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Stumbling half-drunk into my overheated, non-airconditioned house tonight I somehow ended up reading this article in the NYT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08.....lobal-home
Short story shorter, it's about British expat journalists getting a second wind in the US. It's written by someone called Geoffrey Wheatcroft and to really cut to the chase, it is no doubt prompted by the recent deaths of Christopher Hitchens, Gore Vidal and Alexander Cockburn, all writers who migrated to the US and set up second careers in log cabin country. The article sings of British punch versus US floppiness, journalistic-wise and ponders why it takes an Englishman to explain us to ourselves. The rub, and the name, is Christopher Hitchens, who spun 180 politically after 911, coming the conclusion that George Bush and the Iraq war were good things and things to be considered good. Don't think I would dare to argue with minds dropped from Oxford and fingers that typed copy for things called The New Statesman. But reading this article I have to wonder if the British truly understand the depth of American depravity.
I have to say, no, they don't.
I would guess that war to the British, as to most sane nations, is a matter of life and death and empire. What few people who are not American don't realize is that to Americans war is just another media blip. A huge honking blip, to be sure, but nothing that is really real. War these days, for the US is in there with stuff like "How To Grill The Perfect Hotdog". Like "Which American Idol Judge Is Screwing the Most Contestants". Like "Why is Iceland Green and Greenland All Icey?" Killing foreigners isn't something Americans really think much about. Freeing entire parts of the world never, ever, ever... well...just please. That such a brilliant mind as C. Hitchens thought we really meant it makes me sad. To all of the world, and esp. to Hitchens, I apologize. It was just a thing.
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Great find, Scout, and your words are true. Americans have a shortsightedness problem. We look at the world and only see ourselves. It's because we got too much too soon as a country and are still young and foolish.
Our news cycle doesn't help. I remember in like 2002 when we'd just invaded Iraq again and they were doing that thing with embedded journalists, it was kind of a joke among my circle to say something along the lines of "Oh, I got home, threw a burrito in the microwave, fed the cat, watched some war, then headed out to the bar." It was meant as kind of an indictment of the mechanism. You could flip on the TV and watch some war any time. Of course then as a country we lost interest in the war and forgot we were having it, which is another thing Americans tend to do.
By comparison I got up this morning and was listening to the radio because I wanted to hear if the Mars rover landed safely. For twenty inane minutes NPR talked about the fact that it's Andy Warhol's birthday, that fish flies are a bigger problem than usual in Michigan this summer, some sports trade involving sports people, and a transgender Latin-American singer as a human interest story. They did mention the Olympics (international games of peace and fraternity), but only to announce that the US has the most medals. No actual news though.
On the (Canadian) alt-rock station I listen to on the drive to work they do a morning zoo type show with the usual goofiness. I turned the car on and hear "...landed safely on schedule and sent back some pictures." So at least I can get actual information from somewhere.
I'm not sure Hitchens deserves your apology, but I'll second the one to the rest of the world.
EDIT: No air conditioning? What... why... how? Why? How do you live? We didn't fight all those wars so you could live without air conditioning, dude.
Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.
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My house does not have any air conditioning either Steerpike. The past few days have been brutal with temps right up to 90 degrees in my bedroom today. There are still a lot of houses in the coastal areas that never bothered to pay the money to put central air in. Normally, there are only 1 or maybe 2 bad heat waves that make me miserable for a stretch. Who knows though with global warming. Portland is normally so mild to coolish, probably the same as my area in that 50% have AC and 50% don't.
Hang in there Scout...
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We about to hit a couple more 100 degree days this weekend. I'm finally moved to order a part for my AC to see if I can fix it myself. I have a feeling the repair guy just decided to write the unit off to try and sell a new one. If I'm right it will cost 25.00 to fix. If wrong, I'll just live with the heat from now on. Also the whole house fan in the attic burned out too so it's like 120 degrees up there...good thing heat rises. 
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Scout said.......
