granted by the gov't, it's true) which is broadly interpreted and applied to allow mass media and the marketplace to use unprecendented power to indoctrinate many. but, with freedom, comes responsibility of citizens to see through such techniques of mass media. secondly, patriotism in the american sense seems to be unique among the nations. it's not forced or contrived. the best patriotism is the thoughtful kind as exemplified by matthew. the freedom to draw that conclusion and use it to convince others is not coercion. we have every right to disagree with our government.
which brings me to my final point. the gov't is merely a reflection of the population. it's tempting, even for americans to try to distinguish between the "administration" and the people. but, that isn't valid. the administration refers to only 1/3 of the gov't. the other 2/3 are in constant conflict with the administration. when we choose to support the gov't, we are supporting a unique process that we are quite proud of. it has nothing to do with bush for better or worse. american patriotism is strong because the system is a good one and those of us who benefit from it know it.
positive things about the US from an Austrians point of view:
ranch dressing
cheetos
helping out in World War II
ice cream flavors like cookie and cream
should I go on?
Karin
Perhaps there is a final stage of development in your model (or maybe my having gone through this additional stage stems from a rather German ambivalence towards patriotism). While patriotism is a wonderful thing to share with your fellow countrymen and can rally people to achieve wonderful things, it tends to be deeply offensive at worst, not helpful at best, when expressed towards "outsiders". Everyone has a deep emotional attachment to wherever they consider "home", regardless of how terrible the political system or whatnot may be. I know many Iranians, Zimbabweans, etc. who deeply love their home and can think of no better place on earth (political problems notwithstanding). Assertions of outsiders - Americans, French, Russians - that other places really cut to the heart. The so criticised recoil, because how dare anyone knock on a place in which they have such great emotional investments!
Hence at some point you see that there may be a time and a place for patriotism, but that might not be in foreign policy. If a cause is to be argued it is better to limit the arguments to that cause and not address the issue of whether or not the US (for example) is entitled to serve as "moral guardians" on the basis of its supposed virtues. Perhaps it would be more fruitful to just argue that democracy is good, because all individuals regardless of class, gender, etc. deserve to be taken seriously and have their voices heard with respect to affairs of state, and that all nations should commit themselves to furthering these values and voicing concerns about what they perceive as remisses.Perhaps the US could even venture to assert that particular historical experiences result in their feeling especially strongly about the cause and hence take a more active stance on it than others. Long enough post, sorry. Thanks for provoking the discussion!
hummbumm-
I can't let this slide, your comment:
"BUT in the end to adopt/modify a tag line from Churchill: "The US is the worst nation in the world, except for all the others!""
Churchill never said that what he said was:
"Democracy is the worst form of government, except all the others that have been tried."
You changed the meaning and the spirit of what he acutally said so I had to correct.
I think the most dangerous elements in America is the 5th column columnists, Borders, "free trade", the one party system that is the demecans and republicrats.
Look what I did! I am correcting someone by misquoting the man myself. Here is the actual word for word quote:
"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."
Sorry I didn't look it up first.
what are you talking about? everyone knows lebanon is the center of the world! but no one will understand until they've tastes the food..sheesh
Mary Ann, post-WW2 history supports my claim. Most of the "problem regions" of today were spawned, at least partially, of US politics. Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Korea, Israel, Lebanon, the Cold War, Kosovo and the domino-like consequences of all the above, not to mention the annihilation of indigenous cultures at home and abroad and the very serious environment problems. I do not go so far as to make them sole responsible for all of the above, and I certainly didn't say they never do any good, but I stand by my point that we have yet to see the good they do outweigh the bad. I don't think the US are evil, but I believe they're irresponsible as hell and haven't the slightest perspective of what other nations want or need.
Or to make the point much more simply: the amount of money invested by the US in the war machine could have brought long-term solutions to world hunger.
To answer Josh: "Freedom of the press" in the US is only a slogan, not a reality. You might want to read a book titled "News: the politics of illusion" for a disturbing reality check. The rest of your argument is a disheartening copy-paste of a discourse so homogeneous it just proves my point about governmental indoctrination. Basically too many of you spout the same unfounded "truths" you don't bother to question first.
Now, now folks, we're starting to drift a bit off the issues at hand into some personal attacks. Please feel free to express and back up your opinions, but play nicely in the sandbox.
I think the thing that causes most of the problem is that in constantly telling the rest of the world that it is the best, the Usa is teling us we are not. No country likes being gratuitously insulted by a triumphalist nation which is the best at some things it will not own up to, either, because they are very negative. I am thinking, for example, of the fact that the Usa makes such a large part of the world's pollution, which it exports free of charge, whether we want it or not.
On the other hand, to judge from your entertainments industry, you have a higher proportion of violent and psychopathic killers than the rest of the world; your courts are more likely to get the wrong verdict than anywhere not run by a dictator; it's still not safe to be black around a policeman. And for some strange reason you are a magnet for visits from people from other planets!
I live in a small country in Europe. I like much of my country and dislike bits of it, but I am aware that the rest of the world exists. I have met many Usas who did not, really, understand about the rest of the planet. So take the black students who, after 9/11 wanted to know why Africans wanted to strike against their country.
I am sure your country has some great things about it, to be enjoyed and be proud of, butit helps if you don't ram it down everyone's throat.
well, it would appear that there needs to be some understanding coming from both sides. because if you understand the US the way you want us to understand you, then you would realize that we don't ram anything down anyone's throats. we're like salesmen, we're offering you the best product for the price it's worth. you can take it or leave it. let's take cars. bmw's are the best (i realize that they're german). but, you're going to pay for what you get. you're probably not going to find a cheap bmw. it would be unreasonable to attack a bwm salesman for "forcing" us to buy a bmw when all we really wanted to pay for was a ford escort. you can buy whatever you want. but, it's always in the back of your mind that bmw's are the best.
and i don't think that by saying so, i'm forcing american cultural values. there are people who don't like bmws. they're entitled. and they shouldn't have to worry about backlash.
My heavens we have touched on a slippery subject at best haven’t we?
I don't know allot of political policy but I do know that we are a free county and allot of people who are not from here choose to live here. Even go to the lengths of risking their life and breaking the law to do so.
So I figure we cant be that horrible. No one likes the pollution but we, as Americans need to take responsibility individually for part of that.
I love my country. Would I consider living in another country? Yes I would, but it would not be cause I hated the US. Its would be because I urn for new experiences, places and people.
I think it’s a waste of time for us to be bashing each other like this. Focusing on the negative doesn’t do anyone any good. Every place has good and bad we should focus on the good and not judge things we are not familiar with.
oh and yes...if I had a BMX salesman following me day and night all over the place telling me how great the BMW is, that my car sucks and that I am a total idiot and DO NOT know how to drive because I don't owm a BMW....trust me...sooner or later...I'd punch him in the nose....wouldn'T you?
Karin
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