by pheromoaner on Fri Sep 23, 2005 12:07 am
Well I managed to resist this carrot of a question for a couple of days. quite a dangerous thing to ask. but it keeps coming back to haunt me. and well, ive got a bit of time to kill so it may make me clarify some very mixed opinions.
so what do I think of americans.
well... firstly I must point out that I am only talking about the U.S.
Canadians, mexicans and all those down south often get lumped in to this subject but they are of course different from U.S. citizens.
now in the rest of the world we tend to come across the U.S. in 5 ways so to give a clear idea of what i think I must seperate them out as my opinions differ wildly.
1 the individual citizens in the U.S
In my visits to the U.S. the people that I have met have been absolutely delightful, almost without exception. you could put this down to only meeting people that are within a particular mileu. but on a recent trip to L.A. I met with people as diverse as the management of the Ghetty centre, cal arts, ex-convict hispanic muralists, and some projects in Watts, oh and O. J. Simpson too. hehe
they were all great, full of compassion and focus (perhaps with the exception of OJ) the shocking thing to me however was how little they understood of the people from the other group/status/class (call it what you want). I really did sense some big divisions that all seemed to revolve around income or lack of it.
Another striking thing that is almost too obvious to mention, is the astoundingly limited world view that one often encounters.
2 U.S. citizens abroad
pretty much like individuals anywhere americans are usually alright when you meet them one to one. possibly with the exception of those that can be found in paris - often they are working out some weird literary dream and seem to think that they are obliged to behave 'the american author in europe' similar to a strange cross fertilisation of truman capote, henry miller and jackson pollock.
Now when things can get bad is when the encounter is with groups.
to be in the trail of a U.S. tourist group is a bit like being raped, or rather like being a party to rape. if youve ever seen a cruise ship disembark in a small italian port you will understand what i mean. but then that is probably true of any nations wealthy letting their hair down.
An encounter with U.S troops abroad is far, far worse. but is often a very good way to bond with the locals once you can convince them that you aren't american and that you are as shocked as they are - this has happened to me twice, once in germany and once on crete.
3 corporate U.S.A. abroad.
the impact of corporate america on the rest of the world cannot be overstated. in the U.S. it is ok, even positively encouraged to exploit an opportunity. unfortunately the US corporate ethos sees the world as an opportunity and cant imagine why anyone would mind being exploited. this is a misconception almost as big as the widely held belief that, given half a chance, everyone would like to be american.
the corporations seem to forget that everyone went to the new world in the first place, to escape exploitation.
corporate america is largely responsible for the hostility that most people feel towards the U.S.A. It seems to be incapable of taking national differences into account, the very thing that gives all nationalities a sense of identity and self worth. a lot of people resent the imposition of an ill fitting culture.
4 the U.S. state machine abroad
well in this area the U.S is much like any other country, it does its business to get the best deal for itself.
however some countries are sophisticated enough to realise that politics isnt just business. it can also involve statesmanship, a sort of etiquette for negotiation, on all levels.
Increasingly it seems that the U.S has given up on statesmanship (as has the uk) and now prefers financial threat and force. it usually gets its way, but with each encounter it appears less honourable, this way america loses respect in the eyes of the world.
Alongside this lack of statesmanship goes a peculiar deafness to the opinions of other countries, almost as though the democratic mandate form within its borders sets its agenda for the treatment of citizens outside of its borders.
In the rest of the world there is actually a concerted effort gain a concensus to tackle, human rights, trade issues, ecological imperatives and even conflict resolution. but the U.S. state machine seems to think that it needn't join in. I am continually suprised how often I hear the UN denegrated in the states, whereas it is generaly well regarded in europe, perhaps as our final hope. I suspect some heavy anti-propaganda.
5 the U.S.A as a visitor
Once you have got through customs and been made to feel that you are probably guilty. of what? it doesnt seem to matter but perhaps it is suspected that you will want to stay, or set up a comunist terror cell in your shoe, maybe.
It is a quite pretty place (in places). no only joking. To me the usa is the most foreign place that i have ever visited.
perhaps this has something to do with the common language and the unquestioned belief that the US & the UK are similar. they really are not. you really do things differently there.
this makes me very proud to be european - which is strange because I have always had a dislike for nationalistic fervour. I definately feel more like i understand the ground rules in spain, germany, france or italy, even mexico than i do in the U.S.
for brits and perhaps most other countries what seldom gets pointed out to you as an outsider, is how each state could as well be a seperate country, with different mannerisms, countryside, weather.
What this serves to highlight is just how similar the prevailing culture has made everything seem. downtown dallas has essentially the same facilities as downtown chicago and in between the human landscape is pretty much the same.
A visitor really has to search out the differences and one gets the feeling they are quickly disappearing. An ominous vision of what the federal system could do for the diversity of the states in europe.
I also find it a very lonely place, outside of the major cities there seems to be no natural way (that you dont have to pay for) to be amongst large groups of people, other than shopping or church.
but back to the question what do i think of the USA.
I love it and hate it.
On the whole the people are no better or worse than anywhere else.
I am puzzled by some of the strange morality that seems to be quite prevalent, especially the strange fascination with violence that contrasts with an disapproval of the sexual (surely it should be the other way round).
I admire its legacy of egality and basic human rights. true it is mostly historical, a fantastic experiment in creating a nation that really shone out for a long time. until, it seems, the collective identity got big headed and started to do the things that it started off opposed to.
I am glad that i do not live there, but quite enjoy to visit every now and then, because its people give me hope that the view that we get from outside isnt the true america.
