you know the ongoing antipathy and fascination that europeans and americans have with each other? i wonder to what extent it’s influenced by each sides perception of itself as an ‘old’ or ‘new’ place?
america is fascinated with the ‘oldness'(castles, cathedrals, town squares, etc) of europe, but at the same time is dismissive of ‘old’ europe when it comes to provincialism and nationalism. andeurope is fascinated with the ‘newness'(hip hop, hollywood, technology) of america, but at the same time is dismissive of ‘new’ america when it comes to history and global awareness.
just a question.
i grew up in the united states, where ‘old’ meant something built in the 18th century(or early 20th century if you live in california).
europeans have ‘old’ things and institutions that were around before dates had 4 digits(978 a.d, for example). europeans visit america to see the ‘newness’ of it. americans visit europe to see the ‘oldness’ of it.
i just wonder how growing up in a place with a cultural legacy that spans more then a millenium would affect ones perception of culture and nation and self.
and in turn i wonder how growing up in a place with a cultural legacy of barely 2 1/2 centuries has affected the american perception of culture and nation and self.
it’s great when europeans are thrilled by americanisms and when americans are thrilled by europeanisms(yes, i just made up that word, i think). but it’s dangerous when europeans and americans are at each others throats and are dismissive of each other over the very same things that we seem to love about one another. i just worry that we might be entering an age wherein healthy and innocuous rivalries and mud-slinging might degenerate into a state of affairs much more pernicious and dangerous.
eh, i’m just thinking out loud.
and certainly there are other variables at play here, too. but it’s interesting to try to imagine what effect growing up in europe would have had on me if i had, in fact, grown up here.
like i said, just thinking out loud.
moby
