Americans = Mars, Europeans = Venus, right? Not according to the author of this book. Through a series of tart mini-essays and comments, Baldwin makes what is essentially a collection of bar graphs comparing various aspects of America and Western European countries interesting, fun, and thought-provoking to read. The upshot of his argument is that, in many ways, America falls within the European mainstream on a host of social, economic, and cultural issues; indeed, the differences between European nations (such as those between northern and southern Europe) are often more pronounced than the differences between America and Europe-in-general. He is intellectually honest enough to recognize that his thesis is likely to be as troubling to liberals who look to Scandinavia-style social welfare states as a secular "Mecca" as it is to conservatives who dismiss Western Europe as decadent and biologically exhausted. Of necessity, more subjective measurements of difference are not included, and I suspect that here is where more significant differences would be observed. (The upcoming World Cup puts me in mind of one: the frequent racist heckling of black and foreign soccer players in many European countries, which has thankfully been expunged from most American sporting events. How could the willingness to express such sentiments be "measured" without introducing bias?)I would like to see a revised version of the book which includes the former Warsaw Pact nations. Many of these countries have taken a more "American" approach to economic development, tax policy, and so forth than the EU nations; will their influence "seep into" the Western European countries, or will the pressure to "conform" be too great?
2 comments:
Here's a conversation that you and I should have sometime in the hopefully not-too-distant future. The contrasts between the 1960's northern Europe (the one I experienced) and what I have since seen and experienced prove greatly how much America and Europe have grown together in lifestyle, if not always in thought.
The interesting differences, in a pithy blog-size summary, include scale of lifestyle (aka the Genie from Aladdin's "itty bitty living space"), perceptions of amount of tax paid and where it goes, and perceptions of race of which I am certain that a few well-worded statistical inquiries among the general European population would raise a few eyebrows from both the liberal and conservative sides of the fence.
(Obviously I'd like to read this book.)
Chuck,
Yes, I think you'd enjoy it, though it's somewhat dry. Baldwin makes some strong points. The only time he really veers into "wonk-speak" is when he plumps for universal health care in the US.
Chris
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