.... would guess that war to the British, as to most sane nations, is a matter of life and death and empire. What few people who are not American don’t realize is that to Americans war is just another media blip. A huge honking blip, to be sure, but nothing that is really real. War these days, for the US is in there with stuff like “How To Grill The Perfect Hotdog”. Like “Which American Idol Judge Is Screwing the Most Contestants”.
This is so true. And what it says about our country and us, is not good. I think the worse thing that happened in terms of getting Americans to care about our wars was stopping the draft. When I was in my early twenties, it was Viet Nam. All male kids of a certain age (including my husband) could be drafted. People paid attention to that war. They decided they didn't want to die there for reasons they couldn't understand and started a movement to end the war. Finally, their parents even understood and got on board. There has been no movement like this for any of these wars.
I am not saying we should have a draft again. What I am saying is that war is so easy for Americans (including the politicians) since no one has any of their skin in the game. Nobody was asked to make a sacrifice for these wars. After 9/11 we were told to go out and shop.
I find this depressing. I also find it depressing that so many People seem intent on destroying our basic safety net so they can pay less taxes.
But I am getting older and older and I have no energy left to fight once again the battles I fought in my youth and for much of my adulthood. It is time for others to fight these battles but there seems to be no one anymore who want to make the effort to confront things that are clearly wrong. Where were the people to protest the war in Iraq. Not to be seen.
For me, I have turned off my TV. I am totally sick of it all. I read the NYT and the CSM. I spend my time doing things that I enjoy and are not harmful to others. I read a lot, I take Learning Company courses (art, music, science), I listen to a lot of music (jazz, blues, classical, opera, liturgical), I play bridge, I play computer games, I go to concerts and art exhibits and the opera, I walk a lot, I go to the Y and work out.
I have a peasant life and I am financially secure but I am still so very disappointed about what is happening to my country. I mean our country. I mean your country.
Kay
Imagine life with no hypothetical situations.
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Speaking as an Oxford educated Brit, I say that you Yanks should not beat yourselves up too much in comparison to us on these issues, and you should certainly not think that an Oxford education implies greater erudition or intellect. We have at least our own fair share of morons, especially those in government, but (post Empire) we are far less numerous and have therefore had to try to find more subtle ways to go about abusing the rest of the world, or encouraging you guys to do our dirty work!
There is also the geography factor: you have a nice big continent all of your own, whilst we have a few squitty little islands cheek by jowl with foreign neighbours, forcing us to pay closer attention to what is going elsewhere in the world. We also have the Commonwealth, the legacy of Empire, to remind us of cultural differences.
On another tack, expatriates are often keener observers of many aspects of their adopted homelands than they would be of their own precisely because they are outsiders. Whether the writers among them find fault or heap praise may well be heavily influenced by what they were running from when they left home.I think that the prevailing cynical view of US warlike tendencies from here is that it is all about OIL.
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I find this to be pretty much true, Lex. In a way expat viewpoints interest me more than a native’s take, exactly for the reasons you point to. And expats writing about their own countries from their new homes can be fascinating too. I have a buddy who has lived in Barcelona now for over a decade and I swear he follows US events much more closely now than he ever did when still living in his hometown. People from the US could benefit tremendously by living a few seasons in other countries.
Kay, I was of draft-able age in the lottery. I lucked out, pulling 330. But yeah, the war held my interest.
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Lex said
...and you should certainly not think that an Oxford education implies greater erudition or intellect.
Yeah, not least because there are two Oxford universities in Oxford. The Oxford University, world renowned, and Oxford Brookes, not so well known. My girlfriend's from Oxford and she says she's met a lot of people who say they're 'Oxford educated' only to be caught short when she's asked them which uni. I have no idea whether one is objectively better but The Oxford University is apparently a lot more expensive so has a certain air of prestige. Heh, just checked the meaning of prestige to make sure I'd used it correctly and it says the following:
"Noun
prestige (uncountable)
- (obsolete) Delusion; illusion; trick. [quotations ▼]
- The quality of how good the reputation of something or someone is, how favourably something or someone is regarded
- Oxford has a university of very high prestige."
