Uncouth Nation: Why Europe Hates America
Monday, July 27, 2009 Europeans just don't like America. This idea never truly hit me until I started talking to a lot of Europeans. I work mostly with Europeans, and have been exposed to a gratuitous amount of Austrian culture. I've learned to appreciate many aspects of European culture such as coffee, beer, sitting outside for the sake of sitting outside, and gluvine. These new aspects of culture are simply lovable. However, one thing that always bugged me was the notion of something becoming "Americanized" and the negative connotations associated with the word. I didn't quite understand what "Americanized" meant until I read Uncouth Nation.
Uncouth Nation drills into the history and cause for European anti-Americanism. It's a rigorous academic piece with the 1/5 of the book containing footnotes and references. It's a trough to read but extremely illuminating. Europe hates America not just due to the justifiable gripes of the Iraq War and Guantanamo, but European elites have always had qualms with America. Ever since Columbus found the "New World", Europe became the "Old World". America was blessed with the word "New World" and all of its connotations, creating an envy among the European elites. This envy created a situation where European elites fabricated a horridness about America. American soil would suck all that is good from any European. Books and articles discussed the idea that a European would become ill by eating American grown food. This sense of distaste for America expands into modern America culture, politics, economics, and just about every facet of American life. America has no culture. Movies where things blow up are for simpletons and is so uncivilized. America is too capitalist. Corporations are too big, destroying the world wherever they go. America is too arrogant, ignoring the world sport of Soccer. No matter what, America has it wrong.
Yet while Uncouth Nation unveils many of the qualms that Europeans have with Americans, it is also an ardent defense of America and American policies. Yes many specific issues anyone may have with American POLICY can be debated, but much of the gripe Europe has with America is completely irrational and hypocritical. For example, one claim is that Americans are arrogant, pushing our opinions on others, forcing Europe to digest what "lowly" culture we have. But this argument is completely unfounded. Yes we ship our movies out to Europe, but Europe does the same. Nobody forces Europeans to go watch the same movies that are produced in Hollywood. Or take the argument that American capitalism is being shipped across the world. Isn't BMW selling cars in America? Saying Americans are arrogant since we don't watch/play soccer doesn't make sense. What about the hypocrisy of Europeans blaming Americans for creating women's soccer as an arrogant deterioration of the sport. However, isn't that one of the most hypocritical statements ever? Europeans claiming that Americans that they are ruining soccer by letting women play is extreme prejudice. Europe are just displaying their own sense of discrimination against women.
Of course these are just generalizations and there will always be exceptions. But Uncouth Nation unveils a level of discrimination with no foundation. If you like soccer, and I like football, so what. If Asians like eating rice and Europeans like eating potatoes, so what? One isn't intrinsically better. That is the true value of this book. Uncouth Nation exposes European Anti-Americanism for what it is: prejudice. And for that, you should read it.
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Reader Comments (4)
You're offering a bunch of strawmen here - who cares whether someone follows soccer or football (or cricket, for that matter).
The issue is cultural: the US culture has been successful at appealing to many in the past 50-60 years.
This is a problem because it's been so popular that many are ignoring their own culture - just look at what happens with languages: more and more english terms are taking over. Now - being a programmer, so I accept english terminology in the way doctors or lawyers are fine with using latin. But: it's getting silly when every store has a "Sale" sign - what's wrong with the german word? Or: every idiot's nowadays an 'officer' or 'manager' or whatever - why the english term is better than the german one is not clear - except that it sounds more 'professional'.
You also claim that Americans have been hated for ages - that's not true. I know that the generation after WW II revered America; everyone dreamed of having an uncle in america - which was synonymous with an incredibly rich relative. For ages the line "in America they do $FOO like this" was synonymous with "the right way to do it".
I think this revery has ended some time ago, and was replaced with a more realistic view. I think we finally realized that a country that lives on ground up cows and sugar water - and thinks that's perfectly alright is not such a great thing.
Also: the generation that grew up starstruck by the US is now still in power - and still using the US a kind of a poster child for solutions, thinking of undergoing stupid changes just because "that's how they do it in the US"; ideas like selling of utilities, or living off credit.
Just for the record: I'm Austrian, but I've lived in the states too - so I'm quite aware of both environments. There are tons of people who think all Americans are fat idiotic slobs who couldn't find Canada on a map; and then there are tons of Americans who think it's fair to drop bombs on anyone who doesn't speak fluently english (Austria's not that far away from Serbia which had the shit bombed out of it only a decade ago...) or that their own culture is the ultimate answer in evolution and everyone else should just jump aboard.
But then there are the US colleagues I worked with and generally people around who were reasonable, informed and knew what vegetables looked like unfried.
To close: it's important to remember that a mono culture isn't good - the fact that the US' infatuation with living on credit hasn't spread too far is good - because the rest of the world has different values and a view of money. The same goes for Europe or others going batshit insane and invading each other - another culture was useful there too (Russia, I mean - after all, Russia used up _10 million_ soldiers to grind up german troops on the east front - before the US boogeyed by and finished the rest off).
So - be happy that other countries oppose the force of the US culture - it's just necessary to keep man kind alive - it's a constant struggle. And to close: believe it or not - history repeats itself ( or it at least rhymes): the US won't be around forever in its current form - in the same way the UK is now only 1-2 islands, Austria's now basically the Alps & neighborhood, Rome's just the capital of Italy, etc.
Hi murphee, Thanks for responding. I figured I'd get some kind of response haha. I whole heartedly agree with you that mono culture isn't good. I'm arguing mono culture or American culture is the best, nor am I arguing that its bad that other countries oppose the United States. Mono culture, singular thinking, no opposition are all terrible. I have tons of gripes with the United States. But I don't see how you can blame America for people ignoring their own culture. Going back to your example of a Sale sign. I don't think there is anything wrong with the German word for "Sale", nor do I think that the English is intrinsically better than German. But if that store owner uses English, is it really America's fault? Is it really bad if American culture actually appeals to that many people? Nobody is forcing you to ingest this mass marketing.
My whole point is believing any culture is "intrinsically" better than any other is just plain wrong. It can be as trivial as cricket or deep as a culture's view on money. Sure the US lives on credit, but it somehow has the highest GDP in the world (EU is on par given PPP at least depending on your PPP ratio). But sadly the EU is experiencing deflation and their markets are hurt much more than America's (so far). Now all this is purely culture. Again American Policy can be debated and I'll agree with your sentiments on a lot of things. We should have universal health care, not have invaded Iraq, etc, but culturally? Saying something is becoming "Americanized" without a definition is just plain prejudice.
But it could also just be some hopeless idealism. Since you've lived in both Austria and the US, you've lived up front with both. I haven't, so my oped could change if I ever live outside in Europe. And of course reading a book is completely different than living the situation.
You are probably correct that the main underlying factors are related to jealousy. They sometimes DO protest too much, methinks...
But one of the interesting aspects of Europe is the composition of the "elite". Because wage differentials are much smaller in Europe, membership in the "elite" is often not closely correlated with money. And as a result of that, many self-deluded so-called "intellectuals" believe that they are part of the "elite" when really from a U.S. perspective they clearly are not.
The rejection of everything American by this group is also a natural self-defense mechanism to preserve their own illusion (delusion) of importance...
-- Michael
I think that is stupid....I think this hatred is because of arrogance
An example would be that Americans think the biggest...and French think they are intellectuals
Maybe Americans are jealous because don t have history like Europeans