MaxedOutMama
Saturday, January 08, 2005
The Search For Relevance
Below I linked to a story regarding a techies rebuke to some Eurotwerps. What follows will make more sense if you read the story, which is superb blogging regardless. I don't want to minimize its impact by summarizing first-hand story of such a painful and telling encounter.
Some of my readers may feel my characterization of certain Europeans is unfair. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.A.Z.) published a column on the same cultural problem, and here are a few excerpts (emphasis added):
The rise of Eurotwerpism (or Eurotwirpism) stems from Europe's dishonesty about what it is doing and the source of its problems. They fear competition with Asia, so their press criticizes the US economy. They fear the rise of radical Islamism, so their press criticizes Israel and America. They are uneasy about their own anemic military might, so they criticize nations that maintain a strong military, no matter how it is used. Chirac would prefer that all America's military powers, not to mention Australia's navy, be only used under the umbrella of the UN and thus be subjected to France's veto. In short, Chirac can't afford to spit in China's face, or Saudi's, or India's - so he relieves himself by spitting in America's face. This is emotional self-justification and projection of a real problem onto a safe target.
I am not sure how much of this is consciously done and how much stems from unconscious motivations. Some of it is definitely a conscious, orchestrated strategy of public misdirection. The EU was sold to the populations of the member countries on the grounds that it would improve their economies and assure their future welfare. The adoption of a common currency raised prices across Europe, many of their economies are suffering high unemployment, and popular displeasure is being deflected toward outside targets.
You see it in the overwhelming endorsement of the Kyoto treaty (a treaty which would accomplish nothing in practice) and flaming statements in the European press lambasting the US's determination to flood Europe and the world as we melt the polar ice caps. You see it in the characterization of the US in the European press as selfish and stingy, ignoring, for instance, our relatively high rates of contribution to anti-AIDs programs and the UN. You see it in the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe, the rancor towards Israel, and the constant criticism of the US's support of Israel. That, coupled with the reiteration that the US cares only about money, plays on the hidden European myth of the Zionist world conspiracy to dominate the world coupled with the myth that Jews dominate the US. These are old anxieties with a long and shameful pedigree, and to boot they are contradicted by the concurrent wailings in the European press about the astonishing vitality of religions in the US.
Regardless of the motivations, childish self-justification played out on an international scale often kills people. In relatively recent history it has killed millions in the concentration camps of Europe, the Soviet Union, China, and Cambodia. In very current history this European self-absorption has led to a blithe refusal to recognize or deal with the tragedies in Rwanda and Botswana, in the Sudan, and in Iraq. Genocide, unless it can be laid squarely at America's door, is not a popular topic in the European press.
Now, as F.A.Z. observes, the victims of the tsunami could have used Europe's assistance. Europe has planes and medical assistance; Europe was too slow to move. One response to their own inaction was mockery of the efforts of the countries which were quick to move, and that is demonstrated vividly in the encounter I linked to at the beginning of this post. Another more mature and realistic reaction is exemplified by the F.A.Z. article, and in Germany's proposal to implement a tsunami warning system using current technologies already widely available in the threatened area. It is a realistic proposal which will certainly save lives in the future at a minimal cost in the present.
The flipside of Europe's struggle to remake itself is that it has a great excess of productive capacity, a new focus on peace, a technically well-educated populace, and a genuinely humane tradition of great importance to the world. If those capacities are harnessed in service to the problems the world faces, Europe need not fear being a minor player. In order to achieve that, the European press will have to withdraw its head from its navel and contemplate the world as it exists. Doing so would greatly improve Europe's self-image and its position in the world.
In closing, I would like to direct you to one of Tom Carter's recent posts on the failures of our press, and the fascinating series of comments it sparked. A society only conforms to reality to the degree that it knows about reality, and the failures and syndromic reactions of the European press are not greatly different from much of ours. There is no criticism I could make of Europe that can't be fairly applied to elements of our own society, and I believe we should look at some of Europe's recent excesses as a warning, not as a cause for self-congratulation.
Some of my readers may feel my characterization of certain Europeans is unfair. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.A.Z.) published a column on the same cultural problem, and here are a few excerpts (emphasis added):
Europe is not painting a very convincing picture of itself in the days that have followed the devastating tsunamis on Dec. 26. The compassion is certainly there, reflected in the mountains of donations made by the public and governments. But that has not helped the victims in the Asian coastal regions one bit so far. They are receiving their first foreign relief from others: the Australians, the Indians and, particularly, the Americans.The reference to self-righteousness is particularly appropriate, although I think Europe need not fear the loss of significance. The EU experiment, viewed in the context of human history, is a particularly noble and ambitious one, but it will suck up a great deal of Europe's attention for decades to come. The magnitude of the legal and economic adjustments that have to be made by each country in order to participate is not usually discussed in the press, but it is a very significant factor. On top of that, Europe's social systems are under stress from the rise of Asian competition.
