On Fri, 1 Jun 2001, John D. Giorgis wrote:
> At 10:37 AM 6/1/01 -0500 Marvin Long, Jr. wrote:
> > Americans used to be fools, but now they're dangerous fools.
>
> Excellent point, Marvin. I'd add to that that "now they're incredibly
> successful and powerful fools."
>
> In France, at least, I think American resentment is strongly tied to
> jealousy of American success. [snipped alleged sources of French envy]
I don't really mean to accuse anybody of anything as simple as "sour
grapes," though I suppose that may play a part now and then. I merely
wanted to point out that the European sterotype of the typical American as
boorish and rude is nothing new, and no less a stereotype today than it
would have been 100 years ago.
By contrast the American stereotype of a European tourist (i.e., someone
who could afford to travel to America for leisure, as opposed to
immigrants) would likely have been equally harsh 100 years ago. Your
average working-to-middle class American in 1900 would likely have
expected a European tourist to be snobbish, rude, effete, and disdainful
of people who actually perform labor for a living. It would only take one
bad experience to confirm that stereotype as applicable to all.
Conversely, it only takes one really good experience to make Americans
look googly-eyed and awestruck at European sophistication. Thus under
that disdain would be the nagging worry that maybe those cultured
Europeans really *are* better than us in some way, smarter and
more clever, and maybe we should try to be more like them.
I guess my central point is this: Americans have (IMO) a national
inferiority complex. Up until the last 50 years, Americans were the
cast-offs of European[*] society and always looked back over the ocean for
their identity and for the standards against which to measure themselves.
We were proud to be Americans, yes, but we knew that we came from ancient
cultures deep with wisdom (and wickedness) that made us feel young and
naive by comparison, and members of those cultures were never hesitant to
look down their noses at America's comparatively plebian culture and
society. Our artists, scholars, writers, thinkers...all looked back to
Europe for inspiration and validation, even while trying to make something
new and good and uniquely American. But American culture was never, in
the world's (i.e. Europe's) eyes, comparable in quality to the work of the
European masters.
It's kind of like the feeling one sometimes gets, wondering if you'll ever
be good enough to meet your parents' hopes and expectations, and wondering
how to do that and realize one's own dreams as well. In short, it's a
pain in the ass, if an inevitable one.
And I understand that other nations resent being forced always to take
America's actions dispropotionately into consideration, but do pause to
consider how much Americans really *resented* being dragged into two
pan-European wars against their own will. If 50-odd years of Americanism
is irritating, imagine how 150+ years of the reverse felt over here.
Back to my point. 50 years ago, after two world wars, enough Americans
had been exposed to Europe, and Europe had failed in a manner sufficiently
spectacular, that Americans began thinking, maybe we don't have to feel
inferior anymore.
But the shift in power was so rapid, I believe, and the change in culture
so great, that the old European disdain never faltered. If Americans were
boorish loudmouthed hicks before, they're boorish over-consuming
loudmouthed pricks now. And Americans still think of "true" art and
culture as being somehow European...American art is all "pop" and "modern"
or "postmodern"...not quite the real thing at all.
So, no matter how many weapons we wield, we still wonder if we can measure
up. And if we can't, well then....we'll just see how many dollar bills it
takes to wipe that condescending smirk off your face. Because if Europe
will insist that money's all we've got going for ourselves, then that's
just what we'll have to use.
Disclaimer: the forgoing is not to say that arrogance is justified for
anybody. It's just that in 200+ years we have the feeling that nothing
America ever does is going to be satisfactory in European eyes, so we
might as well do what works for us.
[*] Apologies for my anglo/caucasian-centric point of view. It's my
understanding that Americans from Asia, South America, and elsewhere
experience something similar yet distinct, and I can only speak to my
own "ethnic" experience, as it were. African-Americans have a doubly
complex set of issues to worry about.
Marvin Long
Austin, Texas
