Following the events of 9/11, American is suffering from a complicated national schizophrenia. On the one hand, there is the "America Whose Business is Business". This American "personality" is characterized by the opening of American boundaries to international and global markets. American businesses are hastefully searching for cheap labor, tax "shelters", cheap materials, alternative market-places to participate in (and exploit)... Thanks to the free-market our boundaries are open and we are ready for business.
However, on the other hand, we find the "America Whose Business is National Defense". A phrenic personality of America that is hastefully withdrawing from the world. This side of America, now that the evil of the world has "slapped us in the face", is reacting immaturely and dangerously; "threating left and right, repudiating agreements, and angering friends." Thanks to the ever-growing shadow of terrorism our boundaries are closed and we are trembling in fear.
Can we have a permeable economic border and an impermeable geographic border? Is this a practical dialectic (that concerns two different aspects of American boundaries) within which the American national identity takes shape, or is it a contradiction that will eventually lead to a failure in either the market or in national security? Can our isolationist morality and (international/global) market dependence co-exist? Must we "assume a more humble posture in the presence of the global economy"?
"On the one hand, we have the future as a consumer's paradise in which everybody will be able to buy comfort, convenience, and happiness. On the other hand, we have this government's new future in which terrible things are bound to happen if we don't do terrible things in the present - which, of course, will make terrible things even more likely to happen in the future."
How, then, shall we live? But who, we?
(I'm thankful that I am neither the Secretary of Defense nor the Secretary of Commerce.)
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11 comments:
Where is that last paragraph in quotations from? Berry?
It's always good to see justice done on somebody else, huh? As long as the terrible stuff isn't happening to us.
Yes. I'm sorry for not citing it.
However...At least I put quotation marks around my quote. Stop ripping off Bruce Cockburn and trying to claim it as your own.
Bruce Cockburn is right, "everybody loves to see justice done on somebody else".
To a different degree I think most Western European nations have been in this described position for a while. They don't seem too bad off.
- Megan
(just for the sake of argument...I really do have issues with this)
Megan,
Are Western European nations hastefully withdrawing from the world due to terrorism? It seems that the growth of the EU has to some extent united Europe and has opened borders and relaxed international security.
Furthermore, I don't know how well off they are participating in an increasingly globalized economy, with little local accountability, which silences the particular cries of injustice.
But I don't really know that much about Europe.
Chris,
I'm hatefully withdrawing from this blog because of your word terrorism.
Man, I was going to take that really far and say something about stimulating growth and relaxing boarders, but I just couldn't do it. (It would have been an intellectual analogy of course).
Speaking of defense though, seriously, why do you still have this stupid word verification up? I took mine off a month ago and still haven't had an attack on my homeland. Looks like your pretty interested in the trade of ideas, but worried about boarder control as well. Hypocrite.
Your scathing critique of my pragmatics cuts deep and reveals that my hypocrisy runs all the way down.
And it made me chuckle.
I still have it up there because people who aren't too interested in commenting on my blog will be deterred because of the extra step of typing a word with crazy letters.
Shouldn't you be working on your paper?
It may just be me, but I would think at this point you'd want anyone to post on your blog, no matter how much they want to.
I get it.
Motivated by your comment in hoping that people may be deterred by the stupid letter thingy and your lack of the relevant intrigue to take a look at European policy regarding this issue, and becuase I have too much to do, I will decline from furthering this conversation in the way of international comparisons.
- Megan
I am intrigued with European policy, I just don't know much about it.
Also, I am just wondering if one of these American "mindsets" will eventually lead to the downfall of the other. Can we have a free market and national security?
Well, googling many of the words in your post combined with the name of a W. European Country would probably produce a plethora of information. I have heard this notion discussed most in Europe, which is why I refer you there. Can the 2 coexist? I think they will for surprisingly long time. I believe the place the US holds in the world (given international comparisons and historical reference not only pure political force and US strong arming) will cause support and respect for these dual policies for right or wrong. Since the policies are supposedly the desire of the US people and because of the reasons other nations have to respect and support the US in these dual, though counterintuitive, policies... who else is there to object and try to overthrow?
Sorry I'm vague on expanding on the US's standing in the world, I will take it that you can imply my theory there. I think explaining it would be much too long and sidetrack the point.
- Megan
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