[youtube zYwlRH7R6DE&feature]
18 years ago when I was in the Philippines a somewhat similar song was popular. The song advised, “Not all the World is America.” Well, I figured then that the point made was a good one. It’s a good one now. What I think is significant, though, if you can manage to watch a Rammstein video all the way through, is that this is primarily a song about cultural dominance. “Sometimes war” he sings, but only as an after thought to Coca Cola.
The fact that American children (judging by my own) are more open to foreign cultures and don’t think twice about acquiring cultural artifacts where ever they may be found as well as playmates from anywhere on Earth (my 13 year old girly-girl blowing away monsters with a kid *obviously* from Brittan still blows my mind) isn’t going to be apparent to those who don’t see that global culture is bleeding out in *every* direction.
America seems to be culturally dominant. That’s going to piss people off.
This is one of those things where it’s unfortunate, but what could be done to solve the “problem” other than national suicide? Adapt a Star Trek style Primary Directive? How many primitive planets did Jim Kirk watch die?
Cool post Sy. But like in everything, Laibach does this sort of cynical anthemizing so much better:
America
Mildly offensive also, but more sophisticated. The Fukuyama reference at the end of the song is brilliant…and that grating, metallic-electronic guitar sound in the beginning is the sound of America.
Yet while I’m at it, their Israeli anthem from Volk is superior I must say.
Israel
Something all Americans fear: a crappy German rock band critiquing American society.
Maybe they should have added a few scenes to the video of snooty European “intellectuals” feeling more cultured than their rebel colonial brethren.
Talk about irony… a rock and roll band complaining (or just commenting) on America’s cultural dominance.
Adapt a Star Trek style Primary Directive? How many primitive planets did Jim Kirk watch die?
Probably about as many as he infected with newer technology and/or social ideas.
Cultural dominance is inevitable when you’re an economic powerhouse. I’m certain that, in time, India, and China will be players in the global hate their culture as I’m buying their products scene.
And let’s be frank. It’s always a choice what you buy and what attitudes/social conventions you decide to adopt. You can buy American jeans without becoming an American. Well, maybe not anymore, do we still make jeans in America.
Nice post, Synova.
There are a couple of interesting books in support of your thesis here. One is “Creative Destruction; How Globalization Is Changing The World’s Cultures” by Tyler Cowen in which he argues that, not only is there no truly indigenous culture (every culture borrows from others through trade), but a dominant culture based on trade actually expands the universe of cultural choices and preserves little known or soon-to-be-forgotten ones (e.g. those cultural artifacts you mentioned).
One of the examples of where culture practically died in the West was during the Dark Ages when the ancient Mediterranean trade routes were all but shut down (N.B. the invading Muslims did maintain some localized trade, but the far-reaching routes into the East were closed off to most of the West). As a result, fiefdoms arose behind heavily guarded walls, and trade practically stopped. Diversity of goods took a very sharp turn downwards, and most people survived on what they could grow or build themselves, or what they could arrest from others through war. And any student of art history can tell you that the Dark Ages produced nothing comparable to the exquisite works of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The book that covers this in detail is Henri Pirenne’s “Economic and Social History of Medieval Europe.”
Just some food for thought
“Maybe they should have added a few scenes to the video of snooty European “intellectuals” feeling more cultured than their rebel colonial brethren.”
LOL Roland I would love to see that!
I have to say, I am all over the place in musical taste, and Rammstein is one of those odd groups I like. And Amerika (with k) is one of those songs I love. It cracks me up everytime I listen to it.
Now, I am old, I know my history and I even though I am not a citizen (yet) I love America, and I feel as American as if I was born and live here all my life. Any other country in the world is so generous in that regard. Well, my original country, Venezuela, was like that too… unfortunately, times have changed.
To me, this is fun and an artistic expression. I am not gonna change my views because of this song. I understand why this can be offensive to many of you though. People say that no publicity is bad publicity, this might also be the case for good’ol America. Europeans, what I notice from many of them, including very good friends, they criticize a lot America, but they love many things from it too. They can’t live without it lol… Soo… that’s part of the trans-culture that America has brought to the world, just like MichaelW said, the Greeks did in the ancient world. As Keith said, Jeans and Rock and Roll all the way while writing a song criticizing their beloved America.
Good for them! I wonder what Europe would be doing without America’s hand.
Now, talking about art, the anti-war, anti-Bush, anti-American art (including music) can be so cliché and boring that I personally take it with a grain of salt artists who everything they do is criticize the “evil empire”… I guess what I want to say is that at the end, and in my very personal opinion this “movement” is old, boring, mediocre and hasn’t say anything new since Vietnam… you know, it’s time to change the tune boys!
Now, Lee, I didn’t know this group Laibach from Slovenia, it’s interesting, I am gonna listen to them. Their critique is harsh, but, if we notice where they coming from then well, you can understand their point of view. Last time Europeans listened a country ranting about their nation with so much pride you know what happened…. I am not saying they are right though. It makes me laugh the way they think Americans are blind to their problems. Only the same way they are to theirs.
It’s kind of teenagerish that apocalyptic-tragic view of the world… well, I only listened to America and Israel, I noticed they have a whole collections of countries. I guess they are against nationalism, and in that, me too. I would know what kind of people they are when they do the “Venezuela” song though… lol…
A preserved culture is a dead culture.
That said, (in the interest of pithy truisms), nationalism is a good thing. We tend to think of nationalism as some sort of severe xenophobia or hostility toward others but I really do think that it’s healthier than cosmopolitanism… if I’ve understood *that* word correctly.
Ethnicities or national cultures aren’t static (and can’t be, without being dead) but people ought to feel a connection to their own.
I agree with you Synova, in the American way, nationalism has been a good thing. But unfortunately, if one come from another country, chances are that one probably have lived under the not so nice tints that a bad understood nationalism can bring, and it’s not nice at all. Europeans are super sensitive to that issue, with all reason. Me too.
Fortunately, as you say, American culture is so open and the country so big, that it has prevented very successfully up to now the collective madness that a false sense of nationalism can bring to a country.
Great post btw,
Cheers,
-f
Synova,
What do you mean that Cosmopolitanism is not as healthy as Nationalism?
It kind of contradict your statement that a preserved culture is a dead culture, I don’t think I understood your point of view.
If both of those are such that they can co-exist then they are probably not unhealthy. A feeling of belonging to the whole of humanity isn’t bad but, really, we can’t function at that remove in any practical way. So as a philosophy it’s well enough. But if it is manifest such that we aren’t supposed to attach identity primarily to a smaller circle, then it’s not healthy. It can’t be.
We ought to identify first with family, community, nation… really. Life has to happen in those realms. That we can *also* identify with everyone is great.
But turn it around, if we’re required to *not* favor those we are naturally most concerned with, it doesn’t help us much if we consider ourselves a citizen of the world.
Patriotism and nationalism that exclude a feeling of membership in humanity wouldn’t be healthy either, of course.
Hey, it’s Miss Feathers! Good to see you again girl.
I totally got your point now Synova, and agree with you.
Hey Lee, good to see you writing again!
Cheers,
Synova,
Your point echoes an issue I tackled in this essay.
http://asecondhandconjecture.com/?p=15