While U.S. service members were busy dropping supplies over Indonesia and Australian doctors were treating people immediately after the disaster, the Europeans were debating - or, even worse, looking for a date to debate on. The French health minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy, finally said Europe was acting badly. That is a telling comment. One widely known fact of European life is that its well-intentioned fixation on concerted action - preferably in tandem with the United Nations - does not always produce quick and consensual results. But now Europe is revealing a weakness where it always considered itself to have a strength: in humanitarian aid.
This will not be the last time that Europe experiences a creeping loss of significance. The restraints it put on itself for reasons that once made sense have evolved into a form of self-righteousness that is blind to external changes. Outside the Old World, the European example is still lauded in Sunday political sermons. But during the week, the laws of balance and power are back in force as they have been for a long time. Respect and a free hand are earned by those who can make quick decisions and have the resources to carry them out.
The rise of Eurotwerpism (or Eurotwirpism) stems from Europe's dishonesty about what it is doing and the source of its problems. They fear competition with Asia, so their press criticizes the US economy. They fear the rise of radical Islamism, so their press criticizes Israel and America. They are uneasy about their own anemic military might, so they criticize nations that maintain a strong military, no matter how it is used. Chirac would prefer that all America's military powers, not to mention Australia's navy, be only used under the umbrella of the UN and thus be subjected to France's veto. In short, Chirac can't afford to spit in China's face, or Saudi's, or India's - so he relieves himself by spitting in America's face. This is emotional self-justification and projection of a real problem onto a safe target.
I am not sure how much of this is consciously done and how much stems from unconscious motivations. Some of it is definitely a conscious, orchestrated strategy of public misdirection. The EU was sold to the populations of the member countries on the grounds that it would improve their economies and assure their future welfare. The adoption of a common currency raised prices across Europe, many of their economies are suffering high unemployment, and popular displeasure is being deflected toward outside targets.
You see it in the overwhelming endorsement of the Kyoto treaty (a treaty which would accomplish nothing in practice) and flaming statements in the European press lambasting the US's determination to flood Europe and the world as we melt the polar ice caps. You see it in the characterization of the US in the European press as selfish and stingy, ignoring, for instance, our relatively high rates of contribution to anti-AIDs programs and the UN. You see it in the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe, the rancor towards Israel, and the constant criticism of the US's support of Israel. That, coupled with the reiteration that the US cares only about money, plays on the hidden European myth of the Zionist world conspiracy to dominate the world coupled with the myth that Jews dominate the US. These are old anxieties with a long and shameful pedigree, and to boot they are contradicted by the concurrent wailings in the European press about the astonishing vitality of religions in the US.
Regardless of the motivations, childish self-justification played out on an international scale often kills people. In relatively recent history it has killed millions in the concentration camps of Europe, the Soviet Union, China, and Cambodia. In very current history this European self-absorption has led to a blithe refusal to recognize or deal with the tragedies in Rwanda and Botswana, in the Sudan, and in Iraq. Genocide, unless it can be laid squarely at America's door, is not a popular topic in the European press.
Now, as F.A.Z. observes, the victims of the tsunami could have used Europe's assistance. Europe has planes and medical assistance; Europe was too slow to move. One response to their own inaction was mockery of the efforts of the countries which were quick to move, and that is demonstrated vividly in the encounter I linked to at the beginning of this post. Another more mature and realistic reaction is exemplified by the F.A.Z. article, and in Germany's proposal to implement a tsunami warning system using current technologies already widely available in the threatened area. It is a realistic proposal which will certainly save lives in the future at a minimal cost in the present.
The flipside of Europe's struggle to remake itself is that it has a great excess of productive capacity, a new focus on peace, a technically well-educated populace, and a genuinely humane tradition of great importance to the world. If those capacities are harnessed in service to the problems the world faces, Europe need not fear being a minor player. In order to achieve that, the European press will have to withdraw its head from its navel and contemplate the world as it exists. Doing so would greatly improve Europe's self-image and its position in the world.
In closing, I would like to direct you to one of Tom Carter's recent posts on the failures of our press, and the fascinating series of comments it sparked. A society only conforms to reality to the degree that it knows about reality, and the failures and syndromic reactions of the European press are not greatly different from much of ours. There is no criticism I could make of Europe that can't be fairly applied to elements of our own society, and I believe we should look at some of Europe's recent excesses as a warning, not as a cause for self-congratulation.
