A few years ago, I was friends with an Arab man, late 20s, who was studying in London. Nice fellow, as most Arab people tend to be.
One time, after a few months, and in private, he told me was was disappointed and a little disgusted with the English. He'd heard so many things about England, good and bad, but coming here, he sees dirty streets, suspicious people, so many trying to steal from you, young women, wandering around half naked and so much sex on sale. (He was in London, after all).
I happen to know that in his country, the streets are generally clean. People seem to have a natural friendliness. In residential areas, it isn't uncommon to see cars parked, all night with their windows open and few lock theirs. The cost of that is an almost absence of democracy, enoumous restrictions of personal freedom especially expression and severe penalities for those who break the law. Including amputation and stoning to death. Their Judicary however is impecable, honest and generally, if they come to a verdict, you can be pretty sure they are right. For Muslims, law is their way of life. They don't so much live under the law as for it.
Now the reason I've raised that is because lately I've been noticing a sensitivity from increasing numbers of Americans. Here and elsewhere. Especially elsewhere.
I few days ago, their was a half time advert during the Superbowl, featuring Clint Eastwood. This was quickly followed by a (re-) release of a track from Bruse Springstean, called We Take Care Of Our Own.
We Take Care Of Our Own (With Lyrics) - Bruce SpringsteenAt this same time, the BBC produced a documentry in its long running current affairs series, Panorama, Panorama: Poor America [BBC - 12/2/2012]. Which 'announced the shocking news of the condition of 20 million poor people in the US', blaming Obama for it.(The quotes are mine, to emphasise that this was a claim by the journalists. 20 million people don't sink into that sort of poverty over night. We all know that, as we do, that there have been people living that way, for many many years. That many in Europe seem to think everyone in America lives in a large house with a large, sunny green garden, a wise old black gardener and a sarky black maid is really their problem).
This is a short excert. The full program is available on YouTube, A search using
Panorama: Poor America [BBC - 12/2/2012] will find it.
Let me say, from the outset, I didn't watch the full Panorama report. I don't like the program very much and I don't need to be told that children are dying of hunger.
But it seems these are happening at a time when increasing numbers of Americans are becoming more sensitive to what they precieve as criticism.
America is the wealthiest nation of Earth and in history. Not just a bit, but by a long long way. Some will argue, rightly, that having the good fortune to be landed with such enormous natural resources, it isn't really surprising. But Russia has even more natural resources than America. It also happens to have endemic corruption.
We can see three, very different societies here, each very different, each very successful, in their own way. The ME, diciplined, clean, ordered but panicing about what it sees as corrupting influces, much like the house proud mother with her can of Dettol spray. Europe, self critical to annoyance, seeking to maintain a continual balance between the very wealthy, (upper classes) and the very poor, with a sneeking feeling some may be taking more than their share. America, obscessively libertarian, yet possessing a self doubt it is unable to resolve.
Each of these societies has its own strengths, its own qualities. Some people seem to end up with less, which tend to reinforce the realities of life, if you think about it. In each case, each character, suits the majority. In each case, it works. In each case, surprisingly, that is democracy.
But America's self doubt is rearing its head yet again. We saw this after your 9/11 thing. But now, it seems more introspective. We have members here, here of all places, who seem to be feeling genuinely uncomfortable with anything they precieve as criticism. Criticism means comparing and finding it wanting. Criticism means you've failed.
Except it isn't criticism. It's comparison.
Here in Europe, for example, we tend to spend a lot of resources on those we precieve as vulnerable.
In the US you don't tend to do this, though there are exceptions. I know, from my experiences working as a psychiatric nurse, that conditions for some patients in state hospitals in the US, are, by our standards, horrendous.
But the drugs we use for mentally ill people are very expensive. The facilities are expensive to install and even more to maintain. (That's the problem with caring for the meantally ill. They need decent facilities, but often, as a group, have a tendency to destroy them). They then need to be replaced.
If we make a comparison with the US, it isn't a criticism of the US, its a criticism of something here. We don't use physical restraints on mentally ill people here and haven't (at least legally) since 1960, in the case of the UK. That has been possible at the cost of expensive, highly trained staff, expensive, modern drugs and expensive facilities. In America, there are Federal guidelines for restraints.
We all spend out pots as we see fit. If you buy a hotdog and I buy an ice cream, that's choice. Fairness has nothing to do with it.
But the nature of Europe is that it is continually self critical. We use that criticism, coupled with our traditions of democracy, to blunder from one solution to another. Done it for about 800 years.
It isn't and never has been an attack upon the ME, or America. Even though we hate to say it, because much like the 10 year old boys we don't like talking about love, it's actually love for our society.
I just get the feeling that America needs to know that.
