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American Dream, Global Nightmare

Tekijä: Ziauddin Sardar

JäseniäKirja-arvostelujaSuosituimmuussijaKeskimääräinen arvioKeskustelut
553468,075 (3.11)-
Propelled by its mythology, America pursues its dream relentlessly. Here, the authors expose the dark side of that fantasy: death, suffering, perpetual fear, an increasing divide between rich and poor, a squandering of the human future, and the relentless building of more and more pretexts for future wars.… (lisätietoja)
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näyttää 3/3
There was a time when I had started working and actually earning double what I was earning on the dole (whether one can actually consider the dole as a form or earning money since in reality it is a charitable handout) when I started buying any book that I saw that was anti-American: this book was one of them. However, over time I have become less anti-American than I previously was in that it is more that it is not American in and of itself that is the problem, but rather elements of Western Society. Now don't get me wrong, there are a lot of aspects to America that I do not like and do not agree with but that does not necessarily mean that we should hate America - on the other hand, it does not mean that we should simply sit back and do nothing.
Now, this book I think is quite wrong. Yes, the United States has arisen to take the mantle of world superpower, but that does not necessarily mean that it is a bad thing. One should consider what Nial Fergusson said in his book Empire - at the end of World War II there were four powers that could have taken the title of world superpower: Russia, Germany, Japan, and the United States (Britain had come to the end of her tenure by that time). Out of those four, I am sure we would all through our weight behind America as being the more responsible power.
That is true, and I remain of that position, however that does not necessarily mean that the United States will not, or has not, changed, and we can see that it has. The concern is not the outward appearances, but the inner beliefs. While a bulk of the world opposed the wars of George W Bush, as it turns out there was quite a lot of support within the United States. While the world actually likes Obama, inside the United States there was been a turn against him. This is what concerns me as it does not seem that the people inside the United States have any concept of the world outside.
This is the premise of this book, and it works on the idea that the exporting of American Imperialism is destroying the wonderful and varied cultures that our world has produced. However this is not the first time it has happened. It happened in the Ancient World all too often, and while I will point at Rome as the prime example, we cannot ignore Babylon, Persia, and even Greece under Alexander. As for more modern examples we cannot go past the British Empire that uprooted whole societies to plant their own colonies (and Australia and South Africa is an example of this, not to ignore the American continent).
As for cinema being the machine of empire, well the truth is that Hollywood is not the only producer of movies. Go for a wonder through the Paris Metro and count the number of posters on the wall that advertise a Hollywood Movie. Can't find any? Well, neither could I. The French are well known for having an independent cinema culture, and to be honest, most French probably aren't interested in American films because they know that theirs are a lot better. Same with Hong Kong, go for a wonder through the MTR and you will see posters advertising Hong Kong films (along with American Films). Second point to make is language. People still speak their own language. If there is one country where it appears that the language is in danger of becoming extinct it is Germany, but as it turns out, it is not. Despite all Germans being taught English up to year 10, they all still speak German, and when people spoke to me in Germany, it was in German. It was only after I indicated that I have difficulties understanding German that they would switch to English.
Is it the end of the American Empire? Probably not just yet, but we are entering a period where the US is in decline, and Asia is in ascension, but parity shifts do take years. Ask the average European in 1910 if it was the end of the British Empire and they would have laughed, however even then the UK was in decline (but did not vanish until the Suez Incident). Despite all this, I believe that it is better that a democracy (even if access to power in this democracy is limited) take the reigns of world leader than some tyrannical dictatorship. Anyway, I also suspect that China is rapidly facing some serious problems, and if we see a collapse in their economy in the next few years (which is quite likely) then it will simply be further evidence that the American Empire still has life left in it. ( )
  David.Alfred.Sarkies | Feb 14, 2014 |
This is a first-rate primer on the myths America sells itself: its presumption of infallibility; its ignorance and indifference to the needs and priorities of the rest of the world. We are all being driven on a mad charge to oblivion and, whoever is President of the world’s most destructive force ( )
  ariefw | Jul 9, 2011 |
Once you get through the polemicism this is quite an interesting, occasionally disturbing look at the American military-industrial complex which overshadows every major decision made by the unbelievable leaders they vote into power in the USA ( )
  davetherave | Sep 3, 2006 |
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Propelled by its mythology, America pursues its dream relentlessly. Here, the authors expose the dark side of that fantasy: death, suffering, perpetual fear, an increasing divide between rich and poor, a squandering of the human future, and the relentless building of more and more pretexts for future wars.

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