But during those two years I also came to realize how difficult it is for people to understand the workings of a country and a culture that are foreign to them. If I heard stereotypical comments about America or Americans I would often find myself thinking, "What does this person know? He has never lived in America. The reality is much more complex than this one-sided conception that he harbors." Likewise, even after living in Ukraine for two years, it was difficult for me to offer my opinions about the country to Ukrainians. I still did not fully know what it was like to be a Ukrainian, to intuitively understand the challenges that the country faced and the best ways to address those challenges. I do not mean these comments as an endorsement of cultural relativism. If anything, I came out of my experience more firm in the knowledge that I prefer and would advocate for certain, often times more "American," cultural approaches to problem solving. I wish simply to emphasize the complexities involved in characterizing other nations. When I hear politicians and political commentators presenting Europe as the un-American bogeyman it embarrasses me. The debate is not about Europe, it is about America. Europeans of different nationalities will shape their futures based on their own histories and cultural values and Americans will do likewise. But we're currently not doing a very good job of it if the loyal opposition's contributions to the debate consist of shallow analysis smeared over with a thin veneer of patriotic France-bashing. What does Mitt Romney even mean when he says we must "make sure that America stays America?"
Catherine Meyers writes: As an American who spent the two years from 2006-2008 living in Ukraine as a Peace Corps volunteer I know that there are many distinct cultural aspects of my homeland that I truly admire and would like to preserve
Opinion: What's so bad about Europe?
By Catherine Meyers
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The newspapers these days are filled with gloomy statistics and ominous predictions for the future. Unemployment rates might rise above 10 percent. Deficit spending could top $9 trillion in the next decade. The world economy is predicted to shrink in 2009.
And according to certain Conservative commentators, the Obama administration is trying to turn America into Europe. In addressing the 2009 Conservative Policy Action Conference, Mitt Romney declared, "And as [the liberal Democrats] try to pull us in the direction of government-dominated Europe, we're going to have to fight as never before to make sure that America stays America."
Newt Gingrich, in his own speech at the conference, warned about the approaching danger by saying, "Now I listened carefully to the President's speech the other night. I think that it is the boldest effort to create a European socialist model we have seen."
Fox News TV host Sean Hannity, when interviewing author Mark Levin, asked the question "So if people want to counter Barack Obama's European socialism, they must what?"
Romney, Gingrich, and Hannity all speak about Europe as if it's a place we should surely know is undesirable to emulate. Imagine them using the phrase "inefficient, fossilizing nanny-states" in place of "Europe" and the tone of the comments remains essentially the same.
As an American who spent the two years from 2006-2008 living in Ukraine as a Peace Corps volunteer I know that there are many distinct cultural aspects of my homeland that I truly admire and would like to preserve. I enjoy the quality of life that I can achieve as an American and I appreciate the opportunities that life in this country offers me.
But during those two years I also came to realize how difficult it is for people to understand the workings of a country and a culture that are foreign to them. If I heard stereotypical comments about America or Americans I would often find myself thinking, "What does this person know? He has never lived in America. The reality is much more complex than this one-sided conception that he harbors."
Likewise, even after living in Ukraine for two years, it was difficult for me to offer my opinions about the country to Ukrainians. I still did not fully know what it was like to be a Ukrainian, to intuitively understand the challenges that the country faced and the best ways to address those challenges.
I do not mean these comments as an endorsement of cultural relativism. If anything, I came out of my experience more firm in the knowledge that I prefer and would advocate for certain, often times more "American," cultural approaches to problem solving. I wish simply to emphasize the complexities involved in characterizing other nations.
When I hear politicians and political commentators presenting Europe as the un-American bogeyman it embarrasses me.
The debate is not about Europe, it is about America. Europeans of different nationalities will shape their futures based on their own histories and cultural values and Americans will do likewise.
But we're currently not doing a very good job of it if the loyal opposition's contributions to the debate consist of shallow analysis smeared over with a thin veneer of patriotic France-bashing. What does Mitt Romney even mean when he says we must "make sure that America stays America?"
America has changed significantly over her 233-year history. I think few would argue that the America of 18th century slave-owners was more American than the America of today because it existed before the idea of European-style abolitionism was adopted. Changing America in an effort to try to improve our society does not mean that we are diluting her essential essence.
As it might be obvious by now, I generally hold views that lie towards the more liberal end of the political spectrum.
That said, I don't think that the Democratic Party is offering all of the correct proscriptions for curing America's ills.
I am open to changing my mind, but raising the supposedly horrifying specter of Europe is not going to accomplish this conversion.
Although it may astound certain Republicans, many people actually prefer to live in France.
Catherine Meyers lives in Boulder