Comments:
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Another great article! I think you're right on every point. I would only say that you may be a bit optimistic about the future of the EU. There are rocky days ahead with difficult issues that I'm not sure the EU can handle while maintaining some semblance of solidarity.
Hey mama, this is heavy weight stuff for me. Anyway, just drop in to say thanks for leaving a comment at my blog.
Tom,
I have a lot more confidence in your analyses than mine, so I'd love to hear more from you about what you see as the EU's major challenges and their chances of overcoming then.
I have my own ideas, but I'd prefer to hear yours. A failed EU has some pretty spectacular international consequences, IMO.
I have a lot more confidence in your analyses than mine, so I'd love to hear more from you about what you see as the EU's major challenges and their chances of overcoming then.
I have my own ideas, but I'd prefer to hear yours. A failed EU has some pretty spectacular international consequences, IMO.
Although I am grateful I am able to read your blog for free...I really think you should be getting paid for your writing. Your consistency and ability are inspiring.
I'm trying to work up something on the EU. Should have it done pretty soon. I think it's something Americans need to learn more about and probably worry about a bit.
By the way, I'd appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to read this post. Thanks!
By the way, I'd appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to read this post. Thanks!
Crystal,
Thanks for your kind words, but I think the world can well be spared another doddering pundit type, and as I told you, it's really therapy for me. I'd have to pay someone an awful lot of money to get this type of mental exercise, and I think it's working, so in that sense I am being paid.
There are lots of people currently blogging that I'd like to see getting buckets of money for their contributions. Please pop over to Tom Carter's and take a look at what he's doing. Chrenkoff deserves some sort of award.
Thanks for your kind words, but I think the world can well be spared another doddering pundit type, and as I told you, it's really therapy for me. I'd have to pay someone an awful lot of money to get this type of mental exercise, and I think it's working, so in that sense I am being paid.
There are lots of people currently blogging that I'd like to see getting buckets of money for their contributions. Please pop over to Tom Carter's and take a look at what he's doing. Chrenkoff deserves some sort of award.
# posted by 
: 11:39 PM
: 11:39 PM
A failed US is more likely than a failed EU. The US has not had to learn the hard lessons of cooperation that Europe has during WW1 and WW2. This is one reason it holds back on getting militarily involved. Also, whilst I agree with some of your analysis, some of it is utter crap.
"the overwhelming endorsement of the Kyoto treaty (a treaty which would accomplish nothing in practice)"
The alternative to Kyoto being pursued by the US is the policy of an ostrich. America's stupid refusal to acknowledge our common danger could kill us all. You expect to like that ?
"the characterization of the US in the European press as selfish and stingy, ignoring, for instance, our relatively high rates of contribution to anti-AIDs programs and the UN."
This is misrepresentation. I don't know where you get the idea that we think the US is 100% bad, it simply isn't true. I would say that, overall, the EU population is BETTER informed and makes less BIASED and less blindly patriotic judgements of the US than the US population does of the EU. It helps that we understand the world does not end at our borders. You are simply wrong here.
"You see it in the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe, the rancor towards Israel"
There is ONE significant reason that anti-Israel movement is gaining strength - and it's NOT ANTI-SEMITISM - it's Palestine, and the appalling treatment by the Israelis of the Palestinians. It is just like the way the white settlers in the US viewed the American Indians - just wipe them out, marginalise them, reduce them, deprive them, bulldoze them, and our superior culture will make them irrelevant. Which is possibly why (since this stain is at the heart of US history) Americans rarely see it as we do.
I like your writing, but your grasp of the facts needs work.
D.
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"the overwhelming endorsement of the Kyoto treaty (a treaty which would accomplish nothing in practice)"
The alternative to Kyoto being pursued by the US is the policy of an ostrich. America's stupid refusal to acknowledge our common danger could kill us all. You expect to like that ?
"the characterization of the US in the European press as selfish and stingy, ignoring, for instance, our relatively high rates of contribution to anti-AIDs programs and the UN."
This is misrepresentation. I don't know where you get the idea that we think the US is 100% bad, it simply isn't true. I would say that, overall, the EU population is BETTER informed and makes less BIASED and less blindly patriotic judgements of the US than the US population does of the EU. It helps that we understand the world does not end at our borders. You are simply wrong here.
"You see it in the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe, the rancor towards Israel"
There is ONE significant reason that anti-Israel movement is gaining strength - and it's NOT ANTI-SEMITISM - it's Palestine, and the appalling treatment by the Israelis of the Palestinians. It is just like the way the white settlers in the US viewed the American Indians - just wipe them out, marginalise them, reduce them, deprive them, bulldoze them, and our superior culture will make them irrelevant. Which is possibly why (since this stain is at the heart of US history) Americans rarely see it as we do.
I like your writing, but your grasp of the facts needs work.
D.
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