Claire Fan - Week 8: The Euro-merican Wars
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| Thank you for your input, random user on Twitter who most definitely speaks for all Europeans! |
Europeans on The Internet™ really seem to like disparaging Americans for not knowing geography. Whether it be for traveling or just in terms of general knowledge, no slack is cut when evaluating the “failures” of the educational system.
While I do agree that geography is an important topic to have knowledge on, there are a lot of factors feeding into this perception that aren’t necessarily our fault. For one, classes purely dedicated to learning geography are completely optional as well as few and far between. Taking Geography was an option in the ninth grade, but besides that, the few geography lessons we receive are scattered throughout other social studies classes.
People on Reddit—which we all know is the most trustworthy source to receive objective facts from—state that Europeans simply can’t help it due to their “history with colonialism” (?). The subreddit by the name /r/AmericaBad features a post made by u/memesforlife213, who claims “xenophobia is a genetic trait that a lot of Europeans have.” Very interesting stuff. This subreddit mainly consists of Europeans bashing on American culture and upset Americans returning every hit with one of their own. The Internet™ is such a collaborative place built off of mutual understanding!
The great irony of this to me is that Europe and America are about the same size: 4 and 3.8 million square miles respectively. In that sense, knowing all fifty states is tantamount to being able to name every country in Europe (for reference, the United Nations officially recognizes forty-four countries to be part of Europe; some sources count up to fifty-one). Moreover, the United States is so diverse both culturally and geographically that every state might as well be a different country.
European criticism of America is valid, of course—gun violence and the burgeoning faults of the healthcare system are painfully clear to anyone with common sense. However, some people online seem to believe with their whole hearts that these statistics mean that everyone is automatically an avid supporter of unrestricted gun laws and privatized healthcare.
This belief goes both ways, of course. Even if a belief is held by a minority of people, their views can become immensely popular depending on how loud they are. A viral video of one (1) American podcaster stating that reoccurring gun-related violence is “worth it” because citizens are allowed the right to bear arms, for example, feeds into Europeans’ confirmation bias. Similarly, a popular clip of a British person decrying Americans for not knowing the difference between a London and Manchester accent polarizes both audiences further.
These videos have a tendency to snowball in impact due to their inherently divisive nature. The best way to combat this, obviously, is to push narratives that are less antagonistic into mainstream audiences. Unfortunately, cooperation is not exactly profitable, and social media platforms—which house most of these arguments—aren’t exactly incentivized to take steps towards building a more constructive online space for us to interact in. So until they change their minds, it’s up to us to realize that the sentiments echoed by a very vocal minority aren’t representative of what the masses believe.
What I find funny about European–American conflict is that in my mind, the two regions are very similar. For example, both nations have a perceived sense of superiority to other regions and cultures. European imperialism, motivated by religion and a “civilizing mission,” serves as the base from which the modern world has been shaped, as indicated by the Euro-centric (also called “westernized”) standards for class and civilization which have become incredibly normalized—they’ve only recently been challenged by other nations. Meanwhile, American imperialism, although more modern, operates on similar terms, with the only difference being the American claim of spreading and protecting democracy—whilst simultaneously overthrowing democratically-elected governments and replacing them with authoritarian regimes. In reality, neither power was justified in these conquests, but both groups champion their supposed superiority and militarily successful history. Just as Europeans were motivated by the idea of Social Darwinism (and even eugenics, in some cases), many Americans clung to the concept of Manifest Destiny, which they used to trample Native American lands. Even by modern stereotypes (exacerbated by social media, as you mentioned), Europeans are seen as aloof and prideful while Americans are loud and boastful. I think it’s funny that these parallel powers find conflict amongst themselves, especially when a greater divide has established itself between eastern and western cultures.
ReplyDeleteHi Claire! I don’t think I ever realized how little exposure to geography as a subject we receive in school. I guess most of our knowledge there comes from general knowledge, although I will admit that I am so bad with geography in general, especially capitals of other countries. On the topic of geography, I think it’s important to note that geography means different things to America and Europe. Despite the fact that the United States is extremely diverse from state to state, you can easily go hundreds of miles without ever encountering a completely different culture, in the way that you will probably encounter some of the same languages, the same government structures, etc. Yet in Europe, every country generally has its own language and laws, among other things.
ReplyDeletePeople on the Internet who genuinely find satisfaction in disparaging others online, like the Europeans you mention, fail to realize that one American is definitely not representative of the entire government. Many of these criticisms, about the costs of healthcare or income inequality, often have a lot less to do with American citizens than they have to do with the government and larger institutions. America does pride itself on the ideal that its government serves “We the people,” but I think that level of representation has been getting less and less accurate recently.
Also, I have to say that I absolutely adore your sarcasm and little quips that have been a key part of your blogs this semester.
When we take a step back and really take a good look at online discourse, it’s painfully obvious that much of it is fueled by a select few of an otherwise unassuming group of people. Debates over veganism plagued the Internet in the late 2010s to early 2020s; I personally remember dozens of YouTubers with clickbait thumbnails lambasting “That Vegan Teacher” for all the controversial things she did. Looking back on it, she deserves a significant portion of the hate (I think making sexual jokes directed towards a 16 year old online should *probably* be looked down upon), but what I didn’t appreciate was the hate being extended to the entire vegan community. Even today, I see videos of vegan people trying and enjoying meat for the first time, with comment sections filled with “We told you so.” and “They finally found out what real food tastes like.”
ReplyDeleteIn the situation of Europe vs. America, it’s more so a pointing-fingers game, with Europeans making fun of Americans who don’t know the difference between the Balkan countries and Americans ridiculing Europeans for not knowing the difference between the New England states. Neither side is wrong nor correct, it’s just the product of a tiny proportion of each side being either significantly more outspoken or significantly worse at global geography.