kaythomas said
... But I am getting older and older and I have no energy left to fight once again the battles I fought in my youth and for much of my adulthood. It is time for others to fight these battles but there seems to be no one anymore who want to make the effort to confront things that are clearly wrong. Where were the people to protest the war in Iraq. Not to be seen.For me, I have turned off my TV. I am totally sick of it all. I read the NYT and the CSM. I spend my time doing things that I enjoy and are not harmful to others. I read a lot, I take Learning Company courses (art, music, science), I listen to a lot of music (jazz, blues, classical, opera, liturgical), I play bridge, I play computer games, I go to concerts and art exhibits and the opera, I walk a lot, I go to the Y and work out ...
Still in my twenties (only just) and I've never had any energy to fight any of these battles. I remember many, many Brits descending on to the streets of London to protest against Blair's decision to join Bush in the war in Iraq and it was all for naught. Call me a defeatist but after all the bullshit with the recession there are powers far, far greater than any of us, especially people like me who turned their TVs off and stopped listening to the news long ago because quite frankly, it all makes me angry. Like you, I seek solace in the things I enjoy. Life's too short and this sand I have my head buried in is just fine. I'm as personally responsible as I can be from day to day but I don't feel like I can change the way others behave, never mind governments and entire countries!
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I’m as personally responsible as I can be from day to day but I don’t feel like I can change the way others behave, never mind governments and entire countries!
I'm a bit of a tooth-grinder myself, and the last twelve years have been rough on Americans of my kind. I was 25 when Gore won the election in 2000, only to have it stolen; by 2004 it was clear we had to stop Bush at any cost and I was very heavily involved in Kerry's campaign at my local level. I participated in canvassing meetings, handed out pieces of paper, made phone calls, drove ancient people to the polls on voting day. And Kerry lost. So I decided I was cursed, doomed to destroy all politicians I touched. Thus with Obama I gave money and stated my opinion with vicious bumper stickers but didn't actively campaign, lest my tainted presence ruin his chances. I'm following that same strategy this time around.
I've brought down any number of corrupt or dictatorial governments in my video game playing. With luck that'll be enough to salve my conscience.
Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.
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Steerpike
I can identify with your feeling as a "tainted presence" in a campaign. My feeling goes even further. I often feel my vote is the "kiss of death". But I do keep voting. This election will be critical in getting out the vote because of all the voter identification laws that have been passed. It is the new poll tax.
Kay
Imagine life with no hypothetical situations.
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Man... listening to B.O. speak at the DNC the other night... I know political speeches of all shapes and sizes are filled with fluff, but the people who really believe that this guy is some evil America-hating villain out to destroy their way of life... bah. Not knowing other people's true thoughts since, you know, I'm me and not them, I just have to state that this is total opinion on my part, but I think this guy genuinely cares about all of the people in his country to an extent that no president, or presidential candidate, ever has.
The haters try so hard to find things to nitpick, but boy, I find some of the things he says really admirable, even inspiring, and I'd put myself in the same category as Gregg or Matt: I usually try to ignore news about the world because it sucks constantly, but fucking Obama, man...He's either the most naive guy in the world, or he really believes that it's possible to change the attitudes of his opponents.
I give a lot of respect to his message of personal responsibility and shared prosperity, and his underlying message of not blaming your government for all the problems in the world.
I just can't help but feel he's going to lose this election because somehow 51% of people who get to the polls just hate life or something and want to continue living in a world that blows. But hey, at least that world will have NASCAR and those pesky people known as "women" and "other visible minorities" will die off because they don't have the same access to health care that old rich white guys do! 
If being wrong's a crime I'm serving forever
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Have faith, xtal. I am counting on Nate Silver being right in his analysis. He sure got it right in 2008. I know what you mean by hateful, stupid people. I try not to read the comments after political articles.
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I try not to read my own Facebook page. It's amazing to learn how monumentally stupid some of the people I went to school with and partied with turned out.
I shudder to think how the next 4 years will be if Obama loses.
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