Blame America... and oh yeah, the Jews is a review in this week's Globe and Mail Books section, of a new book,
Uncouth Nation: Why Europe Dislikes America by Andrei Markovits. The book sounds challenging: how opinion of the US in Europe has been prejudicially negative (giving a number of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" examples, such as
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Speaking as a Unitedstatesian, i think that nationalism, as it exists in many places, is a bit foreign to us. My personal identity is Washingtonian, American, Virginian, in that order. I grew up in Northern VA, just outside of DC. Would i fight to defend my state? Probably not. My country? That's more likely, but my country, to me, is ideas - The Constitution - and i would fight to uphold those ideas much moreso, and more willingly, than any political unit or political strategy.
I've noticed that some states, such as the ones in New England, New Jersey, Maryland, Texas, California, for example, have much stronger state identities than many of us from other states whom i know. Oddly among the small states, most Delawareans whom i've met ( ... )
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This is interesting. I'm looking forward to reading this review.
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"At stake here, however, is much more than mere vanity. The Americans don't really have much else besides that for which they stand."
was not authored by the reviewer, but attributed to the book's author who is, in fact, American?
katfeete had the experience of attending a year of school in NZ. Part of the international student orientation was asking each group to present something of their homeland's culture. The response of a group of Californians who were in attendance?
"We're American, we don't have a culture."
I'm not sure where I'm going with this; maybe if you reply, it'll help my thoughts gel. Or congeal :)
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*jaw drops*
*big grin*
Apologetically now - I guess they weren't surfers.
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Probably. I think it was out of place in the article, which is the author's fault. But if it were part of a larger statement by the author, I could see reading it constructively in context, although it would still be a challenging statement for me.
It's an interesting question, what would I present if asked about my homeland's culture. I might mention Maple Syrup, which is a fairly "photogenic" part of the economy of Upstate NY where my parents live.
Or, if I didn't think of that, I might talk about the culture of higher education that I seem to have wound up in, as a culture of choice, which is interesting because it isn't particularly national. But, in a sense, my homeland isn't particularly national either.
Take that as you will. :)
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We may not all be extra crunch granola here (tho I identify more with that part of the culture), but most Vermonters are darned proud to be Vermonters. Must be something in these hills.
Oh.. and my favorite brand of Magic Hat Beer is "Mother Lager".. complete with Soviet-proletariat style art and a 'made in the People's Republic of Vermont' on the bottom. Genius design.
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