Nationalism

[da]

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 broad public protests in France and Germany against both US globalization and US protectionism). Part of his thesis is that Europe resents America for the dependence Europe had on the US after WWII; and for the changes the US has wrought in Europe since.

But the most challenging part to the book is possibly the chapter on the connections between anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism, in part due to the US's support for Israel, and due to a belief that the US is run by Jews.
Markovits argues that "all the historical ingredients used to demonize Jews are simply transferred to the state of Israel, which -- in the standard diction of anti-Semitism -- behaves Jew-like by grasping for global power, exhibiting Old Testament-like (pre-Christian) vengefulness. It bamboozles the world, as cunning Jews are wont to do, extorts money from hapless victims who have been fooled into seeing the Jews as victims, exhibits capitalist greed and, of course, indulges in constant brutality toward the weak. Israel thus becomes a sort of new Jew, a collective Jew among the world's nations." And that reinforces anti-Americanism, and vice-versa. Ugh. Markovits points to recent and rising cases of anti-Semitism among the European Left, and I'm a bit worried he knows what he's talking about.

Ultimately, too, I don't understand nationalism terribly well; this was drilled into me some time ago by zubatac as he tried to explain the nature of Croatian nationalism as a small country within Europe. But since coming to Canada, I do feel a bit... I guess defensive is the right word, sometimes, when the conversation turns to US offences; which might be very similar conversations to the ones I'd be having back in the US, but the difference... I can see this as a bit of nationalism.

I guess I'd like to understand anti-X-ism better, where X isn't a personality trait or a religion, but rather an entire country, and possibly against the people who live there.

I hope to read this book, even if the cover looks totally stupid, and also the author has received laurels for writing a semi-scholarly book on Soccer and American Exceptionalism. Maybe I'll wait for the NYT to review it.

But also, I'm writing about the reviewer for the Globe and Mail, who sounds like a jerk. His end paragraph concerns anti-Americanism driving America further away from the rest of the West, because America cares too much what other countries think of it: "At stake here, however, is much more than mere vanity. The Americans don't really have much else besides that for which they stand." Ouch. That's not only a harsh blow, it has little to do with the book's thesis or his review before that throwaway line. Seems like sloppy writing and sloppy editing, and I'd have expected better from the Globe and Mail.

...Finally, on a related note, today I got a letter from Citizenship and Immigration. It came in a thick packet, so I was convinced they returned my Citizenship application for missing something. But no, it's a letter acknowledging my application, and a study guide for the test I'll take in 8 to 10 months. Yay!

Comments

[dcseain.livejournal.com]

I got punched in the stomach in the 3rd grade because i would not condemn the Russian people as communists. I felt strongly that most Russians were not responsible for the transgressions of the Soviet government, and were just trying to live their lives. This did no go over well with one of my peers.

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 don't have as strong an identity as i would usually expect for people from a small state. On the other hand, i don't spend much time in small states, other than MD, and the time i lived in MA, so my understanding of such is limited.

I remember being in Spain, people would ask where i was from, i'd reply 'the United States', to which they'd say - Sé, pero ¿de dónde eres? - I know, but where are you from? The cared that i was from Washington, DC, and specifically the Virginia suburbs. At least back then, about 20 years ago, few people would respond español when asked their identity. They replied catalá, aragonés, or which ever region the were from. This was odd to me, though i came to understand it. Somehow, it did not lead me to comprehend nationalism, though.

[melted-snowball.livejournal.com]

Um, you misspelled Judaism.

This is interesting. I'm looking forward to reading this review.

[da-lj.livejournal.com]

*confused* I didn't use the word Judaism?

[melted-snowball.livejournal.com]

It's one of the tags for this post.

[da-lj.livejournal.com]

*facepalm*

[icedrake.livejournal.com]

Consider the following: Would your opinion (both of the book and the reviewer) be different if the quote
"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 :)

[psychedelicbike.livejournal.com]

"We're American, we don't have a culture."

*jaw drops*
*big grin*

Apologetically now - I guess they weren't surfers.

[da-lj.livejournal.com]

was not authored by the reviewer, but attributed to the book's author who is, in fact, American?

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. :)

[melted-snowball.livejournal.com]

I would tend to argue that there are lots of things that are characteristic of American culture. I think that a difference is that Americans don't spend as much time being self-congratulatory about the existence of their culture; we really don't have to.

[fyddlestyx.livejournal.com]

Interesting discussion. When I think of MY culture, I think of my culture, formerly, as a Philadelphian, and the past 20 years, as a Vermonter. Specifically, the Vermont culture, I think, feels exceptionally strong to me, more so than identifying as an American (something I more and more dread identifying as). But Vermont culture feels tangible to me.. we seem to have a fiercely independant political culture, a culture of a small but proud state. When I identify myself when visiting friends in Quebec, I never say I'm American, I say I'm from Vermont.
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.