Students in the School of American Studies at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, U.K. were asked, “What does America mean to me?” Their responses provide a glimpse of perceptions of the United States abroad and also pushed me to examine my perceptions of my country.
Reading an outsider’s perspective of one’s country is always difficult. It is especially so when your country is the U.S. One is keenly aware of the negative, often bemused, international perception of the U.S. I would argue that we’ve done much to earn this reputation. However, regardless of one’s personal feelings the initial response to these perceptions is often defensive. Moving beyond knee-jerk reaction, I found that I agreed with my peers on many points. Their responses were often critical of the U.S. and many of them note the disparity between American ideals and image and the political, economic, and social realities of the nation. I especially agree with the oft-repeated notion that America is difficult to define. From a vantage point within the United States, I can say that I have difficulty pinning down the essence of America.
What follows is a summary of the key themes that emerged from the nineteen group responses crafted by the students of UEA. Though I have quoted directly from several of these responses, I have attempted to synthesize the contributions of many individuals into a unified voice. I invite UEA students to contact me via the comments section if they feel I have misinterpreted or misrepresented their assertions, and also to comment generally on my response to their responses. Further, I invite UEA students to provide additional information regarding the characteristics of their class. I am curious to know more about the demographics of their group (age, sex, gender, etc.) and how they feel this might shape their perceptions of the United States.
Several themes emerged in the student responses to the question, “What does America mean to me?” Several students described the U.S. as difficult to define, marking it as an almost imaginary place constructed through media and consumer products. Some pointed to the power and the fallacy of the American Dream. America was described as a “land of contradictions,” a “concept rather than a country” and “constantly reinventing itself.” Here a self-created American myth – which includes notions of equality, liberty, justice, rugged individualism, meritocracy, self-creation, and economic prosperity – informs and overwhelms reality.
They described the U.S. as a superpower whose global reach is political, economic, and cultural. It dominates the global stage, while relying on, and often exploiting, other nations to further its goals. As one group observed, “America absorbs other cultures before regurgitating and manipulating them to conform” to its own goals. The U.S. regards itself as an ideal society and forces others to adapt while “protect[ing] its own interests and [obscuring] its own fragilities.”
Many cited the contradictions between American ideals and the social, economic, and political reality of life in the United States. Issues of race in America, specifically the oppression of African-Americans, was cited as a chief example of American hypocrisy and the failures of the American experiment. Also noted was a selective forgetfulness of the more troubling aspects of the nation’s past. The country’s physical size and geographic and cultural diversity was cited as both strength and a weakness, and Americans of were perceived as unified by a shared national identity. Patriotism and individualism were identified as traits essential to American identity, and success and wealth marked as important goals. Many students noted the power of American symbols, institutions, and iconography to evoke the American Dream and mythos and unite the nation’s diverse population. Examples include the American flag, the “Star-Spangled Banner,” Superman (the ur-immigrant), cowboys and the American west, the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline, Hollywood, and Barack Obama.
Many pointed to the power of the media in shaping perceptions of America and some of the ideas discussed by the UEA students were shaped by media representations of the country. The U.S. was characterized as a producer and exporter of culture and these cultural products – literature, film and television, music, and corporate brands – were characterized as transmitters of imagery and values of the U.S. and important tools in decoding American identity. American film and television programs were described as “inescapable” and, along with corporate entities like Starbucks and McDonalds, are synonymous with America, presenting an image of America based on capitalism, consumption, and materialism. Disney films are cited as symbolic of the American world view and further illustrate the power of American cultural products to transmit ideology. Further, these products were perceived as often overshadowing those of individual nations and act as a homogenizing influence. (I would suggest that many feel that “Americanization” is a threat to the diversity of the United States.) What emerges here is a sense of cultural colonialism on the part of the U.S.
One group “found it difficult to comprehend how America has such a limited knowledge of the ‘outside world’ whilst also having such a detailed knowledge of their own country.” I would agree with the assumption that Americans have a narrow perception of the outside world. To say this is to admit that I, as an American, have a limited understanding of the world beyond our borders. My response to the question, “What does the U.K. mean to me?” would be woefully lacking (and would be derived from a combination of sources that included, in no particular order; Elvis Costello, Ricky Gervais, The Up series, Ealing comedies and Hammer horror films, and Bob Hoskins). Perhaps this is because of our relatively short history, or our size and our relative geographic isolation. Or maybe it is because of some ingrained, and misguided, notion of American exceptionalism. It is not sufficient enough explanation to observe that it is very likely that many Americans lack a detailed knowledge of their own country beyond their immediate region. We derive our perceptions about our country from many of the same sources that the UEA students describe. We, too, are sold and believe the American myth.
I agree with many of the perceptions and criticisms outlined in the responses of the UEA students. Our principles are often at odds with our actions. We do practice a kind of cultural colonialism (not to mention economic and ideological colonialism). We are susceptible to our own mythology. As a nation we are by turns myopic, self-absorbed, and apathetic. On the global stage we are alternate between isolationism and imperialism. I agree that our diversity is our greatest strength. And that American patriotism is a unifying force, but it can also be destructive when it becomes nativistic or jingoistic in tone. I agree to some extent that American democracy has become distorted in the twenty-first century and that, depending on the day and who you ask, American’s generally believe they live in some kind of democracy. I agree that the U.S. is a nation of great contradictions and, despite our wealth, one of great disparity. That said I am optimistic that the U.S. can act as a force of good in the world, that we have the capacity to recognize our errors and change for the better, and that our political system at its best is responsive enough to facilitate these changes. It is also a place of great opportunity, but I also recognize that as a middle-class white male I have greater advantages, more opportunity, and can afford to be optimistic
I think that your comment- 'many feel that “Americanization” is a threat to the diversity of the United States' is very interesting. There is a tendency in Britain to see America as one homogenous entity but in reality America to me is more like a collection of different countries which share a government and language. There is a diversity between the states that people in Britain can't really imagine. I think your point that America itself is being 'Americanized' is really interesting.
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