Azerty: Do these polls distinguish George W. Bush from the United States? It strikes me many French like the United States but rather they mistrust Bush...
Ted Stanger: Indeed, the French are somewhat schizophrenic when it comes to the United States. You'd have to be really disabled in the eyes and ears not to notice that US cultural products enjoy great success in France but it is the American model of society that is not appreciated and that is even, in my view, demonized, sometimes excessively [Hunh ?! — Ed.]. Nowadays in France, one defines an anti-American as one who hates the United States more than is necessary.
What is schizophrenic about that? And who decides when it is 'more than necessary'? Americans? The US must be the only country-with the exception of Israel-the policies of which it is impossible to criticise without being called a racist. There's no such word as anti-Frenchism (in French) or anti-Britishism, of that I am sure.
Ah, I get it. "[C]ultural products" equal the "model of society." So... how about if I say red equals green and see how well that works out for me when I cross the street?
RépondreSupprimerI still don't know what anti-Americanism really is, no right-winger will ever tell me (and the Left generally sees the term as too ridiculous to use). They call it anti-Americanism if one dares to criticise the policies of the government of the United States of America. One must have a very totalitarian (and hense pathological) mind to equate criticism of government policy with a denunciation of an entire nation and everything and everyone in it. But why do the (right-wing) Americans who decry, no whinge about anti-Americanism never get into a tizzy about anti-French sentiment, or anti-Arab sentiment, or anti-Europe sentiment, or anti-Black sentiment, or anti-China sentiment, or anti-Japanese sentiment, or anti-Korean sentiment, or anti-anything-that-isn't-American-including-people-and-all-things-governmental-&-nongovernmental sentiment? Well, I guess that's because they are the ones doing it.
Well, I hope you see this because it since it is in an older post. I finally found your English blog! I liked this. We have discussed this on poor skinny little blondes post. I say poor because I completely ignored her to talk to you! Oops! I hope I didn't offend her.
RépondreSupprimerAnd your right, the above interview is a clever bit of sophistry! And you picked a clever way to illustrate this flawed attitude of my fellow Americans by using the interview. Ai! I don't know what has happened to my country! Don't get me wrong....this attitude has always existed....but now it has taken over because Busch very accurately reflects the thoughts and convictions of a lot of Americans!
I guess you know that our country has some serious issues of our own which is largely....an ever growing underclass. I think that you probably can't understand exactly what I mean by that if you haven't been here...and not as a tourist visiting the popular tourist destinations...but on the streets. It's very shameful that these conditions should exist here in a country that has every means for eradicating these conditions. And I think that what you see going on over here is a reflection of the reaction of people to that underclass. People are scared...crime is bad and they think that a strong leader will protect them against this.
Also,I also guess that you know that our country is founded on anti-intellectualism. I don't know if that is exactly the correct phrase but bear with me as I try to explain what I mean by that. Thoreau and Emerson, Robert Blake and others started a movement back in the 1800's claiming that it was time for us to start our own intellectual tradition. Though they were extremely intellectual men, somehow their meaning was twisted and has evolved into anti-intellectualism. So, in our country action is valued more than thought. This attitude is very entwined throughout our culture and again....you would probably have to be here in order to fully understand what I mean.
Again and again, leaders are selected here on the basis that they are men of action. Any political leader who puts thought into what they do is seen as a 'waffler'.
And it is seen as weakness here to compromise to another culture. Well, you remember that our last two elections have been very close so 1/2 of our country isn't this way. Unfortunately the half that is this way is in charge right now.
And yes....they think that we are beyond criticism. And they don't like the French. This has to do with Frances criticisms of us when we went over to Afghanistan. There were a lot of articles about how the Americans helped the French after WWII and how we were okay then...but now that we needed help...all of a sudden we were the enemy. Another bit of sophistry, huh! Distract the public with emotionally laden rhetoric and while they are busy screeching about it, push through your agenda. It's almost funny!
