Monday, March 10, 2008
The end of "self-hating" Anglophilia?
So, a guy named Moynihan hopes that the throngs of working-class British tourists, lured here by a weak dollar, will end America's self-hating cultural Anglophilia. No shock there.
Drawn by a plummeting dollar, the British are arriving en masse on American shores. In the streets of Manhattan, pale-skinned men in Manchester United shirts marvel loudly at what all these iPods, “trainers,” and Nike track suits would cost them back home. While generously pumping much-needed money into the U.S. economy, the feral packs of lager louts are, one hopes, helping correct America’s long-held misperception that the English are a nation of Inspector Morse bit players—sophisticated, fastidious, snobby—especially when compared to us rubes.
We’re not quite free of our inferiority complex just yet. After a 2005 stint playing on London’s West End, former Top Gun actor Val Kilmer enthused that English audiences were “smarter” than their American counterparts because “they read books.”
Now, I am sympathetic with Michael Moynihan insofar as I have never understood the proclivity of American elites, especially of the lefty persuasion, to disparage America and Americans by comparing them unfavorably to the British or Europeans. Perhaps I have had different experiences than they do when I travel abroad or encounter Europeans who travel here. More likely, though, I do not confuse accent and the sophistication of the speaker. Transnational progressives -- educated lefties who consider themselves "citizens of the world" rather than true patriots -- are particularly prone to that mistake (which is strange, because they are the people who push us to respect "diversity" in and of itself). If you doubt me, ask any educated person from the American South whether he has ever been condescended to because of his drawl.
CWCID: Glenn Reynolds.
3 Comments:
By 
, at
Mon Mar 10, 10:04:00 AM:
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By , at
Mon Mar 10, 10:07:00 AM:
TH: please delete prev comment.
When I was working in the oilfield, I lived for a while in a staff house in Venezuela. My roommates were Scotsmen. Great workers and sober ones on the rig, but their week off was one constant drunk.
Decades later, I was in grad school, and the Dean of the School, of Scots origin, attended a presentation our final day of class. I mentioned to him that I had worked with Scotsmen in the oilfield in Venezuela. "Bunch of drunks, weren't they," was the Dean's reply.
By , at
Mon Mar 10, 07:49:00 PM:
I often joke about how comfortable Europeans feel lecturing me with regards to what America should and shouldn't be doing at any particular moment.
A few times, I have felt the need to ask them how they would feel if they were traveling through the US and while eating dinner the couple sitting next to you felt the need to help you understand what (insert your own W. European country here)was doing wrong.
I usually like to emphasize my southern accent a bit while pronouncing that I am a rocket scientist.
I was working in a country one time and mentioned my family was from Atlanta. After that some made comments about how racist America was. The great irony is that I was in the country with my girlfriend of a different race.
I couldn't help but bring her by work to say hello to everyone. I can still see the shock on their faces.
The most annoyinbg habit W. Europeans have is claiming how they have been to America. I'll ask them where and they will say NYC, Orlando and LA. I usually just laugh and say that's like me saying I understand all about Europe. I've been to London, Euro Disney and Rome.
Often they seem to not get the analogy.