The French have a reputation over here, of being snobby to Americans. I have come to assume that as every culture has it's own character that maybe this is somehow the French character. Not snobbism, but Americans interpret it as such. I don't know...what do you think? Well, I suppose I'll stop now. I hope that I have made sense. I am interested in your blog because I like to hear things from the perspective of someone who is not American. I am very curious about how things are in other places as well.
I spent a week in NYC. Not very long, and I guess I didn't see much of that underclass, but I am aware of it anyway.
RépondreSupprimerAs for anti-intellectualism, I think you're right about US politicians and a large part of the electorate, but the US today has many more thinkers (as I would define the term) than Europe, and particularly France. France prides its self on its 'philosophers', but today, they are a bunch of neo-con islamophobes. This may sound surprising given politically France tends to be pro-arab, but there is a growing xenophobia among 'intellectuals'. I believe todays thinkers are sociologists, but they aren't given airtime.
As for Afghanistan and Irak, a substantial part of the British population opposed those wars, but the government went ahead with them anyway, so the British don't come accross as 'anti american'. Problem is, US politicians and media tend to amalgamate government and population (well, I guess all politicians and media do that, it's so easy to do, isn't it?).
In fact many Europeans love American culture, they just dislike American foreign policy. It is true, that many Europeans don't realise there is a great amount of opposition to US foreign policy among Americans.
I hope you come back to read this and comment some more!
As usual, I find it fascinating to hear that Europeans claim the United States' foreign policy is the reason why they dislike us. As I detest Bush and his policies, this type of argument is something I could generally accept. However, while in France, the anger which was occasionally expressed to me was equally directed at what they claimed to be America's social and cultural flaws. Most felt justified in characterizing Americans as uneducated, fat, self-absorbed, violent, and bereft of culture. What amazed me even more was their willingness to share that opinion without solicitation. On many occasions, rather than defend my fellow countrymen, I would simply ask them how many Americans they had personal relationships with, and/or how many times they had visited my country. Invariably, the vast majority had no personal relationships with Americans, nor had ever visited the United States. Their opinion of Americans was mostly formed by their interactions with tourists and what the media (newspapers and TV) told them.
RépondreSupprimerUsually, I would simply state that if this was how they formed their opinion, they had much in common with my countrymen who ridicule the French as cowards and collaborators (most Americans seem to forget that without France, we wouldn't have a country). However, no matter how much I attempted to explain that many of their assumptions about the USA were incorrect (except the fat part), and that they were perpetuating sterotypes, they ignored me. It reminded me of arguing with my Republican friends back home in Arizona about politics. Once you believe you know the truth, you simply stop looking for it.
I am not attempting to defend American culture nor its people as a whole, but simply to demonstrate that people are people no matter where you travel. Europeans are just as likely as Americans to generalize, sterotype, and otherwise act intolerant. Most have limited world views, just like Americans, and are just as apt to vigorously defend them rather than discuss them in open debate. If more Europeans would simply judge Americans through personal experience, they'd find we aren't the simpletons they think we are.
Pity I found this late...
RépondreSupprimerIf you come back and see this, J-C, let me tell you, I concur, but, you do not answer the question of 'anti-americanism'. Why is it such a word exists, and not 'anti british' or 'anti french'? Why do Americans get so worked up about criticism (be it justified or not)-much more than Europeans do? And, even if the criticism of the US is very often unjustified, why don't many Americans ask themselves why their country attracts so much criticism? I don't think Americans are at fault for the actions of their government (well, no more than in any other 'democracy'), nor do all Americans represent the 'Fast Food Nation' nor are they all gun-toting maniacs. However, if my country is criticised, however unjustly, on a regular basis, then I ask myself what the problem might be. For example, not all French are arrogant fashion/food fascists, but some uninformed people might be forgiven for thinking they are.
I think many Americans are so unaware of what goes on outside the US, that they think the US is the only country to attract criticism (along with Israel perhaps).